What are possible reasons for my elbow joints to hurt?

There are several reasons why your elbow joints might hurt. One common cause is an overuse injury. When you use your arm a lot—such as while playing sports or doing repeated tasks—it can strain the muscles, tendons, or ligaments around your elbow. This strain might cause what people often call "tennis elbow" or "golfer's elbow." With tennis elbow, the pain is usually on the outside of the elbow, and with golfer's elbow, the pain is on the inside. Another possibility is that you have arthritis in your elbow joint. Arthritic changes to the joint can cause pain and stiffness. Injuries, such as a fall or a blow to the elbow, can also cause pain by damaging tendons, ligaments, or even bones in the joint. Sometimes, other conditions like bursitis (inflammation of the small sacs in the joint) can make your elbow hurt too. If you're experiencing persistent elbow pain and want to better understand what might be causing it, try our free symptom checker to get personalized insights based on your specific symptoms. All these conditions can make your elbow stiff and painful, and they often need careful rest and treatment to help them heal.