Softball player teenager with constant pain in elbow

Dear Ask The Doctor: I'm a 16 year old and I have constant pain in my elbow and randomly it locks up on me and it hurts to get it loose. Its getting to the point I can hardly lift a gallon of milk without sharp pain. I play softball so I think I did something to my elbow during that but nobody knows what.

Dear Hope: The repetitive use of the elbow muscles can produce microtears in the tendons, inflammation and pain and is called:  Medial Epicondylitis or Golfer’s elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis or Tennis elbow . In United States is one of the most common causes of elbow pain.The conservative treatment for the Golfer’s Elbow or Tennis Elbow is as follows: modification of all the movements that produce pain, revise your technique playing softball especially the throwing ad the swing, you ca take anti-inflammatory medication (“Motrin”, “Advil”), you may benefit of physical therapy with flexibility and strengthening exercises, and applying local ice after. If there is no significant improvement the local corticosteroid injection may be considered, and if this does not help, then you will require a imaging study (MRI) of the elbow to determine if Surgery may be considered as a treatment option.