This article was co-authored by Jonathan Frank, MD. Dr. Jonathan Frank is an Orthopedic Surgeon based in Beverly Hills, California, specializing in sports medicine and joint preservation. Dr. Frank's practice focuses on minimally invasive, arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, hip, and elbow. Dr. Frank holds an MD from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He completed an orthopedic residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Hip Preservation at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. He is a staff team physician for the US Ski and Snowboard Team. Dr. Frank is currently a scientific reviewer for top peer-reviewed scientific journals, and his research has been presented at regional, national, and international orthopedic conferences, winning several awards including the prestigious Mark Coventry and William A Grana awards.
There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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If your elbow feels tense or stiff, like it needs to pop, try flexing and relaxing your triceps. Cracking your elbow can feel good (like cracking your knuckles) and relieves pressure from your joint. However, if you’re experiencing sharp pain in your elbow, popping it won’t help (and may worsen the condition). You may be experiencing bursitis, tennis elbow, or a rupture in 1 of your bicep tendons, and should seek medical attention.
Steps
Flex your triceps to straighten your arm and crack your elbow. Flexing these muscles until they’re fully taut will straighten your arm and swell the muscles to their maximum size.[1] Flexing your triceps will put pressure on the elbow joint to burst small air bubbles contained in the joint’s synovial fluid. This will often cause a loud “pop” sound, just like when you crack your knuckles.[2]- Your triceps are located on the back of your arm, on the back side of your biceps.
- Stop flexing if you feel extreme pain, as you may have a more serious medical condition than a dislocated elbow.
Relax and flex your triceps until you feel your elbow relocate. Use the triceps-flexing technique to realign a dislocated elbow joint. If you’ve dislocated your elbow through, for example, a sports injury, try popping your own elbow back in place before visiting a doctor. If your dislocated elbow doesn’t pop back into position the first time you flex, relax your triceps and let your arm bend a little at the elbow.[3]- Then, flex your triceps again. Keep relaxing and flexing your triceps until you feel your elbow pop back into position.
- Flexing and relaxing your arm will cause the bones that meet at your elbow to rub together.
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Stop popping your elbow if the joint doesn’t relocate. If you’ve straightened and relaxed your elbow 5–6 times and the joint hasn’t popped back into place, stop flexing your arm. At this point, you’ll just be rubbing the ends of your arm bones together. This will not fix the joint, and may cause pain if the bones rub a nerve ending.[4]- In this situation, visit your doctor or a local Urgent Care clinic.
Jess Cunningham, Sports & Exercise PhysiotherapistThough a basic hinge, the elbow is part of the body's interconnected web. Elbow pain shows imbalance elsewhere. To crack the elbow, manual manipulation frees stuck joints. This directly relieves local tension. But broader techniques still harmonize the kinetic chain. Proper cracking balances the joint and interconnected fascia. It fixes joint tension locally while addressing the greater myofascial unity. Cracking the elbow requires targeted joint release along with whole body balance.
See a doctor if you can’t realign your dislocated elbow. In some instances, it can be difficult to tell an elbow dislocation from a break. If you’ve tried to pop your elbow back into place and it didn’t work, visit your doctor or an Urgent Care Center as soon as possible.[5] This is especially urgent if your elbow continues to swell.- If your elbow is causing you severe pain, or if you can’t bend your arm or no longer have feeling in your hand, visit the Emergency Room.
Visit your doctor if your elbow is swollen or painful. If you crack your elbow many times a day—whether on purpose or accidentally—you may develop a condition known as bursitis. Bursitis occurs when fluid sacs in your elbow swell up due to overuse and agitation. If your elbow joint(s) hurt when you move them and become swollen, you may have bursitis.[6]- If you heard a popping or cracking sound from your elbow and aren’t sure what caused it, you may have torn a ligament or a tendon, or fractured or dislocated your bone.
Describe your symptoms and pain level to your doctor. The doctor will want to know how long you’ve been experiencing elbow pain and how intense the pain is. Also make it clear to your doctor if the elbow hurts only when you’re using it, or if it’s painful even when at rest. If you don’t crack your elbow, but do make many repetitive motions with the arm throughout the day, you likely have tennis elbow.- If the pain has built up over time, it’s likely a cause of repetitive stress by doing something like working at a computer, lifting too much weight at the gym, playing tennis or golf, or working as a plumber.[7]
Request an X-ray if you suspect your elbow is broken. If your elbow is very painful or if you have trouble bending the arm or using your hand, your elbow may be seriously dislocated or your arm may be broken. In this case, ask the doctor to use an imaging scan like an X-ray or MRI to take a look at the elbow and arm bone.[8]- These procedures are painless and shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.
Ask the doctor for treatment options. If your elbow isn’t broken, you shouldn’t need any surgery or in-patient treatment for a painful elbow. Find out if you have tennis elbow, bursitis, or a sprain or strain. Then ask the doctor how you can decrease your elbow pain and prevent the condition from flaring up again. The doctor may begin by advising you to ice the elbow and let it rest when pain flares up.[9]- In most cases, the doctor will advise you to stop making short, repetitive motions with your elbow and to avoid cracking the joint unnecessarily.
Expert Q&A
- QuestionWhy is my elbow hurting?
Jonathan Frank, MDDr. Jonathan Frank is an Orthopedic Surgeon based in Beverly Hills, California, specializing in sports medicine and joint preservation. Dr. Frank's practice focuses on minimally invasive, arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, hip, and elbow. Dr. Frank holds an MD from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He completed an orthopedic residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Hip Preservation at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. He is a staff team physician for the US Ski and Snowboard Team. Dr. Frank is currently a scientific reviewer for top peer-reviewed scientific journals, and his research has been presented at regional, national, and international orthopedic conferences, winning several awards including the prestigious Mark Coventry and William A Grana awards.
Sports Orthopedic Surgeon & Joint Preservation SpecialistThere are a lot of different potential diagnoses for elbow pain. First you need to pinpoint where exactly the pain is. What brought it on? How long has the pain been present? What are the aggravating factors to it? Is it worse if you're lifting or gripping? Is it worse with any movement? What makes it better? What have you tried so far? Once you've answered those questions, you can start narrowing things down to a specific diagnosis. - QuestionHow can I stretch my elbow?Jonathan Frank, MDDr. Jonathan Frank is an Orthopedic Surgeon based in Beverly Hills, California, specializing in sports medicine and joint preservation. Dr. Frank's practice focuses on minimally invasive, arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, hip, and elbow. Dr. Frank holds an MD from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He completed an orthopedic residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Hip Preservation at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. He is a staff team physician for the US Ski and Snowboard Team. Dr. Frank is currently a scientific reviewer for top peer-reviewed scientific journals, and his research has been presented at regional, national, and international orthopedic conferences, winning several awards including the prestigious Mark Coventry and William A Grana awards.
Sports Orthopedic Surgeon & Joint Preservation SpecialistThere are a couple of different ways you can stretch out the elbow. You can put your upper arm flat on a table and let gravity pull your elbow straight to stretch it. If you want to stretch out the tendons, straighten out your elbow and look at your nails, like you just got a manicure, and extend your fingers and wrist back. That helps stretch out the outer side of your elbow. Then you can do the same thing the opposite way by pushing your hand down. That will stretch out the inner side of your elbow. - QuestionAre there any other ways I can get my elbow to pop?
Eric Christensen, DPTEric Christensen is a Physical Therapist based in Chandler, Arizona. With over a decade of experience, Eric works in both orthopedic and neurological fields and specializes in custom orthotic prescription and casting, vestibular reprogramming, and manual therapy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a focus in Sports Medicine from Colorado State University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Regis University. In practice, Eric takes a developmental approach to rehabilitation utilizing the Selective Functional Movement Assessment. He uses functional movement patterning and manual therapy to return patients to prior levels of function.
Physical TherapistA lot of times just stretching out your bicep or your tricep can help with that. To do a bicep stretch, find a doorway and put the palm of your hand on one of the door jams. Then, step forward through the doorway, keeping your elbow straight. That should really stretch out the front of the elbow. For a tricep stretch, I find taking a lacrosse ball, tennis ball, or even a foam roller, putting it on a table, and then rolling out your tricep on that can be really helpful.
Tips
- If one or both of your elbows hurts frequently, but you haven’t injured it and don’t make many repetitive motions with the arm, you may have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.[10]Thanks
- If you infrequently crack your elbow to relieve tension, it’s fine for you and won’t cause any discomfort. But, avoid cracking your elbow more than 1-2 times a day.Thanks
- If you crack your elbows many times each day to relieve discomfort, see your doctor. There may be a medical condition causing you discomfort in the first place.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://healthfully.com/pop-elbow-joint-8026059.html
- ↑ https://www.sciencealert.com/study-confirms-what-really-happens-when-you-crack-your-knuckles
- ↑ https://thethirty.byrdie.com/cracking-knuckles
- ↑ https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/cracking-and-popping-joints
- ↑ https://healthfully.com/pop-elbow-joint-8026059.html
- ↑ https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/cracking-and-popping-joints
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tennis-elbow/symptoms-causes/syc-20351987
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-arm/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353266
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/elbow-pain/basics/when-to-see-doctor/sym-20050874
About This Article
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.
To crack your elbow, try flexing your triceps until they’re fully taught. By swelling these muscles to their maximum size, you’ll put pressure on the elbow joint and cause it to pop any air bubbles putting it out of alignment. If your elbow doesn’t crack and go back into place right away, relax your triceps and try again with your arm bent a little at the elbow. After 5 or 6 tries, or if you feel extreme pain, stop trying to pop your elbow and go see a doctor or urgent care clinic, as you might have a more serious injury. For more help, like how to accurately describe your pain to a doctor, read on.
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