Olecranon Bursitis

Be the first to edit this page and have your name permanently included as the original editor, see the editing pages tutorial for help.

Original Editor - Your name will be added here if you created the original content for this page. Lead Editors - Your name will be added here if you are a lead editor on this page.  Read more.

Definition/Description

Olecranon bursitis is a condition in which there is an inflammation of the bursa. The bursa is overlying the olecranon process at the proximal aspect of the ulna. The superficial location of the bursa, namely between the ulna and the skin is susceptible to inflammation from a variety of mechanisms, primarily either acute or repetitive trauma. It is also possible that the inflammation is due to infection, called septic bursitis. Two-thirds of the cases are bursitis without an infection or nonseptic bursitis. Nevertheless this type of bursitis is less common. However the olecranon bursa normally provides a mechanism with which the skin can glide freely over the olecranon process, consequently the bursa prevents tissue tears.

Epidemiology/Etiology

Olecranon bursitis is a condition which is relatively common. There is no mortality associated with this condition. It is possible that the pain at the posterior elbow may cause morbidity, with limitation of some functional activities (e.g. writing). There is no predisposition for race or sex. Olecranon bursitis occurs with children and adults. Long-term hemodialysis treatment , uremia or a mechanical factor (like resting the posterior elbow during a hemodialysis treatment) can be a cause of inflammation. This condition can be caused by acute injuries (trauma) during sports activities because they can include any action that involves direct trauma to the posterior elbow. For example falling onto a hard floor et cet. Other common causes of olecranon bursitis, which are not related to sports activities, include repetitive microtrauma, like rubbing constantly the elbow against a table during writing. Such a trauma or those repeated small injuries lead to bleeding into the bursa or the release of inflammatory mediators. The inflammation can also be caused by an infection, but this is less common. Finally inflammation may be due to a systematic inflammatory process, like rheumatoid arthritis, or a crysal deposition disease, like gout and pseudogout. [1,2,3] This condition can also be a side-effect of sunitinib, which is used to treat patients with renal cell carcinoma.[2].

Clinically Relevant Anatomy

add text here relating to clinically relevant anatomy of the condition

Mechanism of Injury / Pathological Process

add text here relating to the mechanism of injury and/or pathology of the condition

Clinical Presentation

add text here relating to the clinical presentation of the condition

Diagnostic Procedures

add text here relating to diagnostic tests for the condition

Outcome Measures

add links to outcome measures here (see Outcome Measures Database)

Management / Interventions

add text here relating to management approaches to the condition

Differential Diagnosis

add text here relating to the differential diagnosis of this condition

Key Evidence

add text here relating to key evidence with regards to any of the above headings

Resources

add appropriate resources here

Case Studies

add links to case studies here (case studies should be added on new pages using the case study template)

References

References will automatically be added here, see adding references tutorial.