It's not possible to second guess the treatment choices made by a surgeon 10 years ago. There's a lot of unknowns in the case. Most often, if someone breaks the bones near the elbow and dislocates the elbow as well, surgery is done. The surgery is meant to stabilize the elbow and ensure that there's no further damage from the fracture.

Athletes who put a tremendous amount of pressure on the elbow in a throwing movement, such as baseball and softball pitchers, javelin throwers, tennis players, and wrestlers, are at risk of an injury of the ulnar collateral ligament, a ligament in the elbow. This type of injury can be career ending but in the early 1970s, a surgeon, Dr. Frank Jobe, saved the career of baseball pitcher Tommy John, by reconstructing the damaged ligament.

When someone develops a stiff elbow that's stiff enough to interfere with range-of-motion and functioning, treatment is usually needed. Some people may not bother seeing a doctor because elbows often don't have to have full range of motion to be used effectively. Most activities require the elbow to bend between 30 degrees and 130 degrees - neither full bend or full extension usually. However, depending on the activities you do, you may need the full extension or flexion (bending).

You may have heard of (or even seen) the Popeye deformity that occurs when the biceps tendon ruptures or pulls away from the inside of the elbow. The tendon retracts (coils away) from the bone, leaving the muscle bunched up and looking like Popeye's big bicep in his skinny arm. Popeye was a famous cartoon character (a sailor) shown on television in the 1950s and early 60s.

When someone dislocates their elbow, it can be classified as simple or complex. The difference is whether there are any fractures around the elbow or not. If there aren't any fractures, usually the elbow is treated conservatively, without surgery. Most often surgery is only done if the elbow can't be reduced (put back into place) or if the elbow is very unstable.

As you have discovered, compartment syndrome is an acute medical problem. Pressure within the compartments of the forearm builds up and cuts off the blood supply to the muscles. The increased pressure occurs as a result of inflammation after an injury, surgery, or in most cases, repetitive overuse of the muscles.

Compartment syndrome is a potentially serious condition. Pressure within the compartments of the forearm builds up and cuts off the blood supply to the muscles. Rest and changing the way you do things may help. But activity modification may be difficult in a profession such as bricklaying where you perform the same actions over and over.

Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, is not limited to tennis players. The backhand swing in tennis can strain the muscles and tendons of the elbow in a way that leads to tennis elbow.

Bone scintigraphy is a diagnostic study used to look at the distribution of active bone. It helps show blood flow to and through the bone and shows places throughout the skeletal system where the bone is actively metabolizing.

Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, is not limited to tennis players. Any activities that repeatedly stress the same forearm muscles can cause symptoms of tennis elbow. For example, painting with a brush or roller, running a chain saw, and using many types of hand tools. Reaching across the computer keyboard to use the mouse is one of the more common causes of this problem today.