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Hi, I'm very worries I have bone cancer. I'm 22 years old and I remember little over a year ago I was outside taking out the trash. It was a snowy day and I slipped and fell and hit my elbow on the ground. From it I had really bad pain and endured it for 2 weeks since I felt it was getting better.) I passed it off as a really bad bruise. Eventually it got better but only hurts when I lean against it at times still the pain wasn't as bad. Oddly the pain wasn't always present, I've noticed it lasted about a month or 2 after my accident. Now fast forward till not, I rested my elbow on the rest on my chair where it was accompanied with some pain(not excruciating but enough to cause some concern.). It also felt like it wasn't worse but for some reason I only noticed it as i moved the bump around and rested my arm. I felt around and on the elbow where it hurt I found a bump. Though the pain originates from the elbow it wasn't where the lump was. I think I discovered this lump was back but disregarded it.But now finding that this can quite possible be bone cancer I am very concerned.I will be calling a doctor asap tomorrow, but I am really at edge. Please help-Nick
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Male Person's Age: 22 Already Tried: nothing
Greetings.I am sorry that your question was unanswered for long.Is the lump bony hard or soft?Is it fixed or can be moved around?What is the exact location of bump?Dr. Arun
The bump feels kind of hard, but it seems like it moves around but not very far.
Hello,This is unlikely to bone lump. So bone cancer is not a possibility. Your symptoms are suggestive of;1) Lipoma (fat swelling).2) Lipofibroma (fat and fibrous swelling).3) Sebaceous cyst4) Hematoma.All of these are benign (non cancerous). An ultrasound can diagnose it. Nothing to worry.Please feel free for your follow up questions.
I would be happy to assist you further, if you need any more information.
Yes one more, why is it I still feel pain in my elbow when I rest it on a desk or something. Is it possibly I fractured it and It never fully healed? I have had this problem for over a year I think and it seems to have never been worse, but still present.
An injury also causes break of ligaments and muscles. Inadequate healing of these tissues would be responsible for the pain. Around a joint, soft tissues like muscles and ligaments are as important as the bone. Majority of the lingering symptoms like pain are due to the soft tissue injuries. Strengthening these tissues by physical therapy would resolve the issue.It is privilege assisting you.
Hello Nick,Just to add further; neither your lump nor the pain towards anything serious or significant. This is likely to be myofascial pain syndrome. These are hyperirritable tender spots in palpable tense bands of skeletal muscle. Trigger points may develop after an initial injury to muscle fibers. This injury may be a noticeable traumatic event or repetitive microtrauma to the muscles. The trigger point causes pain and stress in the muscle or muscle fiber. As the stress increases, the muscles become fatigued and more susceptible to activation of additional trigger points. The treatment is following;
1) passive stretching of the affected muscle after application of sprayed vapocoolant.
2) physical therapy; simple muscle stretch, augmented muscle stretch, post-isometric relaxation.
3) deep electrotherapy; iontophoresis, phonophoresis, short wave diathermy, electrical stimulation, high voltage galvanic stimulation, biofeedback.
4) local analgesic patch / ointment / spray
5) anti-inflammatory analgesics; Ibuprofen (Motrin / Advil)
6) ischemic compression therapy; pressure on the points
7) massage
8) steroid shots
9) acupuncture
Experience: MBBS, MS (General Surgery), Fellowship in Sports Medicine