Elbow Injury?

so i fell on my elbow the other day and its been sore since. when i hold my arm out palms up, its sore medially and on the distal side of the joint, toward my forearm. there is also some nasty popping every once in a while when i bend the joint from a straight arm. any medical mags have any advice? no decreased ROM, the joint doesn't feel loose, just the soreness and noises. i'm hoping its just some inflammation/minor tears and that some rest, ibuprofen, and ice will take care of it. just looking for some advice. thanks.

was it a fall to the outstretched arm (elbow straight) or direct impact on the elbow?

kind of both, fell on the elbow with my arm somewhat straightened. didn't fall on my palm with a straight impact though, my wrist is fine, more of a direct impact on the elbow

kind of tough to tell, but possibly a sprain to the medial elbow ligaments. If you hit with the palm first and the elbow kind of buckled or hyperextended you will likely have sprained the MCL. If the elbow begins to lock or it does not get better then you should have it x-rayed.

thanks for the advice vinman.

radiologist thought i might have a radial head fx, but wasn't positive, reccomended a followup xray or ct in 5 days if clinically indicated. but an orthopod friend took a look at it and my arm and disagreed, thinks theres no fx and just a contusion. appreciate the help and reccomendation to go ahead and get the films.

definitely will be sleeping better knowing what's going on for sure.

glad things work out for you.