What is causing the lump on my elbow?

I have been working hard on a project for a night course I am doing and I’ve noticed a swelling over my elbow. I haven’t banged it and I don’t think it’s infected but it is very painful. What could the problem be?

IT sounds like olecranon bursitis. The olecranon is the bony part of the elbow that you lean on, something you will no doubt have been doing a lot at your desk lately!

It has a small sack of fluid called a bursa which helps with movement of the joint. In bursitis this bag of fluid becomes inflamed and collects more fluid and becomes tense.

Repeated friction of your elbow while working on your computer is the most likely cause. This has been called ‘student’s elbow.’

Sometimes a one-off injury can cause it, other times wear and tear like arthritis can trigger it and on occasion there can be no cause. Sometimes it can be caused by an infection.

Generally it results in swelling, so you have an extra ‘ball’ on the end of your elbow. It can be painful or painless. If the swelling is small and painless you can often just leave it alone.

If it is big and painful then you should take anti-inflammatory tables to help reduce both swelling and pain.

Sometimes you need intervention in the form or drainage or a steroid injection. That, however, is rare, on the whole it tends to resolve over the period of a couple of weeks.

Try to rest the elbow by avoiding heavy lifting and so on, and rest it on a pillow while you work. You can also wear a tubing grip support bandage and take painkillers to give relief.

Assuming you progress like most patients it should resolve in the next couple of weeks without any long term consequences. My 25 -year-old daughter says she is seeing things floating in her vision. She’s a real drama queen at the best of times so I’m not sure how worried we should be about this. Should she go to the optician? Should we bring her to A&E or just take her to see the GP?

IF you are a worrier this can really spook you. But in fact, seeing floaters — for example images like dots or lines in your vision periodically — is totally normal. This is especially true if they aren’t worsening or affecting the vision.

So firstly I would suggest you get a steer for the quality and quantity of these floaters and find out if they have been increasing.

She will find her symptoms seem to be worse if she is looking at the sky or a white wall. Worrisome floaters are ones that occur suddenly when you have never previously experienced them.

Another worry is an increase in existing floaters. Any loss of vision, flashing lights or the arrival of a persistent floater in your vision are things to worry about.

As you age, the jelly-like substance that makes the eyeballs round can reduce. This substance is called the vitreous. It can pull away from the surface of the eyeballs and the gel can clump.

This means that instead of it being clear, it gets clogged up and this can present itself as floaters in the vision.

Inflammation, bleeding or damage to the retina can also cause floaters. These causes are more serious. Floaters are more commonly seen in the over-50s, diabetics, those who have had eye injuries or surgery, and those who are near-sighted.

If your daughter is a worrier, it would make sense for her to be seen as I don’t think you should make the decision as to whether these floaters are harmless or not. You need to seek medical advice.

Firstly get her to establish a time line for what has happened and then take her to the optician. They are better placed that the GP to delve deep into the back of the eye. She could go to A&E but I don’t think she would be best served by this unless it is a dire emergency.

If the optician thinks she needs a more specialist assessment then she can be referred to an ophthalmologist.