<human>: My elbow keeps locking and it has been in extreme pain for a while now. It hurts to straighten it out and when I do stretch my elbow it stops at angle. I cant fully flatten out my arm. Also it makes a loud popping sound. What is causing this and whats wrong with my elbow??
<bot>: Hi, There are two possible causes of elbow pain. First is osteoarthritis and second is any previous injury. In both these cases there is a loose fragment inside the joint which gets stuck in the joint while moving and this is a reason you get this popping sound. This can be confirmed under an x-ray. Application of hot packs and elbow strengthening exercises will help you to relieve pain to some extent and if the pain is uncontrollable and the presence of a Loose body is confirmed on X-RAY minor operation needs to be done. There are no medications present that will give permanent relief from this pain. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.