Pathophysiology of overload injuries around the elbow.

The most common elbow injuries appear to have a pathophysiology that is microtrauma based but with multifactorial origin. This pathophysiology is a process of gradual degeneration on a cellular and tissue level, with resulting alterations that predispose to more overt injury as the athlete responds to the inherent demands of the sport. This process is similar to injury patterns described at the foot, knee, and shoulder. Evaluation frameworks can be used to describe the clinical changes that are detectable, and to evaluate all of the various components that may play a role in the causes of these injuries.