Several risk factors of CMC OA of the thumb are known. Each of these risk factors does not cause CMC OA by itself, but acts as a predisposing factor influencing the process of OA in some way. Risk factors include: female gender, suffering from obesity, repetitive heavy manual labor, familial predisposition and hormonal changes, such as menopause.

In tennis players, about 39.7% have reported current or previous problems with their elbow. Less than one quarter (24%) of these athletes under the age of 50 reported that the tennis elbow symptoms were "severe" and "disabling," while 42% were over the age of 50. More women (36%) than men (24%) considered their symptoms severe and disabling. Tennis elbow is more prevalent in individuals over 40, where there is about a four-fold increase among men and two-fold increase among women. Tennis elbow equally affects both sexes and, although men have a marginally higher overall prevalence rate as compared to women, this is not consistent within each age group, nor is it a statistically significant difference.

Playing time is a significant factor in tennis elbow occurrence, with increased incidence with increased playing time being greatery for respondents under 40. Individuals over 40 who played over two hours doubled their chance of injury. Those under 40 increased it 3.5 fold compared to those who played less than two hours per day.

CMC OA is the most common form of OA affecting the hand. Dahaghin et al. showed that about 15% of women and 7% of men between 50 and 60 years of age suffer from CMC OA of the thumb. However, in about 65% of people older than 55 years, radiologic evidence of OA was present without any symptoms. Armstrong et al. reported a prevalence of 33% in postmenopausal women, of which one third was symptomatic, compared to 11% in men older than 55 years. This shows CMC OA of the thumb is significantly more prevalent in women, especially in postmenopausal women, compared to men.

Tendon injury and resulting tendinopathy are responsible for up to 30% of consultations to sports doctors and other musculoskeletal health providers. Tendinopathy is most often seen in tendons of athletes either before or after an injury but is becoming more common in non-athletes and sedentary populations. For example, the majority of patients with Achilles tendinopathy in a general population-based study did not associate their condition with a sporting activity. In another study the population incidence of Achilles tendinopathy increased sixfold from 1979-1986 to 1987-1994. The incidence of rotator cuff tendinopathy ranges from 0.3% to 5.5% and annual prevalence from 0.5% to 7.4%.

Another factor of tennis elbow injury is experience and ability. The proportion of players who reported a history of tennis elbow had an increased number of playing years. As for ability, poor technique increases the chance for injury much like any sport. Therefore, an individual must learn proper technique for all aspects of their sport. The competitive level of the athlete also affects the incidence of tennis elbow. Class A and B players had a significantly higher rate of tennis elbow occurrence compared to class C and novice players. However, an opposite, but not statistically significant, trend is observed for the recurrence of previous cases, with an increasingly higher rate as ability level decreases.

Other ways to prevent tennis elbow:

- Decrease the amount of playing time if already injured or feeling pain in outside part of the elbow.

- Stay in overall good physical shape.

- Strengthen the muscles of the forearm: (pronator quadratus, pronator teres, and supinator muscle)—the upper arm: (biceps, triceps)—and the shoulder (deltoid muscle) and upper back (trapezius). Increased muscular strength increases stability of joints such as the elbow.

- Like other sports, use equipment appropriate to your ability, body size, and muscular strength.

- Avoid any repetitive lifting or pulling of heavy objects (especially over your head)

Vibration dampeners (otherwise known as "gummies") are not believed to be a reliable preventative measure. Rather, proper weight distribution in the racket is thought to be a more viable option in negating shock.

Being an extremely rare disease, it is unknown as to what exactly causes Panner Disease. It is believed that the disease may be brought on by continuous overuse of the elbow and that puts pressure on the elbow and also strains the elbow in children during the period of rapid bone growth. The overuse of the elbow can be due to the involvement in sports such as baseball, handball, and gymnastics where these sports involve throwing or putting a lot of pressure on the joints. These repeated activities cause microtraumas and results in the affected elbow being swollen, irritated, and in pain. Panner Disease results when the blood supply to the capitellum is disrupted and therefore the cells within the growth plate of the capitellum die and it becomes flat due to the softening and collapsing of the surrounding bone. To prevent future instances of Panner Disease the child is instructed to cease all physical and sports activities that involve the use of the affected elbow until the symptoms are relieved.

Supracondylar humerus fractures account for 55%-75% of all elbow fractures. They most commonly occur in children between ages 5–8, because remodeling of bone in this age group causes a decreased supracondylar anteroposterior diameter.

This injury has also been reported in babies younger than six months and in older children up to the preteen years. There is a slight predilection for this injury to occur in girls and in the left arm. The classic mechanism of injury is longitudinal traction on the arm with the wrist in pronation, as occurs when the child is lifted up by the wrist. There is no support for the common assumption that a relatively small head of the radius as compared to the neck of the radius predisposes the young to this injury.

The condition is called "Golfer's Elbow" because in making a golf swing this tendon is stressed, especially if a non-overlapping (baseball style) grip is used; many people, however, who develop the condition have never handled a golf club. It is also sometimes called "Pitcher's Elbow" due to the same tendon being stressed by the throwing of objects such as a baseball, but this usage is much less frequent. Other names are "Climber's Elbow" and "Little League Elbow": all of the flexors of the fingers and the pronators of the forearm insert at the medial epicondyle of the humerus to include: pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor digitorum superficialis, and palmaris longus; making this the most common elbow injury for rock climbers, whose sport is very grip intensive. The pain is normally caused due to stress on the tendon as a result of the large amount of grip exerted by the digits and torsion of the wrist which is caused by the use and action of the cluster of muscles on the condyle of the ulna.

Epicondylitis is much more common on the lateral side of the elbow (tennis elbow), rather than the medial side. In most cases, its onset is gradual and symptoms often persist for weeks before patients seek care. In golfer's elbow, pain at the medial epicondyle is aggravated by resisted wrist flexion and pronation, which is used to aid diagnosis. On the other hand, tennis elbow is indicated by the presence of lateral epicondylar pain precipitated by resisted wrist extension. Although the condition is poorly understood at a cellular and molecular level, there are hypotheses that point to apoptosis and autophagic cell death as causes of chronic lateral epicondylitis. The cell death may decrease the muscle density and cause a snowball effect in muscle weakness - this susceptibility can compromise a muscle's ability to maintain its integrity. So athletes, like pitchers, must work on preventing this cell death via flexibility training and other preventive measures.

A pulled elbow, also known as a radial head subluxation, is when the ligament that wraps around the radial head slips off. Often a child will hold their arm against their body with the elbow slightly bent. They will not move the arm as this results in pain. Touching the arm, without moving the elbow, is usually not painful.

A pulled elbow typically results from a sudden pull on an extended arm. This may occur when lifting or swinging a child by the arms. The underlying mechanism involves slippage of the annular ligament off of the head of the radius followed by the ligament getting stuck between the radius and humerus. Diagnosis is often based on symptoms. Xrays may be done to rule out other problems.

Prevention is by avoiding potential causes. Treatment is by reduction. Moving the forearm into a palms down position with straitening at the elbow appears to be more effect than moving it into a palms up position followed by bending at the elbow. Following a successful reduction the child should return to normal within a few minutes. A pulled elbow is common. It generally occurs in children between the ages of 1 and 4 years old, though it can happen up to 7 years old.

A cubitus varus deformity is more cosmetic than limiting of any function, however internal rotation of the radius over the ulna may be limited due to the overgrowth of the humerus. This may be noticeable during an activity such as using a computer mouse.

Bursitis normally develops as a result either of a single injury to the elbow (for example, a hard blow to the tip of the elbow), or perhaps more commonly due to repeated minor injuries, such as repeated leaning on the point of the elbow on a hard surface. The chance of developing bursitis is higher if one's job or hobby involves a repetitive movement (for example, tennis, golf, or even repetitive computer work involving leaning on one's elbow). The likelihood of developing the condition is increased as one gets older.

As a reaction to injury, the lining of the bursa becomes inflamed. It then secretes a much greater than normal amount of fluid into the closed cavity of the bursa, from where it has nowhere to go. The bursa therefore inflates, producing a swelling over the proximal end of the ulna which is usually inflamed and tender.

Another possible cause of inflammation of the bursa is infection, which can usually (but not always) be traced to a crack or other lesion in the skin which allowed for bacteria of the normal skin flora to invade deeper layers of tissue.

According to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification, ICD-9-CM, in 2008 the U.S. listed the diagonsis code for UCL injury as 841.1: Sprain ulnar collateral ligament. There were a total of 336 discharges of UCL injuries. Within the total discharges, separated by age groups: 18- to 44-year-olds; 165 people (49.17%). 45- to 64-year-olds; 91 (27.08%). 65- to 84-year-olds, 65 (19.35%) it shows that the ulnar collateral ligament injuries were more commonly found in men than women. There were 213 men compared to 123 women with ulnar collateral ligament injury. Most of these injuries were also paid through private insurance (170: 50.63%) and Medicare (70: 20.85%). The average estimated cost for the surgery also known as Tommy John surgery is $21,563.

A common cause is the supracondylar fracture of humerus. It can be corrected via a corrective osteotomy of the humerus and either internal or external fixation of the bone until union.

Olecranon fractures are rare in children, constituting only 5 to 7% of all elbow fractures. This is because in early life, olecranon is thick, short and much stronger than the lower extremity of the humerus.

However, olecranon fractures are a common injury in adults. This is partly due to its exposed position on the point of the elbow.

An overuse injury occurs when a certain activity is repeated frequently, and the body doesn't have enough time to recover in between occurrences. Some examples include bursitis and tendinitis.

The most common examples of this condition:

- Prepatellar bursitis, "housemaid's knee"

- Infrapatellar bursitis, "clergyman's knee"

- Trochanteric bursitis, giving pain over lateral aspect of hip

- Olecranon bursitis, "student's elbow", characterised by pain and swelling in the elbow

- Subacromial bursitis, giving shoulder pain, is the most common form of bursitis.

- Achilles bursitis

- Retrocalcaneal bursitis

- Ischial bursitis, "weaver's bottom"

- Iliopsoas bursitis

- Anserine bursitis

Any type of injury that occurs to the body through sudden trauma, such as a fall, twist, or blow to the body. A few examples of this type of injury would be sprains, strains, and contusions.

Any fracture in elbow region or upper arm may lead to Volkmann's ischemic contracture, but it is especially associated with supracondylar fracture of the humerus.

Volkmann's contracture results from acute ischaemia and necrosis of the muscle fibres of the flexor group of muscles of the forearm, especially the flexor digitorum profundus and flexor pollicis longus. The muscles become fibrotic and shortened.

The condition is caused by obstruction on the brachial artery near the elbow, possibly from improper use of a tourniquet, improper use of a plaster cast, or compartment syndrome. It is also caused by fractures of the forearm bones if they cause bleeding from the major blood vessels of the forearm.

There can be several concurrent causes. Trauma, auto-immune disorders, infection and iatrogenic (medicine-related) factors can all cause bursitis. Bursitis is commonly caused by repetitive movement and excessive pressure. Shoulders, elbows and knees are the most commonly affected. Inflammation of the bursae may also be caused by other inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus and gout. Immune deficiencies, including HIV and diabetes, can also cause bursitis. Infrequently, scoliosis can cause bursitis of the shoulders; however, shoulder bursitis is more commonly caused by overuse of the shoulder joint and related muscles.

Traumatic injury is another cause of bursitis. The inflammation irritates because the bursa no longer fits in the original small area between the bone and the functionary muscle or tendon. When the bone increases pressure upon the bursa, bursitis results. Sometimes the cause is unknown. It can also be associated with various other chronic systemic diseases.

Tendonitis is a very common, but misleading term. By definition, the suffix "-itis" means "inflammation of". Inflammation is the body's local response to tissue damage which involves red blood cells, white blood cells, blood proteins with dilation of blood vessels around the site of injury. Tendons are relatively avascular.

Corticosteroids are drugs that reduce inflammation. Corticosteroids can be useful to relieve chronic tendinopathy pain, improve function, and reduce swelling in the short term. However, there is a greater risk of long-term recurrence. They are typically injected along with a small amount of a numbing drug called lidocaine. Research shows that tendons are weaker following corticosteroid injections. Tendinitis is still a very common diagnosis, though research increasingly documents that what is thought to be tendinitis is usually tendinosis.

People with diabetes mellitus are at higher risk for any kind of peripheral neuropathy, including ulnar nerve entrapments.

Cubital tunnel syndrome is more common in people who spend long periods of time with their elbows bent, such as when holding a telephone to the head. Flexing the elbow while the arm is pressed against a hard surface, such as leaning against the edge of a table, is a significant risk factor. The use of vibrating tools at work or other causes of repetitive activities increase the risk, including throwing a baseball.

Damage to or deformity of the elbow joint increases the risk of cubital tunnel syndrome. Additionally, people who have other nerve entrapments elsewhere in the arm and shoulder are at higher risk for ulnar nerve entrapment. There is some evidence that soft tissue compression of the nerve pathway in the shoulder by a bra strap over many years can cause symptoms of ulnar neuropathy, especially in very large-breasted women.

Workers in certain fields are at risk of repetitive strains. Most occupational injuries are musculoskeletal disorders, and many of these are caused by cumulative trauma rather than a single event. Miners and poultry workers, for example, must make repeated motions which can cause tendon, muscular, and skeletal injuries.

Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is tendinosis of the medial epicondyle on the inside of the elbow. It is in some ways similar to tennis elbow, which affects the outside at the lateral epicondyle.

The anterior forearm contains several muscles that are involved with flexing the digits of the hand, and flexing and pronating the wrist. The tendons of these muscles come together in a common tendinous sheath, which originates from the medial epicondyle of the humerus at the elbow joint. In response to minor injury, or sometimes for no obvious reason at all, this point of insertion becomes inflamed.

Volkmann's contracture is a permanent flexion contracture of the hand at the wrist, resulting in a claw-like deformity of the hand and fingers. Passive extension of fingers is restricted and painful.