Joint effusion in elbow... will it heal on its own?

I fell off my bicycle and hurt my arm really badly. The x-ray showed no fractutre but my elbow was in bad shape. My doctor said it was post-traumatic joint effusion with displaced fat pad and ordered an MRI. I'm taking the MRI 5 days from the crash. It's been two days since, but the swelling has decreased and its less painful. Does this mean it will heal on its own, or will the damage remain until treatment?
Answer:
If you can completely bend and straighten the elbow just like the non-injured side then chances are that it should heal on its own. You should continue to place ice on the elbow to help with the swelling. The MRI with determine if there is any damage to the ligaments of if there is any loose body in the elbow so its a good idea to have it done. You may need physical therapy if there is a problem with the motion even if there is no damage to the ligaments.

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and an effusion is just fluid, it's not something real serious, usually just takes time to heal.

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