Elbow and wrist pain: Five most common causes

Looking at the most common causes of pain in the elbow and wrist, this in-depth list provides five probable causes along with some standard treatment technques. If you are experiencing pain, please take a look at our list of services.

Biceps Tendinosis

Biceps tendinosis is an irritation or inflammation of the upper tendon of the biceps. It can also occur in the lower tendon of the biceps, in which case you feel pain in the front of your elbow or the front of your shoulder, which usually causes pain, when moving the shoulders and elbows. Generally, movements that affect the biceps include overbending the elbow, turning the steering wheel, grasping items. Non-surgical treatments include rest, frosting, isometric exercise, soft tissue massage, dry needle use for tight muscles and physical therapy.

Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that occurs when the tendon that stretches the wrist is damaged. This is a common injury characterized by inflammation of the tendon fibers that connect the forearm muscles to the elbow. Elbow pain in the dominant hand occurs in approximately half of all tennis players but it is surprisingly common in dentists, surgeons, athletes and physical workers. Although tendonitis can be painful, it rarely becomes chronic when diagnosed and treated early.

Golfer’s Elbow

Golfer’s elbow is an overuse injury that causes inflammation of the elbow tendon inside the elbow. This injury occurs due to overuse of the tendons that flex the wrist. In turn, the perceived pain on the side of the wrist opposite the tennis elbow can experience increased pain. The reason this injury typically occurs in golfers is due to a combination of gripping and twisting the forearm when swinging the golf club.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to a type of pinched nerve in the hand caused by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the wrist, where nine tendons and a nerve run between the forearm and the wrist. This condition is common in people who constantly use their wrist, grip objects tightly or perform repetitive hand and wrist movements such as typists, dental hygienists and acupuncturists. There are a number of non-surgical treatments for the syndrome, such as corrective exercises, nerve displacements, braces or splints to rest your wrist and adjust how you perform your daily activities.

Sprained Wrist

A wrist sprain refers to an injury to the wrist’s ligaments, which are hard traces of fibrous tissue that connect bones together. The wrist contains many joints and connects 15 separate bones. You can easily tear the ligaments that connect these bones when you bend or twist them. Sprains of the wrist in everyday life are relatively rare, however, in athletes, hand and wrist injuries account for up to 10 percent of all sports injuries.

Knowing what to look out for is an important step towards spotting injuries early. But if you do suffer an injury, we are conveniently located close to Mt Eden and Newmarket. Book now to meet one of our expert physios.