From tennis arm to texting neck

If you think that only a tennis player gets a tennis elbow, then you are missing the point. Tennis elbow is caused by strain on the outside of your elbow. Think of repetitive movements when working a lot at the computer or sudden heavy strain on your muscles when playing tennis without a warm-up. This overload causes small tears in the tendons that attach your muscles to your elbow.

Common symptoms of tennis elbow include:

• A painful radiating sensation from your elbow to your wrist and/or hand.
• Pain sensation when you shake hands with someone.
• Loss of strength in your forearms.
• A nagging feeling when you move your hand upwards.

A golf arm is similar to a tennis arm, only the cause is overload on the inside of your elbow. The pain also radiates from the inside of your elbow to the forearms and wrist.

To heal a tennis or golf arm, it is important that you avoid the movements that cause the complaints. You should also take enough rest. If the pain is too bad, consider painkillers to take. The time it takes for a tennis or golf arm to heal varies from a month to a year.

The carpal tunnel is located on the inside of the wrist and is a passageway for nerves and tendons that run from the forearm to the hand. If a swelling develops in the carpal tunnel, for example due to too much typing or working with a jackhammer, your middle nerve in the hand will soon become compressed. This causes certain complaints, you then speak of the carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Pain, tingling, numbness in your thumb, fingers and/or palm.
• Loss of strength in your hands.

You can relieve the symptoms by moving your hands intermittently without straining them too much. Another option is to wear a splint to protect the wrist.

The rotator cuff is the name for the muscle girdle that consists of four muscles around your shoulders. If a tear develops here and you have complaints, you speak of rotator cuff syndrome. Cause of the syndrome can be chronic irritation that occurs if, for example, you have a bad posture at the desk. But acute trauma such as a fall can also cause the syndrome.

• Pain in upper arm.
• Loss of power.
• Pain when you lie on your shoulder.

To heal your rotator cuff syndrome it is important to rest a lot and take pain medication when necessary. If the tear is too large, surgery is a good option.

Subacromial impingement syndrome is a collective term for a bursa and/or tendon disorder around the shoulder joint. A tendon and/or bursa is wedged against the top of the shoulder.

You get it by working for a long time above your head if, for example, you are wallpapering or a fall on your arm or shoulder. You especially have pain when you lift your arm sideways and when you lie on your shoulder. To cure your subacromial impingement syndrome, use anti-inflammatory painkillers and/or physical therapy.

A bursitis is, as the name suggests, an inflammation of the bursa. You get it due to structural overload or acute trauma. A bursitis is possible on your heel, knee, elbow, shoulder or hip.

• Swelling.
• Pain.
• Movement restriction.

Rest is necessary to heal a bursitis. You can also ask the treating doctor for anti-inflammatories or possibly an injection.

A tendon sheath inflammation is an inflammation of the membrane that covers your tendon. You get it if you make unusual movements for a long time, for example, if you work a lot with a mouse, if you pull a muscle or if you have an infection.

• Pain and swelling of the inflamed tendon.
• A warm feeling at the inflamed tendon.

An inflamed tendon heals with rest and possibly a splint.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is a syndrome where you have pain in your fingers, hands and arms. You get it if you work a lot with vibrating devices in construction, for example.

• Pain/numbness in your fingers.
• Not enough blood flow to your fingers.

You will heal the syndrome if you get enough rest and stop using the vibrating devices. The drug nifedipine may also help.

texting neck

The symptoms are: