![]() Limiting elbow movements at night eases further irritation. If symptoms are worse at night, you may need to wear a lightweight plastic arm splint while sleeping. Take frequent breaks and limit heavy pushing, pulling, and grasping. If work tasks caused your condition, it is crucial to modify your work site or your duties for successful treatment. Repeated twisting motions of the wrist (such as using a screwdriver) also make the problem worse. Avoid repetitive activities requiring your wrist to be bent backwards. The most important part of your treatment is avoiding the activities causing the problem. Getting symptoms under control and helping you regain the use of your elbow can be a challenge. A doctor will consider the entire examination and test results in diagnosing whether or not you have radial tunnel syndrome. Many people who have radial tunnel syndrome will have normal EMG and NCV test results. These tests are not always accurate in diagnosing radial tunnel syndrome. If the speed is too slow, the nerve is probably pinched. The nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test measures the speed of an electrical impulse as it travels along the radial nerve. If the test shows a problem with the muscles, the cause may be a radial nerve problem. An electromyogram (EMG) tests to see if the muscles of the forearm are working properly. Pinpointing the source of the pain will be most helpful in determining whether you have radial tunnel syndrome or tennis elbow.Ī doctor may order some tests of the radial nerve. Tests don’t always help tell the two conditions apart.Ī doctor will take a detailed medical history asking questions about your pain, activities, and any past injuries to the elbow.Ī doctor will perform a physical examination looking for the most painful spot. Many cases are initially diagnosed as tennis elbow, a condition affecting the elbow joint tendons. Diagnosisĭiagnosing radial tunnel syndrome can be difficult. It can even lead to wrist “drop,” meaning the back of the hand can’t be raised. Nerve pressure inside the radial tunnel leads to weakness in the muscles on the back of the forearm and wrist, making it difficult to steady the wrist when grasping and lifting. Radial tunnel syndrome may cause a dull pain or fatigue in the muscles of the forearm. ![]() The pain gets worse when you bend your wrist backward, turn your palm upward, or hold something with a stiff wrist or straightened elbow. Pain from radial tunnel syndrome often starts near the bony point on the outside of your elbow joint (lateral epicondyle). The symptoms of radial tunnel syndrome are tenderness and pain on the outside of the elbow. Sometimes a direct blow to the outside of the elbow can injure the radial nerve. ![]() Repetitive, forceful pushing and pulling, bending of the wrist, gripping, and pinching can also stretch and irritate the nerve. If the tunnel is too small, it can squeeze the nerve and cause pain. Several spots along the radial tunnel can pinch the nerve. ![]() Pressure on the radial nerve causes pain. The supinator muscle lets you twist your hand clockwise.Īfter passing under the supinator muscle, the radial nerve branches out and attaches to the muscles on the back of the forearm. Passing through the radial tunnel, the radial nerve runs below the supinator muscle. On the lateral part of the elbow, the radial nerve enters a tunnel formed by muscles and bone. It then spirals outward and crosses the outside (the lateral part) of the elbow before it winds its way down the forearm and hand. The nerve passes down the back of the upper arm. The nerve roots join together to form three main nerves that travel down the arm to the hand. The nerve roots exit through small openings between the vertebrae. The radial nerve starts at the side of the neck, where the individual nerve roots leave the spine. The symptoms of radial tunnel syndrome are very similar to the symptoms of tennis elbow and there are very few helpful tests making it hard to diagnose. With radial tunnel syndrome, the radial nerve is pinched when passing through a tunnel near the elbow.
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