Forearm pain

[Lise]

Looking for insight and ideas. Since I started riding my Bianchi Veloche, I have pain in my right forearm, upper outer area. It feels muscular. I looked in my anatomy book--it seems to be where the palmaris longus attaches to the humerus. It feels warm and painful to the touch. It hurts to use that arm to twist or carry anything. I am right handed, so this is annoying.

I never had this pain when riding the Larkspur, so I figure the difference is the way I hold the handlebars (mtn bike-type straight bars vs. road/racing). There's no pain in my left forearm. I'm aware that I hold a lot of tension in my hands when riding. My 4th & 5th fingers are usually pretty tightly curled in. That may be the problem.

Sometimes it's so painful that I ice it and take NSAIDs all day.

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

[mimitabby]

aw, man!! dumb question; you been fitted?

[Lenusik]

Lise, yes, good question, have you been fitted. You could be just slightly off anf all your pain comes from it. Also, think about your other activities. If you work on a computer, you can get any kind of unexpected pains. Did you pick up anything heavy lately?

[KnottedYet]

I'm one of those mutants who doesn't have a palmaris longus. And even more rare, I don't have one in either arm!

At a family reunion (after I learned about the p.l. of mystery) we all checked, and I don't think anyone but spouses had 'em. Must be a dominant mutation in our family....


moooooo-hoooo-heh-heh!

[Denise223]

Hi Lise!

I'm sorry to hear that you're having pain in your right forearm. You stated that it feels warm & painful -- are you having any swelling in that area or tingling in your ring/pinky finger??

It hurts to use that arm to twist or carry anything

I know that you're a CNM & (obviously), use your hands A LOT....any chance that this might be carpal tunnel syndrome?

If I were you, I'd make an appointment with a hand surgeon, just to have it checked out. (or general orthopedic surgeon).

I hope that your arm/hand feels better soon -- Please keep us posted!

Denise

[Tuckervill]

A long time ago (10+ years) I got tennis elbow from using the mouse on my computer. Since I started college online, I have some other kind of -elbow, involving tendonitis on the outside of the elbow. (It's from using the touchpad on my laptop with my middle finger instead of a mouse.)

It really hurts when I ride sometimes, and my grip is useless and I can't twist like you said. But, I finally found the tennis elbow strap I was given way back and after wearing it for a couple of days, my arm feels GREAT and strong with the support. Maybe you should try one. They're available at the drugstore.

Karen

[Lise]

Thanks for the suggestions--

I was fitted to the bike when I first got it, mid April. It's probably time for a double check on the fit. The pain is localized to the top of the muscle, just below the elbow. No problems with hand/fingers, so I don't think it's carpal tunnel. Other activities are the same. Really the only difference this summer is the kind of bike I'm riding. I've done the same work, ridden approximately the same number of hours in the past few summers. It's entirely possible that I injured myself lifting or carrying something--but nothing I remember. I *do* work with my hands a lot, but have never had this kind of pain before. One thing that occurs to me is that the Bianchi is so light that I tend to pick it up with just my right hand when going up stair or through doors sometimes (like when I ride to work). That could be contributing.

Knotted--I was just guessing about the palmarus longus, based on pain location and the picture in my anatomy text. How did you know that you didn't have one? Unless of course they told you back on your planet before you made the jump into lightspeed to come over here... "...the only way they can tell we're not human is if they detect the lack of a palmarus longus..."

I'll look for a tennis elbow strap at the drugstore. I'll also go back into LBS and ask them to look at the fit again. I'll let you know if I figure anything out! L.

[deena]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I was having the exact same problem with forearm pain. I bought a tennis elbow strap and started using it today. Immediate relief!

You guys are the best!

[Lise]

Hey, Deena,

Welcome to TE. Glad to hear the suggestions helped. Another good use for the compression band is to put it over a flexible ice pack, to hold it in place.

I had a brainstorm the other day. I have a hot wax thing for my hands--the kind of thing they use at manicure places. Sometimes my hands get very sore from work, and it feels great to do a hot wax dip. So I turned it on the other day, and dipped my elbow a couple of times, wrapped it in Saran wrap, a towel, and put the compression band around the whole thing. It felt wonderful. Heat is so good sometimes.

Hope your arm stays better. Mine is generally better with the tri-design seat post instead of the road-design post. My elbows are less straight and stiff. Or could it be the 2 naprosyn I took 12 hr ago...?

[snapdragen]

I had a brainstorm the other day. I have a hot wax thing for my hands--the kind of thing they use at manicure places. Sometimes my hands get very sore from work, and it feels great to do a hot wax dip. So I turned it on the other day, and dipped my elbow a couple of times, wrapped it in Saran wrap, a towel, and put the compression band around the whole thing. It felt wonderful. Heat is so good sometimes.

Lise! That is exactly what they did when I was in PT for my forearm! Hot paraffin, plastic, towel and a heating pad on top. It was wonderful! After you do that, try a little self massage too. They would finish off with an ice massage

[Lise]

Heating pad on top--what a great idea. Then ice massage? Like massage the area with an ice cube?

[snapdragen]

Heating pad on top--what a great idea. Then ice massage? Like massage the area with an ice cube?

Yes, they had these nifty holders, about the size of a dixie cup. Here's a couple things I found:

Ice massage

Ice can help decrease pain, swelling, and inflammation that can result from injury and from some conditions such as arthritis. Ice massage is a quick and easy way to get the benefits of ice.

You can use an ice cube, but it's easier to use an "ice cup" for ice massage.

To make an ice cup, fill a small paper or Styrofoam cup about two-thirds full, and freeze it until it is solid.
To use the ice cup, peel off the top of the cup so about 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) of ice is showing. The remaining part of the cup is for you to hold on to.
As the ice melts, it will drip, so put a small towel under the area you are icing.
Rub the ice in small circles all over the affected area. Avoid areas where the bone is close to the skin, such as right over your knee cap, the point of your elbow, or your spine.
If the ice melts down so the cup is touching your skin, peel more of the cup off.
Continue for only 5 to 7 minutes. The area will feel cold at first, then it will ache, then finally become numb. Your skin will be pink and cold when you finish.
You can do an ice massage several times a day if it helps you.

Ice Massage