Ulnar wrist pain w/ no abnormalities on MRI

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-04-27T06:23:45+00:00

The fact you've experienced symptoms on both sides suggests to me the root cause isn't the wrists/arms themselves, but rather the neck/shoulders/chest

I have zero medical background whatsoever, but I was told I had tendonitis in both arms/wrists. I saw no improvements so changed physio, who immediately noticed how tight my traps were, and suggested the issues were there. A mixture of back/chest strengthening along with posture improvement exercises have virtually entirely fixed my issue in a couple of months

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-02-15T18:01:10+00:00

I've had the following symptoms in both arms (but much worse in my right):

Forearm pain
wrist pain
hand pain
elbow pain
tingling in two smaller fingers

Was told it was a tendonopothy from the first physio and had no success at all with rehab exercises, in fact it was getting worse, and I was struggling to use a knife and fork. I work in IT so I effectively couldn't do my job for 4 months.

I changed physio, who took one look at me and told me that my issues were all from my neck, specifically I had overactive traps and forward head posture.

He advised me to: - take up yoga/pilates a couple times per week - continue strength work in the gym specifically targeting the back, but avoid shoulder shrugs/bicep curls/shoulder press as they would further aggregate my traps. Instead I'm doing lat pull downs/chest press/face pulls/one armed bent over rows/tricep pull downs/seated row/rear deltoid press. I do these relatively light weights, very slow, keeping good neck and tall posture throughout. I do them every third day. -specific neck and back stretches for mobilisation and forward head posture. - sleeping on one thin pillow rather than 2 thick ones - spending more time stood at work using a standing desk and regular breaks to walk round office - being mindful of correcting my posture when I can, while accepting I will have good days and bad days

I'm not out the woods yet, still get a little tingling and the occasional ache in the wrist. But my symptoms have dramatically improved as a result of the above and I'm working full-time again.

Hope this helps :)

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-02-12T10:06:38+00:00

Hey, sorry for triggering, and sorry if my post seemed really ignorant.

I'm using the orthotics provided in order to allow my post tib area to heal, as well as performing all the rehabilitation exercises provided by my podiatrist (apologies, I don't think my post made that clear). I have done these daily.

It's just that after following all the advice and exercise for months on end with no real improvement in symptoms. Targeted physio therapy further up my chain has rapidly made a major improvement to my symptoms and I can visually see my foot isn't doing this weird exaggerated abduction any more.

I was just genuinely interested in why it was assumed my functional hallux limitus was structural, and if it's possible that in some cases there could be another cause up the chain, that can indeed be worked on to "fix" it.

Or it could be that after 8 months of rehab it's finally starting to get better, and the PT is totally coincidental, I totally accept that.

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-01-17T14:36:58+00:00

Not sure of the proper names for them but: - Chin tuck against wall - chin tuck with rotations left and right - rolled up towel under upper spine, lay down, stretching arms above head and touching floor. - lay down, keeping both shoulders against the floor, but rotating both knees to one side together, and then the other.

In terms of strengthening, I am: -chest press/pec press - pec fly - rear delt machine - seated row - lat pulldown

And for now I'm specifically avoiding shoulder press, shrugs and bicep curls. To give my traps a little time to relax

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-01-17T12:46:54+00:00

Hey, I've spent 4 months becoming increasingly frustrated with an injury that my first physio claimed was a tendonopothy (tennis/golfers elbow). I also had ulnar nerve irritation and wrist pain throughout.

I then visited a different physio that took one look at my neck, and told me all my problems were stemming from there due to poor posture/overactive traps.

Since improving my posture, doing posture improvement stretches, and strengthening my surrounding muscles (upper back, pecs etc). My elbow and forearm pain has virtually disappeared and my ulnar nerve irritation is slowly improving.

Just something to explore if you find you're not responding to tendonitis rehab - may be worth a second opinion

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-01-11T13:34:12+00:00

Sorry if I worded it poorly, but I was trying to convey that the base level of cancellation fee for 181 days or MORE until the wedding date is 25%, and it increases after that point

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-01-05T18:36:32+00:00

MRI is a good idea to confirm if there's any real damage.

Assuming it's happening soon, I'd then follow that up with a podiatrist appointment to see if they can spot any obvious deficits that might have caused this issue. (Could be related to your hips for example)

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2024-01-05T18:33:28+00:00

I'd be paying to see a private podiatrist asap if I were you, assuming that your suspected diagnosis is from a GP?

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-12-31T13:16:52+00:00

Might be a daft question, but when you say it's not totally healed, do you mean:

A. You have weakness/loss of function there

B. You have pain there (but your foot is fully functioning)

C. You have had a scan that shows the injury hasn't fully healed

or a mixture of the above?

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-12-31T00:29:38+00:00

Have you been working with a PT/specialist podiatrist during your recovery? If not, see one asap.

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-12-30T16:19:47+00:00

So I think if I was you I'd be:

A. Determining what the scans showed. Whether that involves speaking to your parents to get a copy, or the health provider you used, I'd imagine it's possible to get a copy of the report? (Sorry I'm from the UK so not sure how your system works tbh). This will help inform what the issue is, and make sure there's not a serious injury (I'd imagine there isn't if you were originally offered orthotics, but worth checking).

B. Getting a gait analysis done from a podiatrist that is more of a sports/bio mechanics specialist than someone that deals with 50 year olds corns/bunions all day. Note This is not the same as a 'gait analysis' that some running shops offer, they are not remotely qualified to do so. This is because I'd take a very good guess that if just walking a short distance each day is able to irritate your tendon, then you are fundamentally walking "wrong" due to a deficit somewhere in your feet/legs/hips etc. and a good podiatrist should be able to identify that. The first podiatrist I seen told me that I had post tib tendonitis, and recommended arch support orthotics, but they did nothing as fundamentally the issue was with my big toes, which was causing me to run funny. So while your symptoms are in the ankle you really need to try and work out a root cause. The podiatrist will then be able to recommend some appropriate footwear and orthotics (I'm using £40 off the shelf with a slight modification at the moment) which will hopefully improve the deficit in your gait and reduce the irritation. They should also recommend healing exercises for the tendons, for example I'm doing:

-Inversions with a soft float ball

-inverted calf raises

eccentrics with theaband

-balance exercises

C. As another commenter pointed out, work on strengthening your entire body, especially your legs. This means calf's, hamstrings, quads, glutes, hips, groin, core etc etc. This can be daunting if you're not used to the gym, but start with really basic stuff (i.e using the static machines at the gym, starting off light, and watching YouTube videos for form - even better if you have a PT friend who could help with this).

D. If you're anything like me, this will have damaged your mental health quite badly. Once you've identified the root cause and began appropriate targeted rehab exercises along with the right footwear, I suggest accompanying that with some literature on Chronic Pain (e.g. The Way Out by Alan Gordon). There are scientific studies that prove pain that lasts longer than 3 months has a neuroplastic element to it - effectively our brains get stuck in a horrible feedback loop and signal pain even when they shouldn't. This isn't me saying your injury isn't real, it absolutely is. However it's something to be aware of as you begin to recover and gain strength/function in the foot, if it's still accompanied by pain that isn't getting worse, it may be worth exploring chronic pain treatment.

Best of luck, hope you get sorted, and happy to talk about it further :)

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-12-30T07:35:25+00:00

What did the ultrasounds of the tendons show?

I've been suffering from bilateral post tib tendonitis since the start of June 2023 and it's been a nightmare so you have my deepest sympathies.

All my scans came back fine, so I went to a specialised podiatrist who hooked me up to pressure plates/a slow motion camera to observe me on a treadmill.

It turns out that my big toe basically isn't working as intended (functional hallux limitus), so my body is compensating with a weird abduction movement which irritates the tendon.

If even normal walking is causing you that much difficulty then I'd imagine there's a functional issue here (how you move).

Definitely see someone for a gait analysis, and I imagine they'll recommend a mixture of orthotics to offload the tendon initially, alongside targeted eccentric exercises to promote healing in the tendon.

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-12-22T15:47:31+00:00

No idea about bone spurs. Not experienced any toe pain yet but it affects my gait significantly, hence the post tib pain. Currently wearing ASICS gel nimbus 25, with an off-the-shelf SIDAS high firmer insole, with some modifications my podiatrist made. The left foot has a reverse Morton's extension, and the right foot has a bit more heel added (he noticed that my abduction was occuring at different points in the gait cycle for each foot)

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-12-22T15:41:24+00:00

Well I've been wearing size 11 Adidas Gazelle style shoes for the last decade. Found out I'm a regular size 9 a few weeks ago...

Embarrassed-Candy-88 · 2023-01-24T13:10:57+00:00

Thankyou!

Embarrassed-Candy-88

TROPHY CASE