Tennis & golfers elbow
The muscles of the forearm attach to the elbow in quite small areas on either side called the lateral and medial epicondyles. These areas can become inflamed which results in the painful conditions known as tennis and golfers elbow. Repeated forceful gripping, repeated and especially forceful twisting of the wrist are common causes. A traumatic injury to the epicondyles can also be caused by, for example, the shock transmitted by repeated hammer use.
While this condition can occur without any such stress, such episodes are usually short lived. Occupational epicondylitis is often associated with chronic painful symptoms from which the sufferer does not recover. This may well be because the continuation of their work aggravates the condition.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
The carpal nerve goes through a small channel in the wrist. If this channel becomes restricted, there can be pressure on the nerve causing symptoms in the hand. These symptoms include tingling, loss of sensation, pain and loss of grip.
Occupation probably causes or contributes to carpal tunnel syndrome by inflaming the tissues around the channel through the wrist. Repeated movements of the hand up and down at the wrist, especially when this is done forcefully, may cause the condition. Exposure of the hands to vibration is also a cause.
Ulnar neuropathies
Action that involves repeated throwing may cause injury to the ulnar nerve at the elbow.
Where the wrist has to absorb shock and vibration, the ulnar nerve may be damaged leading to tingling, numbness, or pain on the outside or middle of the forearm. This sensation of discomfort may run all the way to the little finger.
Tendonitis
The tendons in the upper arm are the pulleys that move your wrist and fingers. Overuse of these tendons can cause them to become inflamed. The repeated use of strong force or the more repetitive use of moderate force, in either case with poor posture, may cause the condition.
Tenosynovitis
Where the tendons of the wrist and hand move past some other structure and would otherwise rub on it, they pass through sheaths which prevent damaging friction. With forceful or repetitive tasks, often with poor posture, these sheaths can become inflamed. This restricts the free passage of the tendon.
As with many upper limb disorders this condition can be very disabling in the short term but a good recovery can be made with rest and appropriate medication as advised by a GP. Unfortunately the condition can become chronic if not managed properly and this is most likely to occur where the sufferer continues in a job that aggravates the condition.
De Quervains syndrome
This affects the tendons running from the back of the thumb to the wrist. It may occur as an occupational condition in typists who do not use an optimum technique.
Rotator cuff syndrome
This describes a number of conditions afflicting the tendons of the shoulder and their surrounding structures.
Older people suffer degeneration in these tendons and are more susceptible to injury. Employers should take this into account when deploying older workers to tasks involving repeated or forceful shoulder activity.
Injuries to the rotator cuff can also occur as a result of trauma.
Chronic pain syndrome
The upper limb disorders described above can be attributed to damage to a particular structure of the limb. But many people suffer from chronic disabling upper limb pain for which no doctor is able to find a cause.
Unfortunately some doctors simply refuse to accept what the patient says about their symptoms and doubt there is anything wrong with them. Other doctors will accept that the patient is in pain. If that patient has been doing a job that the doctor thinks is the most likely cause of the symptoms, the doctor may call it a “repetitive strain injury.”
There are several explanations as to what causes this type of chronic pain. One is that a person can suffer an injury from which they recover, but they suffer changes in their nerves that alters their pain perception. The result is that they continue to experience symptoms after the original injury has healed. The pain is real and disabling, but the doctor can’t see what is causing it. This can cause considerable frustration for the patient looking for answers.
Whatever the cause of the ongoing pain, if occupation seems likely to have been the cause of an original problem, then compensation for the ongoing disability is also justified.
Many sufferers from this type of chronic pain feel that no-one believes them. At Raleys we know it happens and you will get a sympathetic hearing.
