When I carry anything, my elbow hurts and the pain spreads to the fingers. Please help.

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a goalkeeper for soccer, and last night I was on the net, and my arm was fine. When I got home, my elbow was hurting, and it hurt when I used my arm like carrying stuff and trying to use it. I iced it all night, and this morning when I woke up, I iced it again. I had a tingling at the tips of my fingers. The pain has spread from my elbow to my fingers, and it hurts when I bend my fingers also. I am currently taking Lolo, Isotretinoin, Divalproex, Lamotrigine, and Vyvanse. I have ADHD, epilepsy, and scoliosis.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It seems like an overuse injury to the muscles which bend the wrist and fingers. More bending activities of these joints can cause this. The damage leads to inflammation at the inside of the elbow and sometimes irritates the nerve passing around it, the Ulnar nerve. And this tends to cause tingling or numbness at the pinky and ring finger particularly. Symptoms aggravate when you put any strain on the injured tissue like while bending. The first line of treatment goes like this,

Rest and avoiding activities causing pain.
Keep icing like you are doing, and it will help.
After two to three days, if the pain is subsided, gradually start stretching the wrist and fingers in the opposite direction extending.
Keep a good stretching routine before lifting weights or playing soccer.