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A chain that works together
The elbow brings the hand closer or further away from the body. The two bones of the forearm, the radius and the ulna, also allow the palm to rotate. The wrist adjusts the orientation of the hand. The thumb is placed opposite the fingers to hold a key, close a button or carry a cup.
Many of the muscles that move the fingers are found in the forearm. Their tendons, a sort of solid cord, pass through the wrist before joining the fingers. This is why grasping an object can strain a painful area in the elbow. The nerves carry signals about sensation and control the muscles; they are not tendons.
Understand the picture
Three levels, one function
Elbow
It bends and straightens the arm. Several forearm muscles attach near the elbow.
Wrist
It orients the hand and allows tendons and nerves to pass through.
Hand
The thumb and fingers combine movement, strength and sensitivity for precise movements.
Describe what you feel
Indicate if you feel pain, burning, tingling, stiffness or a feeling of blockage. Indicate which fingers are affected and whether symptoms are present at rest, at night or only during a task. A photo of intermittent swelling can help during the consultation.
Try to distinguish a hold that you avoid because it hurts from an object that escapes you despite your effort. These two situations deserve to be explained. Also note the start date, any accident and what has changed recently. You don't need to know the name of an illness to seek help.
Chapter sources [3]
Pain during grip or movement
Pain on the side of the elbow while carrying a bag can lead to exploring the tendons: our guide compares tennis elbow and golfer's elbow, called epicondylitis and epitrochleitis in French. Pain on the thumb side of the wrist may be related to the De Quervain tendons or to the base of the thumb joint.
These are reading tips, not a choose-your-own list of diagnoses. Pain after a fall follows a different path than discomfort that appears gradually. Do not repeat tests found online until you provoke pain: instead describe the actions that trigger it in your usual life.
Tingling, numbness and symptoms coming from the neck
The Carpal Tunnel Guide explains irritation of the median nerve in the wrist. The ulnar nerve guide treats symptoms in the little finger and part of the ring finger in particular. The distribution is useful to the clinician, but the sensations may be less clear than on a diagram.
A problem in the neck can also cause symptoms in the arm or hand. Our article on cervical pain radiating into the arm completes this section. Several problems can coexist. Report persistent loss of sensation or new weakness; don't automatically attribute them to your posture or old tendonitis.
Stiffness, swelling, nodule or blocking finger
The articles on hand osteoarthritis and inflammatory rheumatism explain two different families of problems. The duration of stiffness upon waking, the number of swollen joints and your general condition help guide the examination. A red, hot and very painful hand requires rapid evaluation, especially with a fever.
A trigger finger, Dupuytren's disease and a ganglion cyst do not correspond to the same mechanism. One can catch during movement, the other gradually limit extension, the third form a pocket of fluid. A new mass must be examined before it is considered benign. Do not pierce it or try to crush it.
After a fall, blow or cut
The amount of swelling is not enough to distinguish between sprains, fractures and tendon injuries. You'll find separate guides for wrist sprains, wrist fractures, elbow fractures, and finger or thumb injuries. The necessary protection varies greatly depending on the structure affected.
Being able to still move is not enough to rule out a fracture. Some fractures of the scaphoid, a small bone near the thumb, are not visible on the first X-ray. Pain that persists after an accident therefore deserves the suggested follow-up. While waiting for evaluation, avoid testing hand strength or starting resistance exercises.
In everyday life
When carrying a cup is difficult: preparing for your appointment
Locate
Notice where you feel the discomfort, without pressing multiple times to cause it.
Describe
Explain if gripping is painful, fingers go numb, or the cup slips away.
Decide together
The exam helps you choose between adaptation, protection, exercises and additional exams.
What the exam can clarify
The clinician listens to your story then examines movements, sensitive areas and, if necessary, strength, sensitivity and circulation. He can check the neck and other joints of the arm. Explain your professional activities, your hobbies and what you can no longer do.
Additional exams answer a specific question. An x-ray mainly shows the bones; an ultrasound can help with certain tendons or a mass; a nerve conduction test provides other information. Not all of them are necessary for every person. Ask what the outcome would change in care and how you will be informed about follow-up.
Choosing useful everyday help
Treatment may involve a temporary adaptation of tasks, an splint, medications discussed with the doctor or pharmacist, exercises and sometimes specialist advice. An splint is a support intended for a specific objective: to protect an injury, limit an awkward position or facilitate an activity. It is not interchangeable from one condition to another.
Physiotherapy helps to regain movement and abilities when it is adapted to the situation. It does not replace the treatment of an infection, the protection of a repaired tendon or the evaluation of a nerve that loses its function. Our treatment page explains how to prepare for a consultation and set concrete goals.
Use the exercises and track your progress
The exercises section offers movements explained step by step. Choose them according to your symptoms and the instructions received; it is not necessary to do everything. The aftermath of an operation, a fracture, an immobilized finger or a nerve deficit sometimes require another program. The suggested repetitions are an adaptable start.
Also track small successes: getting dressed, opening a door, sleeping longer or resuming a short task. A lastingly stronger reaction the next day invites you to reduce the load and seek advice if it repeats. Further loss of strength or sensation requires assessment, not simply fewer repetitions.
Chapter sources [14]
Prepare for your next step
Bring your prescription, useful reports and instructions from a possible surgeon. Choose two or three priorities: working with a tool, carrying your child or picking up an instrument, for example. Note what has already been tried and its effect; a lack of progress is useful information, not a personal failure.
KinéCheck can help you explore your situation and find relevant pages. It does not make a diagnosis and should not delay urgent help. Read the warning signs page if you are unsure about priority. The practice callback form is not an emergency service.
Your questions
Do I need to know my diagnosis before making an appointment?
No. Describe symptoms and difficult activities. On the other hand, after a major accident, in the face of new weakness or signs of infection, a medical evaluation may be necessary before the exercises. Bring the information already available without trying to choose a disease yourself.
Does pain always indicate serious injury?
Its intensity alone does not allow us to conclude. Common problems can be very painful; some large injurys may initially appear modest. Context, function, circulation, sensitivity and evolution also matter. This is why the warning signs are presented separately.
Chapter sources [17]
Can I follow the advice of a loved one with the same symptoms?
You can compare your experiences, but its splint, exercises or deadlines may not be right for you. Pain in the same place may come from another structure. The instructions given after an operation or a fracture come before the general examples in the guide.
Chapter sources [14]
What article should I read if I don't know where to start?
Start with the warning signs, then choose your main need: pain when using the hand, tingling, swelling or recent injury. The index presents the different possible explanations. If several situations overlap or you remain concerned, request an assessment.
Chapter sources [3]
Sources and references
- [1] AAOS OrthoInfo: Medial epicondylitis
- [2] BSSH: Cubital tunnel syndrome
- [3] NHS: Wrist pain
- [4] BESS patient care pathway: Tennis elbow (2023)
- [5] BSSH: De Quervain’s syndrome
- [6] AAOS · Management of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, clinical practice guideline (2024)
- [7] BSSH: Trigger finger/thumb
- [8] BSSH: Dupuytren’s disease
- [9] BSSH: Ganglion cysts
- [10] NICE NG100: Rheumatoid arthritis in adults
- [11] BSSH: Wrist sprains
- [12] BSSH: Scaphoid fracture standards
- [13] EULAR · 2018 update of the recommendations for the management of hand osteoarthritis
- [14] NHS Inform: Exercises for wrist, hand and finger problems
- [15] Kiné Diddeleng · Première visite
- [16] CGDIS · Appeler le 112
- [17] NHS: Broken arm or wrist
Text updated on
Medical review: awaiting Hasib Selimovic.