Radial tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow are both forms of repetitive stress injury, or RSI for short. This means that instead of an accident or trauma, the elbow has been damaged by the accumulation of stress from repetitive motions. This type of injury can be both painful and long-lasting, though there are several well-established treatments to minimize the pain and inflammation. One is treating the joint with alternating applications of heat and cold.
Tennis Elbow and Radial Tunnel Syndrome
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis as it's known to physicians, is a common cause of elbow pain. It's caused by repetitive arm motions that stress the ligaments on the outside of the elbow joint. As the name suggests it's common in racket sports, but many other sports and work-related activities can cause the same symptoms. Radial tunnel syndrome is caused by an inflammation of the pathway the radial nerve follows through the elbow on its way to the thumb and first two fingers of the hand. The result is chronic elbow pain, similar to tennis elbow.
Diagnosis
Tennis elbow and radial tunnel syndrome are difficult for the layperson to tell apart. Both cause chronic long-term pain at the outside of the elbow joint, and the quality of pain is similar. However, your physician can identify which RSI you're suffering from by testing the location of the pain. Pain from tennis elbow occurs further up your arm, right at the elbow where the affected tendon attaches to the bone. Pain from radial tunnel syndrome occurs approximately 2 inches closer to your wrist, where the radial nerve passes below one of your wrist muscles.
Hot and Cold Treatments
According to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Board Review, both heat and cold can bring relief from elbow pain, though for different reasons. Heat provides a soothing sensation in the affected area, offering mild pain relief. It also improves the elasticity of tendons and ligaments, and relieves the sensation of stiffness in the joint. Cold reduces the inflammation that is the underlying cause of pain in the joint. Cold also slows the transmission of pain signals to the brain, providing further relief.
Hot and Cold Applications
When alternating heat and cold are applied to the elbow, the reward is both forms of relief. Heat and cold can be applied by several methods. One is to immerse the elbow in alternating water baths at suitable temperatures, approximately 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit for the cold bath and approximately 100 to 110 F for the warm bath. An alternative method, often more convenient, uses hot and cold gel packs to apply temperature changes to the inflamed elbow. Alternate four- to six-minute warm baths with one- to two-minute cold baths, or hot gel packs for 20 minutes and cold gel packs for 10.
References
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Board Review; S. Curcullo (Ed.)
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Tendinitis
- MedLine Plus: Elbow Pain
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Repetitive Motion Disorders Information Page
- MedLine Plus: Tennis Elbow
- Orthogate.org: Radial Tunnel Syndrome
