White fingers, numbness, pain and cold all indicate problems with blood vessels and nerves and are symptoms of a condition known as Reynaud’s Phenomenon. The lesser form of this condition can benefit from Neuromuscular Therapy by treating muscles that are sources of neurovascular entrapment. Reynaud’s is characterized by constriction of blood vessels. Abnormal nerve control […]
When the thumb or finger locks up it is called a Trigger Thumb or Trigger Finger. They are slightly different in the mechanism that may be causing each. The cramping can be painful. For a trigger thumb, the tendon of the long flexor of the thumb seems to actually get caught between tight muscles, preventing […]
A new “diagnosis,” the pain caused by specific repetitive stress to the arm and hand muscles that bend the thumb is of increasing importance due to our hand-held texting devices like the Blackberry. To press the keys with the device in the palm of the hand requires flexing the tip of the thumb inward and […]
Of all the arm and hand pain conditions and syndromes that can be treated, carpal tunnel syndrome is the one that is most often misdiagnosed and the one for which unnecessary surgeries are most often performed. See other conditions and causes in the post on Arm and hand pain: A Checklist of Causes. I was […]
This is a series on arm and hand pain. If you missed the beginning, go back to the “Checklist of Causes.” In my Neuromuscular Therapy center near Boston, I treat arm and hand pain caused by texting and computer use. The opponens muscles of the little finger and thumb are on the outsides of the […]
This is a series on arm and hand pain. If you missed the beginning, go back to the “Checklist of Causes.” In my Neuromuscular Therapy center near Boston, I treat arm and hand pain caused by texting and computer use. When using the computer keyboard, typing often involves reaching out to the side (abducting) with […]
This is part of a series on the causes of arm and hand pain. To see the general list, go back to the checklist of causes. The supinator and both pronator muscles are located right in the forearm. They cause pain locally and down into the wrist and thumb. The brachioradialis is a longer muscle […]
This is part of a series on the causes of arm and hand pain. To see the general list, go back to the checklist of causes. The scalene muscles have two important contributions to arm and hand pain. First is that the scaleni are the first point of entrapment for the nerves and blood vessels […]
The muscles that move the arm from the shoulder are often implicated in painful conditions in the arms and hands. In my Neuromuscular Therapy practice near Boston, I find this often to be the original source of pain in the arms and the last problem spot to be corrected. Pain in the arms and hands […]
The thumb is used in virtually all activities that involve the arm and hand. The thumb muscles, both the short ones in the hand (intrinsic) and the long ones (extrinsic) that control movement from the forearm are an important source of pain. Activities like texting on cell phones with buttons or emailing on Blackberries cause […]