[Sarnian]

Hi,

I've been getting sore finger/elbows for the last year now, which can be mildly triggered by using my phone/typing too much, drilling, sitting around with bad posture for long periods but by far the worst thing is just a short 20 minute drive, which seems to instantly flare everything up.

Symptoms normally involve feeling a numb ache around the A1 joint on the ring finger, around the knuckle in between the ring and pinky finger. Then the same tendon feeling a mild sore/acheyness from the start of the wrist all the way up to the elbow, and then the elbow again feeling achey and sore to touch. The elbow pain is in a similar place to the inside tennis elbow, which is what I associated it with for a while. Nothing is ever painful, it feels like inflammation.

I've seen a few physios who pointed out my same side shoulder sits lower, which I think is a cause and I've been working hard to improve this. Luckily when I climb everything seems to loosen up and the pain normally disappears unless I'm doing a lot of driving, I was going to try taking a month off but I found that after a week the symptoms were getting worse.

The only person I've met who described a similar pain to me and from driving said she suffers from carpel tunnel syndrome, which after having a google does sound like plausible symptoms, and people do get it from driving, but I find I can pretty much get any online diagnosis symptoms to fit my problem. I've tried quite a few different techniques like not using my right hand, different seating postures, I've even tried steering with rope mr. Bean style, but I think that using the steering wheel with both hands is unavoidable on anything other than motorways.

Does anyone else get tendonitis or other symptoms from driving, or have any advice? Is it worth me trying to see a hand/wrist specialist, or get an ultrasound or anything?

At the moment the symptoms are very manageable, although I'm now applying for jobs which require a lot of driving, and so I'm worried that things will worsen/ deal myself some permanent damage.

[Fultonius]

Nerves. Definitely nerves. There's no way (in my non-medically-trained opinion) that driving could aggravate a tendon issue. Also, the fact it spreads up to the elbow screams neck nerve impingement all the way.

Get a medically trained, well respected neck/back/osteo/physio type person to have a look at it. I'm surprised your physios have not already pointed towards this.

Further to last:

Could be cubital tunnel compression: 

http://www.spinemd.com/news-philanthropy/get-to-the-root-of-arm-numbness-or-tingling

[36chambers]

when you say using your phone do you mean actually holding it to you head whilst calling somebody?

I've been diagnosed with Ulnar Nerve Entrapment (Cubital Tunnel Syndrome) and one of the main symptoms would be that my pinky and ring finger would both tingle and get pins and needles if I was on the phone for more than 10 minutes. I'd also get a tingling sensation running along my inner forearm and elbow.

I haven't had an issues with driving but just resting my forearms on a desk/table triggers it a bit, as well as any sort of deep lock off.

[Coops_13]

I have Cubital Tunnel Syndrome and the most comfortable place for me to have the affected (left) elbow is around the gear stick/handbrake otherwise I get increased pain

[Sarnian]

Thanks for the advice everyone! very helpful

I'm living in Sheffield if anyone could recommend someone worth seeing nearby to here, I'd possibly be willing to put my elbows through a few hours of driving if it was to see someone super good. Is a physio/chiro going to be able to identify the point of impingement or would it take some sort of scan, or nerve reaction test?

Who did you get diagnosed by coops and 36chambers, how did they diagnose it, and what advice were you given ?

[Muenchener]

Not the same tendon, but I've had problems with the biceps tendon in my right shoulder for a while now and the thing it likes least is long drives. I assume it's the long period of almost no movement in a slightly raised position holding the wheel.

[Coops_13]

Mine was caused by missing the pad in a fall and smacking my elbow on a rock. Symptoms matched those described online and GP confirmed. Not found a good Physio for it yet...