Assessing, diagnosing and managing radial tunnel syndrome

A disorder affecting the elbows and causing 4 percent of cases involving suspected lateral epicondylalgia, radial tunnel syndrome, or RTS, is a painful condition that athletes experience more frequently than others. Correctly assessing and diagnosing RTS is particularly challenging because there are several alternative diagnoses that clinicians must rule out. After it has been diagnosed, there are several approaches toms of RTS.

Why radial tunnel syndrome occurs

When a person’s muscles or upper-arm bones place pressure on the radial nerve, radial tunnel system may develop. The nerve compression may result in inflammation and neuropathy. Normally, the pressure occurs between the head of the radius and the supinato the elbow.

Evaluating radial tunnel syndrome

The assessment of RTS may involve subjective and objective evaluations combined with differential diagnoses. Imaging is not as useful for proper identification of the syndrome, but it may help to rule out degenerative elbow disorders.

Subjective assessment of RTS

People who are suffering from RTS commonly report the following:

• Aggravation of the pain when using the upper arms
• Pain that expresses at night, waking the patient
• Pain in the central area of the elbow
• No weakness in motor functioning

Clinicians will still need toms, including lateral epicondylalgia and others, however.

Objective assessment of radial tunnel syndrome

An objective assessment will involve a postural and neural examination. The clinician will also use palpitation and resistance supination and extension. In the postural examination, the clinician will assess the patient’s whole-body posture, looking for pathological signs in the proximal region. People who have radial tunnel syndrome often have positive results on tension tests that are performed on their radial nerves during the neural examination.

The clinician may palpitate the supinators, and they may find that resistance extension is painful and weak.

Management of RTS

The management of radial tunnel syndrome is poorly understood because of a lack of research. Some studies have indicated that there is a potential benefit of corticosteroid injections or physiotherapy. Other management techniques may include nerve gliding and stretching exercises. Manual therapies that may be beneficial include spinal manipulation, manual soft tissue and peripheral therapies.

The incidence of the disorder in the workplace may be prevented by making ergonomic changes to decrease the pressure and alleviate the pain.

Radial tunnel syndrome presents a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. When it is correctly identified, the symptoms may be alleviated.