Pain on the outside of the forearm | Pain in the lower arm – what is the cause?

Pain on the outside of the forearm

Pain in the forearm often occurs on the outside of the arm. This can be caused by various clinical pictures, some of which originate in the upper forearm or elbow or in the tendons and muscles further down. The cause of pain on the outside of the forearm can also be further away.

In most cases, muscle tension or permanent irritation and overloading of tendons and tissue is the trigger for the pain. A frequent cause of pain in the forearm, which occurs mainly on the outside, is the so-called tennis elbow. This is an irritation and inflammation of the insertion tendons of the muscles responsible for the extension of the hand and fingers, caused by overloading.

These start at the elbow, so that the pain originates on the outside of the elbow and continues into the forearm, partly up to the hand. Gripping and clenching a fist causes the pain. The tennis elbow is usually sufficiently treated by a sports break, the pain on the forearm disappears by itself.

Tension in regions further down the forearm also causes pain on the outside of the forearm. For example, a flexor and reversible muscle in the elbow joint, the brachioradialis muscle, can be the origin of the pain. It runs from the outer elbow on the outside of the arm towards the thumb and is particularly stressed when holding work with an angled arm.

Waiters are often affected here. If this muscle is tense, there is sometimes stabbing pain in the outer forearm.Similarly, the muscles that pull from the forearm to the hand and move the wrist can become tense and painful due to chronic incorrect strain. This is often the case for people who frequently work at the PC and keep their wrists permanently in an unfavorable, bent position while writing.

In this case, the pain pulls further down the forearm, starting high outwards and forces them to stop working. Muscular tensions are treated by taking a break from exercise and possibly light massages of the muscles. In case of permanent bad posture, this should of course be corrected.

For example, soft wrist pads can improve posture at the PC workplace. Some physicians assume that pain in the forearm on the outside is also caused by tension and processes in muscles located further away, such as the chest or back. So-called trigger points and transmitted pain also cause symptoms in the forearm. Massages offer a remedy here.