Anterior interosseous nerve syndrome — often called AIN palsy — is a rare but important cause of forearm and hand weakness. It typically affects athletes, manual workers, and anyone doing repetitive gripping or rotation. Unlike other median nerve problems, AIN syndrome causes muscle weakness without numbness or tingling. So how do we spot AIN [...]
Sometimes a shoulder dislocation and nerve damage occur together, which can significantly affect recovery and function. Recognising and managing the nerve injury is crucial for a full recovery. So how do you know if a shoulder dislocation has damaged a nerve, and what should you do? What is a shoulder dislocation? A shoulder dislocation [...]
Musculocutaneous nerve damage is an uncommon but important cause of arm weakness and altered sensation. In sport, it's usually related to trauma, overstretching, or entrapment of the nerve during high-demand activity. The nerve supplies the biceps, brachialis, and coracobrachialis muscles, and gives sensation to the outer forearm — so when it's injured, both movement [...]
The radial nerve runs the length of the arm, powering the muscles that straighten the wrist and fingers and carrying sensation to the back of the hand. When it's compressed or trapped — radial nerve entrapment — it can cause anything from weakness and "wrist drop" to nagging outer forearm pain. So where does [...]
Several conditions cause hand pain, weakness, or numbness, but one important diagnosis to consider is Guyon's canal syndrome. This occurs when the ulnar nerve is compressed at the wrist as it passes through a narrow tunnel called Guyon's canal. It's sometimes called ulnar nerve entrapment of the wrist, or ulnar tunnel syndrome, and it [...]
The spinal accessory nerve powers the trapezius, a major muscle that stabilises the shoulder blade. When it's injured, the shoulder droops, the shoulder blade wings out, and lifting the arm becomes difficult and painful. So what causes a spinal accessory nerve injury, and how is it treated? What is the spinal accessory nerve? The [...]
Groin pain is common in athletes, especially in sports involving twisting, sprinting, or kicking. Muscle strains and hip joint injuries are the usual suspects — but another important, less well-known cause is ilioinguinal nerve pain. Compression or irritation of this nerve causes persistent discomfort and reduced performance, often mistaken for other groin problems. How [...]
Groin pain is common in athletes, but it isn't always a muscle strain or hip injury. One important, often overlooked cause is genitofemoral nerve pain. When the genitofemoral nerve is irritated or compressed, it produces burning groin discomfort, altered sensation, and reduced performance. So how do you know you have genitofemoral neuralgia, and how [...]
Chronic pelvic pain is hard to diagnose and manage, especially in athletes whose sport involves prolonged sitting, cycling, or repetitive hip movement. One important but often overlooked cause is pudendal nerve entrapment, which leads to persistent pelvic pain known as pudendal neuralgia. So what is pudendal neuralgia, and how do we manage it? Pudendal [...]
Tibial nerve entrapment — better known as tarsal tunnel syndrome — is a compression of the main nerve to the sole, as it passes behind the inner ankle. It causes burning pain, tingling, and numbness in the sole. So what is tarsal tunnel syndrome, and how do we treat it? What is the tarsal [...]
