Limited range of motion in forearm pronation/ supination

Discussion in 'Injuries' started by Sevex, Feb 2, 2013.

  1. Sevex

    Sevex Regular Member

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    For a long while I have struggled using the correct grips for badminton. Using the correct grip my arm used to lock out, caused by what I thought was a shoulder injury/ problem. This locking out puts huge strain on my hand and shoulder and causes injuries so I use an incorrect grip to avoid this. I always assumed it was due to me having wrong technique somewhere else, other than a problem in my forearm.

    Today though one of my friends was watching me trying to use the correct grip and pronate and said it looked wrong. Basically I had my shoulder rotating in a very awkward manner to get the racket face to pronate as you see in say Jimmy Lin's video on youtube, Gollum's badminton bible videos or any pro player in slow mo also on youtube.

    He told me to try and just pronate using only my forearm and we discovered that compared to everyone else present the range of motion in my forearm through rotation was only about 140 degrees maximum and about 90 degrees comfortably. He seemed to be able to move his through a lot greater range.

    Does anyone know what could be causing this or a way of increasing the range of rotation in my forearm?
     
  2. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    Obvious first questions are: Is the range similarly restricted on your other forearm? Have you ever broken or injured your arm in the past?
     
  3. Sevex

    Sevex Regular Member

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    The other forearm has a larger range of motion by approximately 30 degrees, but not quite as much comfortable range of motion as my friend. I have never injured my forearm that I can recall and I haven't broken my arm.

    I looked online but couldn't find much about it so I was curious if any other badminton players have this problem.
     
  4. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    So now the question is, were you born with a funny arm (eg. abnormal radial head) or did this limitation accrue from years of muscles and ligaments tightening up? At this point you should get a professional assessment by doctor or physio/occupational therapist. They might be able to figure out if this is something permanent, or something you can safely work on to improve.Good luck. :)
     
  5. Sevex

    Sevex Regular Member

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    Thanks. I knew I would have to go to a specialist to work out what was going on, I was just curious if other players had this problem so I had some idea myself before going.

    Hopefully it will be something gradually curable.
     
  6. siaoxing

    siaoxing Regular Member

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    similar condition

    hi,

    i had the similar condition as described, and i was refer to a sport medicine specialist for further check up after being diagnose as Shoulder Tendonities by my company doctor.

    however i gave the TCM Acupuncture a try and it actually heal me in about 1.5 month period.

    i could not have the full range of motion during my injury and there are always popping sound when rotating my shoulder and it not as strong as before. After 3 session of acupuncture and resting, my shoulder start to feel better and im able to rotate and pronate in long range and the strength start to recover.

    you may want to give TCM Acupuncture a try.
     
  7. Sevex

    Sevex Regular Member

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    That sounds remarkably familiar. But I thought the shoulder injury was caused by my forearm not wanting to rotate. Maybe I my ideas back to front?

    Using the wrong grip prevents my shoulder from hurting although I can't hit as hard using it. As there is very little to no pronation.

    Thanks for your input.
     
  8. phili

    phili Regular Member

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    A friend of mine has the same problem. In his case during puberty his forearm and his elbow kind of grew together. I think there is no cure for that.
     
  9. timchannell

    timchannell New Member

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    I totally understand! What to do?!

    I have been researching how to fix a similar issue I have with my forearms/elbows and stumbled across your forum entry so decided to join the forum.
    I have Limited Range of Motion (LROM) in both forearms/elbows - particularly supination which is only about 30 - 50 degrees (0 degrees where your hand is vertical, 90 degrees where the palm of your hand faces the ceiling and completely flat).
    I can't remember exactly when or how I got the LROM but it affects my ability in some sports and tasks that require full/normal Functional Range of Motion which is betweeb 80-90 degrees for supination of the forearm.
    I had a green stick fracture of the right wrist when I was 7, a green stick fracture of the left wrist when I was 9, another green stick fracture of the left wrist when I was 11, and a compound fracture of the left arm (radius and ulna) when I was 12. I can't remember if I had the issue prior to breaking my arms. I don't know if the breaks have contributed to the problem. I am now 31 yrs old.
    Last year I saw an orthopaedic surgeon to get an assessment about the problem but he said I am within “normal range” perhaps with a slight limitation but nothing too bad. This shocked me a bit and all the research I have done says the contrary.
    It’s quite a frustrating issue. I’m thinking of getting another opinion or seeing a physio/sport physio and getting an x-ray to see what’s causing it.
    I’d be interested to hear how you decide to treat your problem and particularly if the treatment worked.
    Tim
     
  10. Sevex

    Sevex Regular Member

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    I temporarily forgot about this thread. I went to the doctor and they agreed my range of motion was hardly brilliant but not completely limited.

    However they also decided to play around with my arm a bit and found that:

    1) I am ridiculously tense even when relaxed, my shoulders were slightly hunched up and my whole body was incredibly tense.

    2) When I did actually relax (let my shoulders drop and my wrist go floppy the range of motion did increase,

    3) I (probably, ultrasound would confirm) have something known as calciferous tendonitis in my shoulder, which is not helping things as I can't move my shoulder to where it should be able to go without it making a crunching sound. I had previously assumed my shoulder wasn't meant to go there, hence the crunching sound...

    Obviously one and two are more of a mental problem. I do tend to get very stressed and I am prone to quite bad panic attacks. I already know how to deal with them, I just don't always identify when I am stressed and therefore very tense. This is getting better with time though, but I don't know if that is likely to be the cause of anyone else's problems.


    As for calciferous tendonitis first of all I would need an ultrasound to double check it is that, although the doctor was pretty sure as it had all the symptoms. Then there were a number of options ranging from trying to reduce calcium intake, poking needles in my arm and squirting water in the tendon to try and break up the deposit and finally a fairly complex operation on my shoulder. However I have decided to wait a bit before deciding on that, at least until the end of the UK badminton season, which is soon. Although on the NHS it probably won't be carried out for ages anyway.

    I was also given some stretches to try and loosen my arm and shoulder up a bit.
     
  11. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    Definitely see what physical therapy/exercises can do for your shoulder.
    Shots is one thing, but cracking you open for surgery should be last option. :eek:

    Stress/anxiety is a real kicker, though. It may be manageable, but often not completely controllable, and can really mess up an athlete's performance.

    Best of luck on all fronts, and let us know how the shoulder goes! :)
     

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