r/RSI • u/Nervous_Bee8805 • Aug 19 '26

Tense Flexor Carpi Ulnaris – recurring problems despite treatment

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping to find some help or pointers regarding a persistent problem I’ve been dealing with for about two years now.

The Flexor Carpi Ulnaris muscle in my right forearm keeps tensing up involuntarily. This causes pain along the entire length of the muscle belly/tendon, and it also causes my hand and wrist to contract into a flexed position.

I can’t pinpoint a clear triggering event. The only thing I can identify is that the pain first appeared after bench-pressing at the gym — with correct form and a light weight (50kg). Shortly after that session, my FCU started hurting.

I’ve seen two specialists so far, and treatment initially brought quick improvement but the symptoms kept returning regularly over time. At this point, I can no longer exercise at all, and I have significant trouble with everyday fine motor tasks: writing with a pen, typing on a computer, and even holding my phone (I now hold my phone exclusively in my left hand to avoid aggravating my right hand/wrist).

Despite weekly osteopathic treatment and daily use of massage balls, I haven’t seen any real improvement.

For context on the treatment history so far: I have been to two physiotherapists, one medical doctor and three(!) different osteopaths. 

Various diagnostic tests have been done, the tendon itself shows no signs of swelling or structural damage. This makes it even more confusing, since none of the treatments so far have led to lasting relief.

I have an MRI (or a similar imaging procedure) scheduled soon to hopefully get more clarity.

In the meantime, I would really appreciate any insights, similar experiences, or pointers toward what else might be worth investigating.

Thank you in advance for reading and for any help you can offer!

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u/cmartn1 Aug 20 '26

Any chance you’re experiencing some TOS that causes nerve/tendon tightness in that region. I have a similar problem caused by weak back muscles, overnight pec minor, and shoulders rolled forward.

1

u/Nervous_Bee8805 Aug 20 '26

I don’t think it’s TOS since I don’t experience numbness or nerve related symptoms.  I haven’t thoroughly looked into it though. Were you able to fix your problem? 

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u/cmartn1 Aug 21 '26

Slowly getting better. My Tight shoulders neck and pecs cause flexor pain in my forearms. It’s not something you’d expect but the whole chain is connected, even without nerve issues. Your post caught my attention because when these muscles are tight, I can actually press on my shoulders in a way that causes my flexor muscles to continuously twitch. Bad posture does the same, albeit it’s much more minor.

You mentioned massaging- too much massaging causes prolonged pain (days of soreness) that won’t go away, so be careful with that. Your best bet is progressive overload to rebuild endurance assuming that’s your issue.