The palmaris longus is a muscle in the front of the forearm. It contributes to pain, burning, and tingling sensations in the hand that often extends up the forearm to the elbow.
Where Is The Palmaris Longus Muscle?
The palmaris longus connects to the elbow (little finger side) and descends to connect into the heel of the hand.
What Movements Does It Control?
- Bends the wrist down
- Assists in flexing (bending) the forearm
- It assists in turning the palm down
For detailed anatomy information: Palmaris Longus Anatomy
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Palmaris Longus Muscle Trigger Points Symptoms:
- Pain is a burning or tingling sensation, not aching or pounding pain
- Pain is felt in the palm extending toward the thumb pad, but it is not felt in the thumb itself.
- Cupping the hand will cause pain.
- Pain is felt in the palm when gripping items with the hand
- Pain will sometimes extend up into the forearm
What Causes Trigger Points To Develop In The Palmaris Longus?
- Falling and landing on your hands
- Gripping items that put pressure on the palm of the hand i.e. garden tools, hand tools
- Using crutches
TWD Recommends
Whether the pain in your hands is caused by trigger points, a muscle injury, or arthritis, compression has been shown to help with pain relief. The Imak Compression Arthritis Gloves are some of the best on the market.
The gloves provide gentle compression, which helps decrease both pain relief and inflammation. The seams of the gloves are sewn to the outside so you will not have irritation or discomfort. The fingers opening is reinforced so that they will not fray with wear or during washing.
To determine your size, measure straight across the widest part of your palm. Extra small: up to 2 3/4 inches wide. Small: up to 3 1/8 inches across. Medium: up to 3 1/2 inches across. Large: up to 4 inches across. Extra-large: up to 4 1/2 inches across.
Because twisting wrist motions can cause palmaris longus muscle pain, a wrist brace can help relieve pain in the forearm, wrist, and hand. The ActiveWrap Compression Wrap for the Hand & Wrist provides compression and support in the wrist and hand and comes with insert gel packs for hot and cold treatment. The brace can be used on either hand and has two Velcro closures that can be adjusted for comfort.
Palmaris Longus Muscle Trigger Point Treatment
The palmaris longus muscle is easy to self-treat. If you would like to learn self-treatment, get The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. The workbook will walk you through finding the muscle and the trigger point. The diagrams and instructions will teach you how to do the appropriate treatment. Best of all, you will have a resource to help you locate and treat TrPs throughout the body.
If you are going to use the workbook, you will need a massage ball to do the treatment. The Flex Fixx Massage Balls are a set of 3 varying-sized balls that can be used on muscles throughout the body.
Another option is to find a massage therapist, physical therapist, or chiropractor with trigger point therapy training to show you how to find and treat the specific TrPs.
Trigger points respond best to several 1-2 minutes treatments spread throughout the day.
Sombra Warm Therapy Gel is recommended for relaxing muscles and relieving pain. It warms without the burning heat of other gels. An excellent choice for pain caused by trigger points, muscle/joint over-use and stiffness, and arthritis. You should keep Somba on hand; it provides almost instant relief for muscle and joint pain. (Not sold in stores)
Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel is an excellent pain-relieving gel recommend for those who have sudden onset muscle pain or recent injuries. It is better to use than warm therapy gels and creams for muscle pain caused by inflammation as it cools the area much like ice. If your pain is from a recent injury, use Biofreeze. It is excellent to use on sprains, strained and sore muscles, and joints.
The CompressionZ Compression Arm Sleeves are for those who want or need more support for muscle injury, muscle recovery, or lymphedema. The sleeves work well for those who have chronic elbow, forearm, and wrist pain due to repetitive motions that can irritate the extensor muscles in the arm. The sleeves work well for athletes and people whose jobs require repetitive twisting motions of the wrist. The sleeves are available in 3 sizes and a variety of colors. Be sure to read the size chart and follow the instructions to ensure proper fit. Two sleeves per package
Other muscles that should be considered and examined in conjunction with the palmaris longus muscle:
Interesting facts:
- Because of the burning and tingling pain in the hand, palmaris longus dysfunction is often diagnosed as cervical radiculopathy.
- Dysfunction in this muscle can cause the ring and little finger to curl into the palm. This condition is associated with Dupuytren’s contracture.
- Muscle is absent in 10% of the population.
Palmaris longus muscle pain and symptoms can be similar to, contribute to, and be affected by these medical diagnoses:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- C7 C8 or T1 radiculopathy
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Dupuytren’s contracture
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Satellite trigger points associated with the palmaris longus muscle:
Trigger points one muscle will cause TrPs to develop in other muscles. These are known as satellite trigger points. You will need to check these muscles for additional TrPs.
- Triceps brachii (medial head)
TWD Recommends
Medical professionals recommend Freeze Sleeve Cold Therapy Compression Sleeve for the treatment of injury and over-use soreness. The sleeve provides total circumference cold therapy and compression that other cold treatments do not offer. The sleeve slides on and features material that can be worn on bare skin, allowing you to be mobile during treatment.
Muscle That May Contribute To These Conditions:
ARM PAIN | CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME | DUPUYTRENS CONTRACTURE | HAND PAIN | PERIPHERAL NERVE ENTRAPMENT | RAYNAUDS DISEASE | WRIST PAIN
Muscles with similar pain patterns
