An elbow that stabs every time you lift the kettle or hit a backhand, a wrist that aches after a day on the laptop, a thumb that catches when you pick up a bag, or fingers that go numb and tingly in the night: arm, elbow and wrist problems are a modern mix of padel, tennis, sailing, phones and remote work, and Nice has all of them in abundance. Most are overloaded tendons or irritated nerves, often with a tight neck and shoulder behind them, and manual therapy combined with a sensible loading plan helps most people. As an osteopath, I treat the elbow, wrist and hand together with the neck, upper back and shoulder that feed them.
I am Aloïs Ruetsch, an English-speaking osteopath and manual therapist in central Nice, with 15 years of practice and more than 10,000 consultations. If you see a chiropractor or a manual therapist back home, a French osteopath is the closest equivalent.
This article covers tennis and golfer’s elbow, wrist and thumb tendon pain, repetitive strain and carpal tunnel symptoms, what osteopathy can and cannot do, and when a doctor should see you first.
The essentials
- Tennis elbow is an overloaded tendon on the outside of the elbow, caused as often by the mouse and the phone as by padel and tennis; golfer’s elbow is the same on the inside.
- Manual therapy gives short-term relief and restores movement in the elbow, wrist, neck and shoulder; tendons heal through gradual loading over months, so osteopathy works best combined with that plan.
- Most elbow and wrist problems need two to four sessions; a tendon that has hurt for months takes patience, and tennis elbow settles over many months whatever is done.
- Change the grip, the racket, the mouse and the desk, keep using the arm within comfort, and avoid both total rest and gritting through sharp pain.
- Numbness or weakness that is spreading, wasting of the hand muscles, a hot swollen joint with fever, a deformity after a fall, or arm pain with chest pressure need a doctor. In France, dial 15 or 112 for emergencies.
What causes tennis elbow, wrist pain and RSI?
Tennis elbow is pain on the bony point on the outside of the elbow, where the tendons that lift the wrist and fingers attach, and it comes from doing more than those tendons can cope with: a padel tournament after a winter off, a new racket, hours of gripping lines on a yacht, or, most often, weeks of mouse and keyboard with the wrist cocked. Golfer’s elbow is the same problem on the inside of the elbow, from gripping and pulling. Both hurt when you grip, lift with the palm down and shake hands.
At the wrist, repetitive strain from the laptop, the phone and the pram produces aching tendons on the back of the wrist, and a painful catching at the base of the thumb when you grip, known as De Quervain’s, is common in new parents and in people who scroll all day. Carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the nerve in the wrist, giving numbness and tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worst at night and in the morning, and more common in pregnancy. The neck is often part of the story: an irritated nerve in the lower neck refers pain and tingling into the elbow, forearm and hand, and a stiff upper back and shoulder make the whole arm work harder, which is why I examine them in every arm consultation.
What does an osteopath actually do for elbow and wrist pain?
I start by working out what is irritated and why. I test the elbow and wrist tendons, the nerves, the grip and the joints of the elbow, wrist and hand, examine the neck and the shoulder for referred pain, ask about your sport, your desk, your phone and your sleep, and screen for anything that needs a doctor or a scan.
Treatment combines soft-tissue work on the forearm muscles, gentle articulation and mobilisation of the elbow joint, the wrist and the small joints of the hand, muscle energy techniques for the forearm and shoulder, and treatment of the neck and upper back, with a short-lever manipulation of the mid-back where appropriate and with your consent. Under French law, thrust manipulations of the neck require a medical certificate of no contraindication, so I use gentle methods there. For tennis elbow I combine hands-on work with a simple, gradual loading plan for the tendon and practical changes to the grip, the racket, the mouse and the desk. For carpal tunnel symptoms I work on the wrist, the forearm, the neck and the shoulder, suggest a night splint, and refer to your doctor if numbness persists or weakness appears.
Does osteopathy work for tennis elbow and wrist pain?
For tennis elbow, manual therapy on the elbow, wrist and neck gives useful short-term relief of pain and improves grip and movement, and reviews suggest it adds something when combined with exercise. The tendon itself recovers through gradual loading over months, and tennis elbow is known to settle in most people within a year or two whatever is done, so I describe my role honestly: to reduce pain, keep you playing or working, and shorten the stiff, frustrating phase, not to cure the tendon with my hands. Your doctor can discuss injections, with their trade-offs, if the pain is severe.
For wrist tendon pain and De Quervain’s, reducing the load, a splint and manual therapy on the forearm and thumb help many people, and most settle over weeks. For carpal tunnel syndrome, the evidence for manual therapy is limited; night splints and treating the underlying cause have better support, and persistent numbness or weakness needs nerve testing and a medical opinion, sometimes a small operation. Osteopaths in France do not make medical diagnoses, and osteopathy complements the care of your doctor; it does not replace it.
How many sessions will I need?
A wrist or elbow that flared after a tournament, a sailing week or a heavy spell at the laptop usually needs two to four sessions of manual therapy over four to six weeks, with the changes to grip, desk and training doing much of the work. Neck-related arm pain often improves within two or three sessions.
A tendon that has hurt for several months follows a slower clock, typically two to three months of consistent loading, with sessions every two or three weeks to keep the elbow, forearm, neck and shoulder moving and adjust the plan. If an arm problem is not improving, if numbness is spreading or if weakness appears, I stop and refer you to your médecin généraliste rather than booking more sessions.
What can I do myself in the meantime?
Change the load before anything else: at the desk, bring the keyboard close, keep the wrists straight, use a mouse that fits your hand and take a short break every half hour; on the court, check the grip size, the string tension and the technique with your coach, and reduce the volume for a few weeks before building back. Hold the phone with both hands rather than scrolling with one thumb.
Keep using the arm for everyday tasks within comfort, lifting with the palm up when the elbow is sore, and avoid both total rest and pushing through sharp pain. Ice after an aggravating activity calms a sore tendon; heat relaxes a tight forearm before gentle stretching. A night splint from a pharmacist in Nice helps tingling fingers and a sore thumb, and pharmacists can advise on pain relief. Sleep with the wrists straight rather than curled under the pillow. Pain that is settling week by week is a good sign; pain that is unchanged after six weeks needs another look.
When should you see a doctor instead?
Call for emergency help if arm pain comes with chest pressure, breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading to the jaw, because this can be a heart attack, or if the whole arm is suddenly swollen, heavy and discoloured, which can be a clot. In France, dial 15 (SAMU) or 112.
See a doctor the same day if the elbow or wrist is deformed or you cannot move it after a fall, which may mean a fracture or a dislocation, or if a joint is hot, red and swollen with fever. See a doctor promptly for numbness or weakness that is spreading or getting worse, wasting of the muscles of the hand, a loss of grip you cannot explain, numbness in both hands with clumsiness or difficulty walking, a lump, pain that wakes you and is unrelated to movement, or symptoms in someone with diabetes, thyroid problems or rheumatoid arthritis, which can all affect nerves and tendons. In all of these I refer rather than treat.
Osteopath, chiropractor or physio: who should I see in Nice?
For elbow, wrist and hand pain without warning signs, an osteopath is a sensible first stop in Nice, and no referral is needed. Osteopaths and chiropractors are very similar hands-on professions; in France the osteopath is the everyday equivalent, with a five-year state-recognised degree, and chiropractors are far fewer. A physiotherapist (kinésithérapeute) provides a supervised loading programme on prescription, and a hand therapist is valuable after fractures and surgery; I work alongside both.
Your médecin généraliste can see you without a referral, arrange an ultrasound or nerve tests, prescribe splints and physiotherapy and refer you to a hand surgeon or rheumatologist when needed. Pharmacies advise on splints and pain relief, SOS Médecins visits hotels and homes, and 15 or 112 are for emergencies. Osteopathy complements this care; it does not replace it.
How do I see an English-speaking osteopath in Nice?
Message me on WhatsApp at +33 7 71 27 24 25 or book online via Doctolib. My clinic, Pôle Ostéo, is at 22 rue Gounod in the Musicians’ quarter of central Nice. A session lasts about 45 minutes and costs €90 at the clinic. I am open seven days a week, often with same-day availability, and I consult in English, Spanish and French.
I also visit hotels, villas, apartments, offices and yachts at berth in Nice and along the nearby Côte d’Azur coast for €120, with no surcharge for evenings, weekends or same-day calls. I take card or cash and give you a receipt for your insurance, in English on request. No referral is needed in France to see an osteopath or manual therapist.
In practice
Illustrative example, details changed. A British remote worker who had taken up padel on moving to Nice came in with two months of pain on the outside of the right elbow, worst when gripping the racket, lifting a pan and shaking hands, and a stiff neck from a makeshift desk at the kitchen table. The tendon tests were clearly positive, the neck referred some pain into the forearm, and there were no warning signs. Three sessions of soft-tissue work on the forearm, mobilisation of the elbow, wrist, neck and upper back and muscle energy techniques, combined with a larger grip, a proper desk set-up, a short break every half hour and a simple loading routine for the tendon, brought the pain down over six weeks, and she kept playing twice a week at a lower intensity throughout.
Frequently asked questions
Is an osteopath the same as a chiropractor?
Can I keep playing padel or tennis with tennis elbow?
Why do you treat my neck for an elbow problem?
Are my numb fingers at night carpal tunnel syndrome?
Should I have a steroid injection for tennis elbow?
Book an English-speaking osteopath in Nice
Clinic at 22 rue Gounod (€90) or a visit to your hotel, villa, yacht or home in Nice (€120, no surcharge). Seven days a week, often same day. Write in English, Spanish or French.