Hey Vanc,

I was originally thinking i had compartment syndrome (and it might actually be but i'm just going with the flow here) after going through everything I could find on elbow / forearm conditions!

I'm getting it seen to by a new sports physio and I think she's doing a good job. She mentioned she had a case similar (gym related as well) to this and said she couldn't figure out why it wasn't getting better until she started fixing the things that support proper arm function like the scapula etcc, so I'm pleased she's treating the body as more of a unit than my previous practitioners who tried invain to treat it as an isolated issue. Massage and stretching relieves 80% of the symptoms, particularly the cracking and muscle ache. She diagnosed it as basically a bunch of muscular issues compounded by poor function in shoulder/shoulder blade region. "Not true tennis elbow (because its largely muscular, not tendon), but basically that." Haha.

Could the issue with the pinky finger just be overuse? It only becomes an issue when I am typing and I do alooooot of typing, basically 5 days a week non stop. The muscle on the outside of the hand is all tender when you rub it.

The aim at the moment is to loosen the forearm muscles as well as tricep and bicep, upper traps and pecs. The other goal is to get my shoulder stuff back into working order, so strengthening the lower traps, rhomboids and serratus anterior of which she said "you basically don't have one" :P

Sound like a decent start?