Blood Tests Can Detect Motion Injuries

Blood tests can now reveal several types of chemical biomarkers linked to repetitive-motion injuries, say Pennsylvania researchers.

The study, published in Clinical Science, compared blood tests of people suffering from repetitive-stress injuries — such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and other wrist and shoulder injuries — to blood tests of healthy subjects.

Temple University researchers Ann Barr and Mary Barbe and doctoral student Stephen Carp found the immune system pumps out chemical biomarkers as the body begins to become injured by repetitive motions.

While not a diagnostic test — the biomarkers could also indicate another type of injury — they do provide a red flag where before there was none, Barr said in a statement.

Repetitive-motion injuries sufferers often don’t experience symptoms of pain until damage has begun, but detecting the problem early could result in fewer surgeries, the researchers said.