After downhill skiing over the weekend, I’ve started feeling pain on the back of my forearm, close to the wrist. What could this be, and what could have caused it?

A wrist problem common among downhill skiers is called intersection syndrome. The pain from intersection syndrome is usually felt on the top of the forearm, about three inches above the wrist. At this spot, two muscles cross over–or intersect–two underlying wrist tendons.

The wrist extensor tendons are strained by activities that cause the wrist to curl down and in, toward the thumb. These wrists movements are especially common in downhill skiers when they plant their ski poles deeply in powder snow. Skiers also stretch these tendons when dragging their poles in the snow.