Wrist pain and when to get help

If you are living with wrist pain, it can truly feel debilitating. And you don’t have to put up with it. 

The wrist connects the hand to the rest of the arm and allows you to function and place the hand in various positions. 

5 things you can do when you have a good, functioning wrist: 

1. You are able to open and close your fingers – grabbing a jar, opening the door 

2. You have good grip strength because of your wrist – opening jars, pulling up and down your pants. 

3. You are able to turn your palm up and down – washing your face 

4. You can bend your wrist up and down – clasping your bra, pushing a down open 

5. You can put weight on your hands because of your wrist – pushing off a chair or bed, pushing off the floor, doing push-ups.

People come to us for all types of wrist issues. And those are several things they CAN NOT do by the time they come in. 

Here are just a few of the causes or diagnoses of wrist pain (but are not limited to): 

1. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

can cause wrist pain but mostly is paired with numbness and tingling that comes and goes and becomes constant as it worsens.

2. Arthritis 

depends on the type of arthritis that you may have but can cause swelling and stiffness which leads to achy and constant pain 

3. Tendinitis 

can cause sharp, radiating pain that leaves the hand feeling achy. This tends to come out of nowhere, without a specific injury. This pain can come and go and becomes more constant and sharp as it worsens. 

4. Fractures and Surgery 

fractures cause pain, swelling, and stiffness. Some fractures require surgery and follow sessions in therapy to regain all motions and strength. 

5. De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis 

this is a type of tendinitis on the thumb side and can cause pain when you grip and twist. The pain can be very sharp making you drop the item in your hand or feel weak. The pain becomes constant as it gets worse. 

6. Ganglion Cysts

cysts are most common on the back of the wrist (dorsal cysts) and appear as a bump depending on your wrist position. You can have a volar one on the inside of your wrist as well. Both can cause pain and limited motion. 

If you notice…most of the pain tends to become constant as the condition progresses and worsens. If you are trying to avoid pills, injections, and surgery – it’s possible to get help and it’s possible to get rid of the issues for good. It’s essential to rule in and rule out and get to a diagnosis so that you can get the right treatment. Sometimes that can be hard because, for all the conditions above, the symptoms can come and go which makes a person think “ finally! It went away!”, only to be disappointed when the condition comes back. 

When to get therapy help? 

The best time to come to therapy is today….whenever you decide you can’t take it anymore. Nothing motivates a person more than pain…and after being a therapist for over 20 years….I’ve concluded that pushing people to “prevent” problems doesn’t always work. We’re here when you are ready….when you decide that “there’s got to be a better way…” or you decide “I don’t want to live this way…” 

During current times when it seems like no one cares to give you time and attention, we show you that we do work differently. 

Wrist injuries and wrist pain is no joke. It’s the difference between living an active life or one in constant pain. It’s the difference between avoiding injections and diving into unnecessary surgery.