We use our hands for virtually everything we do throughout the day. Pain in our wrist can not only be a nuisance, but debilitating. The wrist is not a single joint, but a structure including eight small bones, tendons, muscles, and ligament. Damage to any of these parts greatly affects the complex movements we perform with our wrists and cause pain. A sprain is a very common injury and cause of wrist pain.
Sprains are the result of damage to the ligaments in the wrist and can occur from a fall or everyday activities. Sprains are categorized based on severity of damage. The pain from a sprain extends past the time of the actual injury and can worsen over time. It may also be coupled with swelling, warm feeling, bruising, and a tearing sensation.
Arthritis is commonly associated with people of a mature age, though also found in the joints of patients who perform repetitive motion tasks. It is defined as inflammation of the joints and separated into two types, those being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease in which the cartilage is worn in the joint over time. This causes significant pain and weakness. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that attacks multiple joints throughout the body. Instead of fighting infection, the body attacks healthy tissue by damaging ligaments, cartilage, and causing bones to soften.
On both sides of your forearm there are muscles that at the point where they attach to the bone form tendons. They offer stability for finger movement and also allow wrist motion in all directions. These tendons sit in a groove and, when repetitively used, can cause microscopic tears. The muscles then tighten and cause inflammation of the tendons, called “tendonitis”. Symptoms of tendonitis include pain, stiffness, decreased strength, and a reduction in range of motion.
Near the wrist is a median nerve that is situated between several tendons and runs along the forearm to the hand. The nerve is connected to the thumb and first three fingers. This narrow area that the nerve passes through is called the carpal tunnel. Anything that causes pressure to be placed on the nerve and restricts the space causes carpal tunnel syndrome. The result is loss of feeling and pain which tend to be worse at night. Carpal tunnel syndrome is commonly treated with surgery since, as pain increases, any activities that require repetitive motion have to be limited. This can greatly interfere in daily tasks and affect a person’s ability to perform their work duties.
Wrist pain is related to imbalance in structure that can be remedied through adjustment by Premier Health Chiropractors. The misalignment or stress on the wrist can be treated by manual manipulation and patient education. Our chiropractor’s expertise in the area of mobility is a valuable resource for patients interested in not only treating wrist pain, but preventing further damage. Stretching and manipulations in conjunction can be effective enough to even prevent the necessity of surgery for many of these conditions associated with wrist pain.