Wrist Pain

Wrist pain is a common symptom resulting from injuries or conditions affecting the joints, muscles, or nerves. In most cases, there is no cause for concern, as the pain typically resolves on its own with rest and home remedies.

What Does Wrist Pain Refer To?

Wrist pain is the pain or discomfort that you experience in your wrist joint. The wrist is a complex body part made of several components, like bones, muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. A problem with any of these components can compromise the function of the wrist joint.

There are two locations where wrist pain may manifest:

• Radial wrist pain: Pain towards the thumb side of your wrist.
• Ulnar wrist pain: Pain towards the pinkie-finger side of your wrist.

Wrist pain is typically a symptom of either injuries or health conditions that impact the joint. A majority of the reported wrist pain cases are mild, and with diligent home-based treatment and care, they can be alleviated.

If you are experiencing wrist pain that is reducing your capability to use your hand and impacting the quality of your life, visit Aster Clinic today for a consultation.

Symptoms and Causes of Wrist Pain

What Are the Common Causes of Wrist Pain?

Wrist pain results from injuries or health conditions that impact the bones and tissues of the wrists. 

Here are some common causes:

• Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI): Activities like typing can irritate wrist tendons, leading to conditions like tendonitis.
• Wrist Sprains: Occur when ligaments are stretched or torn due to falls or awkward movements, causing swelling and bruising.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Results from median nerve compression, causing tingling, numbness, and pain in the wrist.
• Fractures: Often due to falls or impact, wrist fractures can lead to severe pain and deformity.
• Arthritis: Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation in wrist joints, leading to chronic pain and stiffness.
• Ganglion Cysts: Fluid-filled lumps on the wrist may cause discomfort or pain by pressing on nerves.
• Nerve Compression Syndromes: Conditions like ulnar nerve entrapment can cause pain and numbness in fingers.

Injuries That Lead to Wrist Pain

Several types of injuries result in painful wrists. These are your everyday injuries that can happen to anyone:

• Overuse and Repetitive Strain Injuries: Overuse of the wrist joint and repetitive strain injuries are the leading causes of wrist pain. These involve activities such as long hours of typing daily or other activities that cause repetitive strain on wrist muscles.
• Wrist Sprains: Such sprains occur when you take a fall on your wrist. It is also a common sports injury.
• Sport Injuries: Any kind of sport injury can cause damage to bone, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and other wrist structures, resulting in pain.
• Falls: Falls may cause wrist injuries, typically because the hands help break the fall, causing the wrist, elbows, and shoulders to take the impact.
• Nerve Injuries: Pinched nerves or other nerve injuries in and around the wrist can contribute to pain, tingling, or weakness in the affected area.

Health Conditions That Cause Wrist Pain

Wrist pain is also the result of several health conditions that impact the internal wrist structure:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This is the most common health issue related to wrists. The wrist consists of a tunnel through which several nerves pass. Irritation or damage inside the carpal tunnel causes swelling, leading to the medial nerve's pinching. This causes symptoms such as wrist pain, tingling, numbness in digits, and weakness of the joint.
• Wrist tendinitis: This health condition impacts the wrists' tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the bone. Activities such as lifting objects, forming a fist, and repetitive wrist movements cause wrist pain.
• Wrist arthritis: People with arthritis experience pain in their wrists. Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, wrist injuries, and osteoarthritis cause inflammation in the wrist joint, leading to pain.
• Bursitis: A painful swelling around your wrist joint leads to pain. It happens when you engage in repetitive activities that regularly put a strain on your wrist joint.
• Ganglion cysts: Also known as bible cysts, these cysts are lumps filled with fluid near the skin that appear over or close to the wrist joint. They can cause wrist pain but typically go away on their own.
• Infections: Health conditions such as septic arthritis or infectious tenosynovitis cause redness and swelling in the wrists, leading to pain.
• Kienbock’s disease: This disease is responsible for pain, stiffness, and weakness in the wrist joint.

Diagnosis and Tests for Wrist Pain

What Is the Treatment For Wrist Pain?

The type of treatment required for wrist pain depends on the doctor's diagnosis. You may be screened for health conditions to rule out the possibility of conditions like arthritis, bursitis, etc.

The doctor conducts a physical examination of the wrist to understand the pain, swelling, and other problems in your wrist. They may ask you to perform several movements that help them understand if the problem is due to a nerve pinch, bone issue, or because of musculature.

Depending on this diagnosis, some or all of the following care and treatment options may be recommended:

• Rest: Taking a break from sports, activities, work, or other engagements that cause pain in the wrist. This rest period is crucial for allowing the wrist to heal and preventing further injury.
• Icing: Apply cold compresses or ice packs to the affected area for a few minutes several times a day to relieve swelling and pain. Icing helps reduce inflammation and provides immediate pain relief, making it easier to resume normal activities.
• Anti-inflammatory Medications: OTC drugs such as ibuprofen help relieve swelling and pain. Your doctor can prescribe corticosteroids for inflammation. These medications can significantly improve your comfort and facilitate other treatments.
• Ergonomic changes to work or lifestyle: Changing the way you rest or use your hand while engaging in repetitive motions can help alleviate wrist pain. For example, special wrist supports can be used while typing to reduce strain on the joint.
• Physiotherapy: A physical therapist gives you several sets of wrist joint pain exercises to perform on a daily basis that strengthen the wrist joint and muscles while improving flexibility.
• Immobilisation of the joint: In cases of bone fractures or heavy damage to the musculature, the doctor may recommend a splint or a cast to immobilise the joint until the wrist heals.
• Surgery: For cases of nerve compression or cysts, doctors may recommend surgery. Surgical intervention can provide long-term relief and restore normal function if conservative treatments are ineffective.

Prevention of Wrist Pain

How Can You Prevent Wrist Pain?

Wrist pain is often the result of repetitive activities on the computer, such as typing and using the mouse. There are several things you can mindfully change in your daily routine to prevent wrist pain and its onset:

• Take frequent breaks from typing if you have to do it every day. This gives rest to your wrist muscles and joints.
• Use a lowered keyboard so that your wrist doesn’t have to stay elevated to type. It reduces the strain on the joint.
• Use wrist support whenever you are using your keyboard or mouse to give extra support to the joint.
• Train both your hands to use the mouse to prevent a single wrist from bearing the brunt of the work.

Additionally, follow the safety tips detailed below to prevent injury to your wrists:

• Wear your seatbelt when inside a vehicle to prevent your wrists from taking the impact in case of a collision or sudden braking.
• Always use the correct protective gear when engaging in sports that use wrists, such as golf.
• Design or rearrange your workspace to be ergonomic and free from clutter that could potentially trip you.
• If you have mobility difficulties, ensure that you have assistive equipment while you move around. It helps prevent falls and saves your wrists.

When Should You Consult a Doctor?

Most cases of wrist pain resolve on their own within a few days. However, you should consult a doctor if your pain persists beyond this period or worsens over time. Additionally, seek medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Limited Mobility: Difficulty moving your wrist, fingers, or hand, or a complete loss of mobility. This limitation can significantly affect daily activities and overall quality of life.
• Tingling and Numbness: Painful tingling or numbness in your fingers, wrist, or forearm. These sensations may indicate nerve compression, which requires prompt evaluation to prevent further complications.
• Discolouration and Swelling: Noticeable swelling or discolouration in your wrist, forearm, hands, or fingers. These signs may suggest inflammation or injury that needs immediate medical attention.
• Ineffective Treatment: No improvement in wrist pain despite undergoing treatments. If your symptoms persist, it may indicate a more serious underlying condition that needs to be addressed.

In addition to these symptoms, it's critical to get medical attention right away if you suffer from excruciating pain after an injury or trauma or if chills, fever, or any other systemic symptoms accompany the pain. These can be indicators of a more serious problem that needs to be addressed right now.

Why Choose Aster Clinics for Wrist Pain?

While every part of the body is important, the wrists play a crucial role in allowing free and effortless hand movement. Living without pain or limitation is truly a blessing. At Aster Clinics, we understand the importance of accurately diagnosing wrist pain to provide the most effective treatments. Our compassionate team of specialists supports you at every step—from consultation and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.

We utilise advanced diagnostics and cutting-edge equipment to thoroughly assess your wrist pain, significantly enhancing treatment effectiveness.

Don’t wait any longer—visit your nearest Aster Clinic for treatment that will restore your comfort and joy in daily life.