Understanding Medical Restrictions

If your wrist is hurting it could be due to many different things. Fortunately, there is treatment available no matter the cause, so you can quit feeling this pain. To help you get started, below are two things that could be wrong with your wrist and the treatment options available:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If you work at a job where you do repetitive motions with your wrists, such as sitting in front of a computer and typing for hours, this can put a toll on your wrists. You may eventually develop a problem that is known as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel causes weakness, numbness, and pain in your wrist. It happens because after repetitive movement a ligament thickens. When this happens, the ligament puts pressure on the nerves in your wrist, resulting in pain. You may feel like you have pins and needles in your hand and wrist at times, and you will feel pain when moving your wrist in any direction.

Before suggesting surgery, the doctor will splint your wrist to prevent you from moving it. This is especially helpful while you are sleeping.  While your wrist is not being used the ligament in your wrist will get thinner, reducing pressure on your nerves. You may be given anti-inflammatory drugs to help you with the pain.

The doctor will also likely send you to a physical therapist. This therapist can work with you to help increase the muscles in your hand and wrist. The doctor will tell the physical therapist how often you should come for therapy. This may be a few times per week in the beginning.

Arthritis

Another thing that can cause pain in the wrist is arthritis. If so, you likely feel pain in other parts of your body. The pain is generally in the joints, and besides pain, you may notice swelling in the joints. This could be in your knee, elbow, and wrist.

To determine that you have arthritis, the doctor can x-ray the bones in your wrist. They may also want to take an MRI of the wrist to give them a better look. If the doctor finds that you have arthritis, they can give you a steroid injection in your wrist to help with pain. They can also give you pain relievers and subscribe topical pain medication.

Your doctor may also send you to a physical therapist that has experience working with people that have arthritis. This therapy can help prevent your joints from becoming stiff so they do not hurt as much. The physical therapist will do exercises with you in their office, and give you many exercises that you need to do at home on a regular basis.

If the above treatments do not work for the type of wrist problem you have, you will likely have to have some type of surgery. Your doctor can go over this information with you in more detail. Contact a company like Town Center Orthopaedic Associates, P.C. for more information and assistance.