Our wrists and hands are some of the most used joints in the human body. We use them in everything we do. Therefore, wrist pain can have severe effects on even the simplest of tasks.
Wrist pain can occur for multiple different reasons including short-term issues such as fractures, impact injuries, pinched nerve and sprains, and long-term issues including repetitive stress, arthritis and carpal tunnel (to name a few).
Wrist pain symptoms
Sufferers can experience a range of symptoms:
Wrist pain or tenderness
Swelling or inflammation
Redness
Pins and needles
Reduced mobility
Difficulty gripping objects or making a fist
Chiropractic care for wrist pain
Chiropractic care offers several great solutions to treat wrist pain and maintain good wrist function.
Wrist/hand adjustments
A Chiropractor will check for misalignments of the wrist/hand joints and correct these dysfunctions with specific adjustments, reducing pain and improving function.
Surrounding joint adjustments
Checking for misalignments or dysfunctional areas throughout the surrounding joints and spine is important. Because every bone and joint in the human body is connected, a whole-body approach to the upper extremity and spinal region will help to re-establish good overall health, avoid further injury and prevent discomfort.
Muscle relaxation/mobilisation
Chiropractors (when applicable) will provide soft tissue release or mobilization maneuvers to the wrist/hand and surrounding ligaments, musculature and joints to improve function and mobility.
Lifestyle advice
Chiropractors understand that our joints, ligaments, muscles, and tissues are influenced by the habits and actions we make every day. Therefore, Chiropractors will provide lifestyle advice regarding simple tasks like lifting and gripping objects, writing, opening doors, etc. This advice will help to maintain good wrist function and prevent future flare-ups.
What can you do at home to help with wrist pain?
In the rare case that you are unable to see your local Chiropractor, there are some simple things you can do to reduce wrist pain from the comfort of your home:
Wrist pain exercises
Stretching the wrist is always a helpful tool to improve joint function and relax muscles/tissues. It is important to stretch the wrist in all directions: flexion, extension, pronation, supination and deviation, and perform stretches equally on both sides. We need to hold each position of stretch for 30 seconds and rest for 20 seconds in between.
Simple RICE
You may have already heard the acronym RICE. RICE is 4 simple steps to help your body recover from an injury in its early stages. R is for rest; we need to rest the joint as much as possible to allow your immune system to heal the area. I is for ice; which should be applied to the wrist injury site for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off during the first 48 hrs. C stands for compression of the injury site. This is best done with a compression bandage which can be purchased from any supermarket or pharmacy. Lastly, E is for elevation because, as we rest the joint, we want to elevate it above our heart level to assist with the inflammation drainage process.
Wrist support
In some circumstances, wrist support like a compression bandage, brace or splint is a great tool to use to provide stability and mobility to the wrist area. It is recommended you speak to your Chiropractor or local physician to see if this is applicable to your wrist pain and situation.
If you are experiencing wrist pain, it may be time to consider calling up your local Chiropractor and having your body assessed today. This will allow the Chiropractor to come up with an appropriate and thorough action plan on how to treat your wrist pain effectively and whether it’s applicable to refer you to a specialized healthcare professional.
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