Wrist Pain - Care Guide

• Arthritis is a Main Cause of Hand and Wrist Pain. Arthritis is the swelling of the joints and tissues around the joints. Arthritis is a common cause of wrist pain, swelling, and stiffness. There are many types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs with age and overuse. Rheumatoid arthritis generally affects both wrists. Psoriatic arthritis accompanies psoriasis. In more severe cases the joints themselves have broken down due to a breakdown of the cartilage inside of them. Arthritis can cause huge amounts of pain for those who suffer with it. It is estimated that one half of the hand and wrist pain affecting adults is caused by one or more forms of arthritis. Infectious arthritis is a medical emergency. The signs of an infection include redness and warmth of the wrist, fever above 100°F, and recent illness.
• Wrist Pain Caused by Injury. One way that a person may develop hand and wrist pain is by injury and wrist pain with bruising and swelling is often a sign of an injury. This is often the case for those who have suffered head on collisions in cars or who have had significant frontal falls form stair or decks. The signs of a possible broken bone include misshapen joints and inability to move the wrist, hand, or a finger. The pain is caused by the straining of muscles and tendons and in some cases the breaking of bones. The hand is a very difficult organ to heal when damaged due to the amount of work that it is subjected to and the great stresses that is put upon in when performing tasks. Other common injuries include sprain, strain, tendinitis, and bursitis.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Can Cause Major Issues with Wrist Pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common cause of wrist pain. The condition of carpal tunnel syndrome will often start lightly at first and get progressively more significant as time goes on. You may feel aching, burning, numbness, or tingling in your palm, wrist, thumb, or fingers. The thumb muscle can become weak, making it difficult to grasp things. Pain may extend up to your elbow. The carpal tunnel is a pathway that carries a primary nerve bundle up through the wrist and across the hands. This tunnel can become inflamed due to repetitive stress injuries and can cause a great deal of pain to the person afflicted. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when an important nerve (called the median nerve) gets compressed at the wrist because of swelling. Such swelling can occur if you:

• Other common causes of wrist pain include:

Gout - this occurs when you produce too much uric acid, a waste product. It forms crystals in joints, rather than being excreted in the urine.
Pseudogout - this is when calcium deposits in your joints (usually the wrists or knees), causing pain, redness, and swelling.

• Next time you feel that burning, sore, tingly or numb sensation, relax some of the tension by massaging in a circular motion starting from the finger tips and continuing all the way down to the base of the palm.
• Invest in a high quality jell pad, the smoothness and texture of the pads you chose will have a large influence on the amount of stress will be caused on your wrists.
• One of the most commonly used methods of controlling hand and wrist pain involves the use of topical pain relievers such as ointments, creams and balms. These products are very effective for the treatment of mild to slightly moderate hand and wrist pain and can be used as often as needed. They generally help relieve the pain for a few hours after each use.
• Applying cold to the area you feel the carpal tunnel helps to lessen the swelling and pain. Put an ice pack or let the area run under cold water for a few minutes or let your wrists hover above an ice pack when you are typing.
• Applying heat to the area you feel the carpal tunnel, helps relax the aching muscles and reduces soreness. Find a heating pad or if you don't have one, find a water bottle and fill it with hot water, then put it on the area.
• Meditation and relaxation loosen up stress on your muscles. The more relaxation you provide to your wrists and body, the less inflamed your area will be. Pop in meditation music or pray and take deep slow breaths and visualize yourself in paradise. Your mind is very powerful and research has proven that expectations of yourself and your belief of recovering from problems and diseases influence how fast you will recover.
• By simply drinking enough water (8 cups/day) alone, does wonders preventing and recovering from CTS. Having a good water source in your body is critical for your muscles and connective tissues to go back healthy function and condition.
• If you are overweight, make a commitment to lose weight and improve your blood flow. Exercise daily and eat healthy will go a long way in controlling weight. This can help you prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or help you recover faster from it.
• Medicine's like Ibuprofen, Motrin Advil and Tylenol cannot give you permanent treatment or cures but can only provide a temporary pain relief from your symptoms.
• A great way to exercise and strengthen your hand again is to find a good tennis ball and for a few minutes squeeze it in your palm over and over again. After you are done, take a 5 minute break before you start do anything again.
• If you are using a splint, it is important that you don’t strap it on so tight that it starts to cut off blood circulation. If it feels even more numb when you use a splint then you know it’s too tight. Same with those balancing bands, they might not work for you, if you feel that something is hurting you more than helping stop using it.
• When you are brushing your teeth, instead of using just the wrists to force the brush against your teeth, tighten your cheeks a little. This will help get the force you want to clean your teeth so you don't have to grip the brush as tight, careful not to ruin your brush!
• Cut down on your amount of alcohol, coffee and smoking as much as possible. If you have CTS or want to prevent your chances of getting it, simply cut down on unhealthy habits and activities. The amount of alcohol and smoking you do will also affect the speed of your recovery.
• Make sure your getting plenty of Vitamin E. This helps improve blood circulation & protects blood vessels from being damaged. Also make sure you are using lots of Glucosamine, MSM and Emu Oil. These 3 are the key ingredients in recovering from many RSI's.
• Surgery should be the last resort when you're thinking up treatments for your CTS. Surgery is risky, can cost an arm and a leg and will keep you from moving your hands at all for weeks if it is successful.