The wrist is a complex joint comprising of 8 bones arranged in two rows. Ligaments connect the wrist bones to each other and to the hand bones as well as forearm bones. Damage to any of the components of the wrist results in pain and affects your capacity to use the joint.
Pain in the wrist joint is often caused by sprains or fractures from a sudden injury. However, it may also result from long-term problems, such as arthritis, recurrent stress, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Diagnosing the precise cause can sometimes be difficult. But a correct diagnosis is vital for proper treatment.
What Causes Pain In Wrist Joint?
- Trauma / injury: When you fall forwards on to your outstretched hand the wrist takes the impact of the fall. This causes strains, sprains and fractures.
- Recurrent stress: An activity involving constant wrist movement inflames the tissues around the joint, especially when you perform the movement for hours on end without a break.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: When your immune system attacks its own tissues, rheumatoid arthritis develops.
- Osteoarthritis: When the cartilage cushioning the ends of the wrist bones gets eroded over time.Osteoarthritis of the wrist is rather uncommon and tends to occur in those who have injured the wrist in the past.
- Ganglion cysts: These develop on your wrist, opposite your palm.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: When there is raised pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist, pain occurs.
- Kienbock’s disease: This condition is characterized by a progressive collapse of one of the bones of the wrist. When blood supply to this bone gets compromised, it gets impaired.
Symptoms: Pain in the wrist depends up on what is triggering it. There may be a dull heaviness or a stabbing excruciating pain. Some complain of pins-and-needles feeling and numbness, especially at night.
Home Remedies To Relieve Wrist Joint Pain
The treatment regimen for wrist joint disorder differs greatly, depending upon the location of the pain, type of pain and its severity.
- In extreme cases, you will have to take over-the-counter analgesics to decrease the pain.
- Apply ice packs to the wrist, several times in the day; it will relieve the pain greatly.
- An elastic bandage is recommended too; it stabilizes the joints, prevents further damage and ameliorates the pain appreciably.
- A physical therapist will advise you certain exercises for wrist injuries. You should also get an ergonomic evaluation that will address workplace factors which may be injuring your wrist.
- In case of a fracture, the pieces of the bone require to be aligned so that it can heal. A cast or splint holds the bone fragments together and expedites healing.
- In case of a sprain or strain too you may need to wear a splint to protect the injured ligament / tendon while it heals. They help in cases of overuse injuries caused by recurrent movements.
- Occasionally, surgical intervention is necessary; like in severely broken bones, in a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome not responding to conventional treatment and when it is necessary to repair ligaments or tendons that have ruptured.
- Massages offer excellent benefits as well. Confer with your health care provider and masseur and schedule yourself for frequent A massage will allay the pain and discomfort as well as improve wrist movement.