What are the Causes of Swollen Wrist and How to Treat it?

Swollen Wrist

Wrists make all hand movements possible. Other activities including eating, reading, driving and picking up items involves the wrist. Even answering phone calls and completing personal hygiene involves the use of wrists. Any of these activities are easy to carry out because of the existence of the wrists.

The wrists are also among the most delicate parts of the human body as they comprised of tiny ligaments, small bones and muscles making them all vulnerable to injury.

People who are very active like athletes, the elderly and those with other medical condition related to muscles or joints are commonly and easily affected. Even ordinary individuals who accidentally inflicted too much pressure on the wrists may render them swollen.

Swollen Wrist Bone Causes

There are many reasons why wrists are swollen. However, common causes include:

• Wrist tendonitis. This is a condition in which the wrist is swollen because of an irritation of tendons. This is common among people who engage in repetitive actions involving their wrists or those who place their hands in an awkward position while sleeping or working on their computer.

• Injury. The injury can be sports-related or a result of a slip or fall. Also inflicting pressure on the wrists will cause a tear in the muscles. Gymnastics can particularly cause wrists injury due to too much pressure or straining of wrists. Often their activities can cause a tear in the muscles and ligaments

• Arthritis. People who suffer from arthritis will also experience swollen wrists. This usually affects the elderly. Swollen wrists are just among the many symptoms of other conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

How to Treat a Swollen Wrist

• Besides bed rest, applying cold compress or ice pack to the swollen wrists is the best home remedy. Ice packs simply reduce the inflammation by soothing down the injured tissues, muscles, or ligaments. It also slows down the blood flow in the affected areas. However, the ice should not directly touch the skin.

• If ice packs do not reduce the swelling and pain, immediate medical attention should be sought. The physician will recommend an x-ray of the swollen wrists and perform physical examination. X-rays can determine the condition of bones, ligaments, and muscles. It shows which of these components are swollen.

• Occasionally, the physicians may also recommend a MRI to ascertain the exact cause of swelling if X-ray is not adequate.

• Depending on the cause of swelling, the physician may recommend some treatments like bandages and not using the hand with swollen wrist for picking up anything heavy.