Wrist Pain and Injuries
Everyone of us will have a minor injury to our wrist at any one point. The injury to the wrist may cause pain or swelling.
Some of the wrist injury could be cause by acute injury or overuse injury. Symptoms may develop from day to day wear and tear issue.
Activities that result in wrist injury include:
- Sports
- Computer or desk bound job
- Work that includes hand tools like screw driver
- Falls
Wrist Pain Cause by Wrist Injury
Sportsman with wrist injury
If you are involve in sports such as wrestling, soccer or in-line skating, you may have a higher risk of getting a wrist injury. Sports that involves heavy weigh-bearing on the hands and arms such as gymnastics can also increase your risk of injuring your wrist. Sports such as ski, tennis, badminton, golf or hockey which involves grabbing of the sports equipment may also increase the risk of wrist injury.
Children with wrist injury
Children get wrist injury usually from sports or falls. If the child has injured to the growth plate, he or she needs to seek specialist attention immediately.
Older adults with wrist injury
Older adults are also at a high risk of getting wrist injury as they may have a low bone mass (Osteoporosis) without knowing it themselves. Age comes with other problems  like vision and balance, these factors may put the seniors at a higher risk of accidental wrist  injury.
Sudden (acute) wrist injury
An acute wrist injury is cause by a fall, twisting injury or a direct impact injury. The source of the wrist pain is clear and you will remember. You may find bruising or swelling to your wrist develop soon after the wrist injury.
Acute wrist injuries include:
- Contusion or bruising to your wrist or hand
- Injuries to the wrist ligaments
- Injuries to the wrist tendons
- Sprain injuries to the wrist joints
- Strain wrist muscles
- Wrist fracture
- Wrist dislocations
- Wrist compartment syndrome
Overuse wrist injuries
Overuse wrist injuries happen when the wrist do the same action repetitively and causing “stress” to the wrist joint.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome. Pressure on the median nerve in the wrist.
- Wrist tendon pain. Micro tears to the wrist tendon.
- De Quervain’s disease
Treatment for wrist pain
The treatment to your wrist depends on the severity to your wrist injury.
Treatment to the wrist pain include:
- Anti-inflammatory medicine
- Anti-inflammatory injection
- “Buddy” splint
- Wrist brace
- Fibreglass cast
- Surgery for serious wrist injury
Wrist Pain Cause by Non-injury Related
Wrist pain can be cause by ageing, degeneration of the wrist joint cartilage, etc. Your wrist may feel burning sensation, numbness, stinging or tingling sensation. You may have difficulty in moving your wrist normally or you may discover a lump on your wrist.
Overuse wrist pain problems
- Carpal tunnel syndrome. Pressure on the median nerve in the wrist.
- Wrist tendon pain or wrist tendinosis.
- De Quervain’s disease
- Repetitive strain injury
- Writer’s cramps develop with repeated hand or finger motion, such as writing or typing.
Lump in the wrist joint
Wrist pain from medical conditions
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Gout
- Infection to the wrist
- Pregnancy
- Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition in which some areas of the body, usually the fingers or toes, have an extreme response to cold temperature or emotional stress. During an attack of Raynaud’s, the blood vessels in the affected areas tighten, severely limiting the flow of blood to the skin, causing numbness, tingling, swelling, pain, and pale color.
Wrist pain Doctor
