Our hand and wrist contain a total of 27 bones, 34 muscles and over 100 ligaments and tendons. Everything we do revolves around the usage of our hands. Whether we’re cooking, playing sports, eating, driving or texting our mates; we would be very limited without the amount of functions our hands can perform.
Most wrist pain is not life-threatening, but it can affect your daily activities. Wrist pain and injury are common occurrences that can be induced by various activities, including sports injuries, work-related incidents, or continuous arm use. For effective treatment and relief, it is essential to get an accurate diagnosis from a physiotherapist or specialist doctor.
Wrist pain can occur from various problems like arthritis or joint dysfunction, ligament or muscle injury, wrist tendinopathies, nerve compression from the cervical spine or carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve palsy. Early detection and treatment are indispensable to avoid permanent nerve damage, and loss of muscle power, sensation, and function. The satisfactory report is that most wrist pain and injuries respond better to physiotherapy than other medical interventions. Therefore, if you experience wrist pain, don’t waste time or hesitate to consult with a healthcare practitioner. In some cases, surgery may be required, making early assessment and intervention is essential for the best possible outcome.
A therapist will be looking for clues to help with an evidence-based diagnosis step by step:
Inspection of the palm and dorsal surfaces of the hands for any obvious joint swelling, deformity, skin discolouration and the presence of cysts or nodules is one of the first steps they will take to diagnose the pain.
Measuring Range of motion by opening and closing patients' hands to help determine the number of affected joints and assess the severity of the condition. An inability to flex or extend may indicate an underlying tendon disruption, displacement, or dislocation.
Strength testing can comprise resisted motion in both flexion and extension across each joint in the hands.
This might include Grip strength testing for measuring the integrity and strength of the muscles of the hand and forearm. Reduced grip strength is a symptom of nearly every hand and wrist complaint though, so it’s only a small piece of the puzzle.
Physiotherapy for Wrist Pain is a highly effective treatment for wrist pain typically known as wrist tendonitis. An efficient physiotherapist will create an individual treatment program which may include:
A general treatment starts with a few simple procedures to control inflammation and allows tendon healing. Initially, the wrist needs some rest short-term and applying ice to the area helps alleviate pain. Physio helps to identify and avoid painful movements and correct faulty postures. This will all reduce stress on the wrist. The therapist also may apply a custom wrist splint to restrict wrist movement, allowing the tendons to heal properly.
Manual techniques include gentle joint passive mobilisations, deep soft tissue massage and targeted stretches to get the wrist moving properly.
A therapist will formulate exercises and stretching plans. These will reduce stiffness and help the wrist, hand, and forearm begin to move adequately again.
Depending on the particular areas of weakness, the therapist will determine which strengthening exercises are right for you that help in strengthening your weaker areas. This will contribute to the movement dysfunction that results in tendonitis. A physiotherapist will formulate an individualised home exercise Physiotherapy for Wrist Pain that will help to fulfil specific needs and goals.
A physiotherapist will teach the best ways to perform normal actions which will help to safeguard the wrist and hand and avoid causing further damage. Retaining the wrist in a neutral position that reduces excessive force and taking frequent breaks from the activity are simple ways that can decrease the chances of relapses.
When symptoms improve, the therapist will teach how to correctly perform functional movement patterns using proper wrist mechanics. This training in Physiotherapy for Wrist Pain will help you back to your daily activities, your job and when playing your favourite sport with pain-free movement.
VL Therapy, a popular physiotherapy centre in Malaysia works successfully with hundreds of patients with various difficulties and is dedicated to providing a world-class service for every individual. A team of experienced educated and professional physiotherapists is providing various modern treatment plans for shoulder pain therapy to make all patients regain their health as per the need for looking not just at the immediate, but also to ensure that the relief becomes sustainable. To know more about the services please visit the official website http://www.vltherapy.com.my/.