Are you suffering from any kind of wrist pain? Understandably, it can be quite excruciating. We know this can become problematic and can make performing many tasks more difficult than they otherwise might be. Even if you're having trouble with symptoms of tendonitis on the wrist, there are several treatment options on the market today to help you get relief and start moving around without too much trouble! While not every treatment works for everyone, we have found that looking at our list of treatment options below may help reduce the symptoms of wrist tendonitis significantly - especially if you have been suffering for some time!
Home Remedies
When it comes to wrist tendonitis, the most important thing you need to know is that most of the time there is no single cause, but rather a combination of these kinds of things. If you happen to fall into the category of people who have sprains or other injuries, or a lot of repetitive motions, then those home remedies will certainly do the trick and get your wrist pain under control quickly.
Rest
One of the best ways to treat injured tendons in the wrist is to rest them. If you can find out which movements have caused your tendinitis, either stop doing them or modify the movements to give your wrist a break from excessive movement so that it has time to heal properly. Many people have a hard time taking these breaks from their lives because it means they need to rest, which is often seen as slacking or missing out on things. But you should keep in mind that resting is an important treatment if you want the swelling of the inflamed tendon(s) and other related symptoms to decrease and let your body recalibrate itself so that it has a chance to heal nicely after being injured.
Stretching & Exercises
Stretching your wrists this morning will help to ensure that the entire day's tasks and challenges give you less pain and take less of a toll on you. Stretching in the morning is often not done as much as it should be, but when given the chance it can go a long way towards having a productive day! Set up an appointment at your local physical therapy or occupational therapy office because it's important to create a stretching plan based on your individual needs so that everyone can remain active for longer periods with fewer aches and pains.
Strength-Building Exercises
The wrist joint is made of lots of different muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All the parts work together to move your hands in everyday tasks like gripping and typing. Your arm and hand joints require strength to do these activities well. You must take care of your wrists by doing regular strength-building exercises so you can perform these movements with more ease while decreasing the chances of injuring yourself.
Hot and Cold Therapy
Cold therapy is a great way to reduce inflammation and pain, but hot therapy can also prove useful in many ways. A hot bath or a herbal heating pad placed on your wrist, for example, will increase blood flow and help tissues heal faster. When it comes to using heat or cold therapy after an injury, the general rule is simple: cold reduces swelling and pain, while heat increases blood flow for faster tissue healing.
The heat helps with pain. This is a little-known fact that you probably didn't know but has been proven by medical researchers. We're really glad we brought it to your attention because we think it's useful information to have around. It makes sense, especially if you think of an injury as a break in the flow which restricts movement or performance, then increasing that flow with heat would logically have a healing effect. There are many different ways you can use heat to relieve pain and one good way would be by using something like A Sacksythyme’s Herbal Heating pad featured on this site!
Medication
One should always consult with their doctor before starting any kind of medication for whatever reason. A major factor in deciding which medication to take is figuring out whether one has a condition that requires long-term treatment or if one has symptoms that require short-term treatment.
NSAIDs are useful when used in combination with other treatments such as stretching, rest, and exercise. Always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about possible interactions with other medications before starting a new drug regimen.
Splinting
A splint will immobilize your wrist, full letting you still perform your regular activities without causing further damage to your wrist. You can wear a splint during the day or even at night. Some splints will fully immobilize your wrist, whereas others will allow slight movement. All splints should allow for full finger movement. If you are unsure which splint is right for you, talk to your physical therapist or doctor.
Medical Treatment
If your wrist tendonitis isn't subsiding then you might need to consider going to a doctor or physical therapist. Thankfully, in addition to home remedies, there are multiple treatment options (check them out below) that can help with recovery.
Surgery
Surgery for wrist tendonitis is typically reserved for the most severe cases of tendonitis, where neither steroid injections nor physical therapy has worked. During the surgery, doctors will release the tendon sheath that has become too tight around the tendons and should in theory allow for free movement. In some cases, surgeons will also need to remove any damaged tissues and create more space in the joint to ensure comfortable recovery post-surgery.
Corticosteroid Injections
Cortisone injections are typically used to treat wrist arthritis because it decreases swelling and pain in the joint. Steroids are specifically anti-inflammatory medications that can make a huge difference when it comes to getting pain relief. Many patients require multiple injections to achieve full recovery, so they don’t start looking too closely at the side effects. The primary concern is a weakening of the tendons, making one unable to move the hand and possibly leading to atrophy throughout the affected joints.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
Another option for treating tendon inflammation is to see an occupational therapy practitioner. O.T.s are trained in treating wrist injuries and can give you exercises and stretches to help manage your pain and swelling. If you need surgery, your therapist will also be able to work with you while you recover from it.
When to Seek Medical Attention
Wrist tendonitis is a condition that is commonly diagnosed and treated by a healthcare professional. In rare cases when it's too severe, treatments are performed by a medical doctor. It's always important to get professional advice before performing any at-home treatment, to prevent further damage. Also seek medical attention if you have any of these symptoms in your arm, hand, or wrist:
- Loss of sensation or feeling
- Loss of motion or strength
- Numbness
- Inability to grip an object
- Pain that gets better then comes back
- Severe pain
Safe and Effective Wrist Tendonitis Treatment
Wrist tendonitis is a common condition that causes pain and swelling in the wrist and hand. Treating this kind of condition can usually be done at home with rest, splinting, and stretches which are all rather simple treatments for tendon injuries. However, if your tendonitis is severe then you will most likely need medical treatment for it like seeing a doctor or chiropractor. With consistent treatment, you'll be back to doing everything you love in no time.