Elbow, Wrist, and Hand Pain
Are You Experiencing Pain In Your Hand, Wrist, or Elbow?
Get Upper Extremity Pain Relief With Physical Therapy
Take a moment and think about your typical morning: you get out of bed, brush your teeth, shower, get dressed, make breakfast, and begin your commute to school or work, or begin your daily work at home with the children or in your home office.
At this point, how many times do you think you’ve already used your elbows, wrists, and hands? Hundreds of times! Now, if you are doing all this and experiencing pain, it can make everyday mundane activities become really grueling tasks. You use your elbows, wrists, and hands constantly throughout the day – but nothing will make you realize just how much you use them like feeling the aches and pains within them.
Our innovative care strategies at Zionsville Physical Therapy will help you find quick relief. The good news is that fortunately, you can find relief or even experience a full recovery by working with a licensed physical therapist in Zionsville. What are you waiting for? Call our clinic today and get the help you’ve been needing.
Common Causes of Elbow, Wrist and Hand Pain
Because our bodies are so complex, there are many reasons you might be experiencing upper extremity pain. Listed below are a few of the most common conditions that may be reason for the pain you are feeling:
Sprains and Strains
Strains refer to muscle or tendon injuries, whereas sprains refer more to the ligaments, which connect bones to one another.
Sprains and strains typically occur from rapid overstretching of the ligaments or tendons, such as a fall on an outstretched arm, or catching or carrying something heavy. Swelling may occur, and you may want to obtain an x-ray to assure no fractures have occurred, especially after a hard fall.
Elbow Bursitis
At the end of the elbow is a fluid-filled sac called the “bursa” that serves as a cushion to the elbow bone, or “ulna.” When that bursa is compressed due to an injury or repetitive motion, it can lead to pain and swelling.
Golfer’s Elbow/Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow refers to pain on the lateral or outside aspect of the elbow, whereas golfer’s elbow refers to pain on the medial or inside aspect of the elbow.
Both of these injuries are a result of repetitive use injuries and can be attributed to a variety of different tasks, not just the sports they are named after.
Seeing a physical therapist for these conditions is recommended, because therapy restores the underlying joint and soft tissue limitations that are causing strain to the tendons, and reduces the inflammation quite rapidly.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
Carpal tunnel is a condition you may have heard thrown around in conversation, maybe from someone who uses their hands and wrists a lot for their jobs. Carpal tunnel syndrome impacts approximately 5% of all Americans, according to the American Physical Therapy Association.
The main job of the carpal tunnel is to protect the median nerve on the inside of your wrist, in addition to the tendons you use to bend the fingers. However, it is possible for this tunnel to become constricted, and when it does, nerve compression can result, leading to a variety of symptoms, such as numbness and tingling to the thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers.
In addition pain to the wrist, hand as well as swelling to the hand and fingers is even possible. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) can be caused by an injury or by repetitive job-related use, such as assembly-line work, keyboard-heavy work, or jobs that require someone to operate heavy machinery.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Cubital tunnel syndrome is a common form of nerve compression damage that can lead to elbow, wrist, and hand pain. This condition is different from carpal tunnel syndrome, and occurs when pressure is put on the cubital tunnel and surrounding ulnar, located on the side of the elbow, also known as your “funny bone” area. This causes pain, numbness, and tingling, especially in the ring and pinky fingers.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a very common condition that affects our hands and fingers. According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis is the most common form of disability in the United States. Physical therapy helps to improve joint motion, reduce inflammation, and strengthen the surrounding supportive muscles.
How can physical therapy help alleviate elbow, wrist, and hand pain?
In many cases, physical therapy treatments can alleviate, or even help you eliminate the need for expensive, invasive surgical procedures and harmful painkillers. Physical therapists are experts in movement and joint disorders, and can not only treat your symptoms but find the root cause of your pain as well!
Our physical therapists create a personalized treatment plan unique to the specific needs of your condition. The advanced treatment options we provide here at Zionsville Physical Therapy can help relieve your pain, restore your range of motion, and get you back to living your normal life. Whatever the cause of your elbow, wrist, or hand pain may be, physical therapy can help you.
Physical therapy may include any combination of specialized treatments, such as manual therapy, heat or cold modalities, TENS, taping, bracing for your wrists or hands, and specific therapeutic exercises to restore strength and pain-free motion.
Schedule your appointment with our clinic today
It’s time to make a change. If your quality of life has been negatively affected due to hand, elbow, or wrist pain, contact our office today for an appointment and to meet with one of our dedicated team members. We are skilled, attentive, and ready to get you back to living the healthy and physically active life you deserve!