What to do if your wrist muscles hurt

The wrist pain we often talk about is actually what is clinically called carpal tunnel syndrome. Medically defined as a group of symptoms and signs caused by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. It usually occurs in middle-aged friends. For patients with wrist pain, we must go to the hospital to check the root cause as soon as possible, and then treat it according to the results of the examination. Similarly, the recovery of the wrist tendons is also very important. So what should we do with wrist pain? How to deal with and improve it?

What causes wrist pain?

1. Wrist sprain

Wrist joint injuries often have an obvious history of trauma. After the injury, wrist weakness and limited wrist joint mobility occur. For minor injuries, there is generally no obvious swelling and mild pain, and pain only occurs when the wrist joint is moved in a large range. Severe sprains may cause swelling and severe pain in the wrist, and the wrist may be unable to move or the pain may be aggravated by movement. There is tenderness at the site of injury or abnormal changes in muscle tissue can be felt. Wrist injuries should be treated promptly to prevent ischemic necrosis of the scaphoid and lunate bones.

① If you flex the wrist joint with force and feel pain on the dorsal side, it means that the dorsal wrist ligament and wrist extensor tendon are damaged. Otherwise, it is an injury to the palmar wrist ligament or wrist flexor tendon.

② If the wrist joint is tilted toward the ulnar side with force and pain occurs in the radial styloid process, it is an injury to the radial collateral ligament. Otherwise, it is an ulnar collateral ligament injury.

③ If there is pain in all directions of wrist movement and the movement is significantly restricted, it indicates a complex injury of ligaments, tendons, etc.

2. Wrist tenosynovitis

The main cause of wrist pain is wrist tenosynovitis. Numbness, edema, tingling, decreased sensitivity in the wrist or fingers, or pain when pressed, inflexible joints, difficulty and weakness in bending fingers to grasp things, and increased discomfort when the fingers move are all obvious signs of wrist tenosynovitis.

3. Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatic pain and swelling of the wrist are the main manifestations, and as the disease progresses and worsens, it will bring about serious symptoms such as limited movement and muscle atrophy, and even affect multiple systems and organs, and may have multiple clinical manifestations. Its early symptoms are often atypical. Symptoms include low fever, fatigue, weight loss, and joint pain. Rheumatism is very harmful to patients and requires detailed examination, early diagnosis and treatment to control the disease and avoid greater harm.

What to do if you have wrist pain?

1. If you feel tingling in your hands, you should do some gentle hand exercises, such as rotating your wrists. Continue to clench and release your hands, straighten your fingers and then bend them, and practice repeatedly.

2. Raise your hands above your head, rotating your arms and wrists at the same time to help adjust the position of your shoulders, neck and upper back.

3. Perform head and neck exercises, such as rotating the head, looking left and right, and other simple movements.

4. Vitamin C has a repairing effect on tissues, while vitamin B6 and pyridoxine zinc can reduce tissue inflammation, accelerate blood circulation and act as a mild diuretic.

5. Keeping your elbows higher than your shoulders, supporting your elbows on the table, or leaning your hands on the chair rails are good ways to give your hands a rest.

6. Using aspirin can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Vitamin B6 can help relieve symptoms of wrist pain syndrome, but it must be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

7. Cold and hot compress

① Cold compress: Use an ice pack on the painful area and apply mineral oil to the skin where the ice pack is to be placed. Place a damp towel on top of the oil and place the ice pack on top of the towel. To achieve the desired isolation effect, cover the ice pack with a towel. Apply the cold compress for 10-20 minutes at a time, and check your skin every 5-10 minutes. If you notice your skin turning white or purple, remove the ice pack immediately to avoid frostbite on your wrist.

②Hot compress: Hot compress can relax your muscles and tendons, improve blood circulation, and promote healing of injuries. But you still have to pay attention to one thing, when your wrist is just injured, you cannot apply hot compress immediately. You can only start using hot compress after 72 hours of the injury.

8. Use a wrist splint to keep your wrist straight and relieve wrist pain. It is best to buy a wrist splint with Velcro and metal plugs, which can provide support without making your hand stiff. Remember to expose your fingers. Try to keep your hand and wrist straight without bending them up or down.

9. When wrapping your wrist with a bandage, do not wrap it too tightly to avoid preventing blood circulation.

10. Rest your hands to protect your wrists from further damage. When using tools, do not concentrate pressure on the base of your wrist, try to use your elbows and shoulders. Avoid letting your arms hang down while you sleep.