Tuesday, February 22

Treating a Sore Wrist

By Tom Nicholson


Our wrists may be taken for granted when something like an apparently small sprain or injury occurs. This part of our body should not be overlooked, however, since we depend on it for nearly every aspect of our lives. Whether it's working on the computer or lifting up bags, our wrist are the primary tool. If you doubt this, consider that coaches tell their players it's "all in the wrist" to get the right spin on a ball.

Reasons to Immediately Seek Treatment

Keep in mind that the wrist pain may degenerate into a worse condition over time. The wrist can be an indicator of worse medical conditions. This may include carpal tunnel, gout, arthritis, cysts or fractures or sprains. You should definitely get treatment as quickly as possible for the best chance of recovery.

For another thing, your tender wrist can degenerate into something worse. Your painful wrist may be the precursor and/or the symptom of medical conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, gout and pseudo-gout, tendonitis, ganglion cysts and bone fractures and muscle sprains. You definitely will want to treat these disorders as soon as possible.

The at home elements for treating a sore wrist are meant to work in conjunction with medical care. The purpose of RICE treatment is to relieve pain and promote healing, while avoiding a recurring incidence of the injury. These treatments may apply to injuries or arthritis pain.

Through rest and modified activities, your pain may be alleviated. Considered the "critical time", you may need to wrap your wrist in a sling or splint. Modify activities so you don't cause additional stress to the injury.

Ice and heat treatments may also help alleviate pain. Generally, you will use ice for an acute injury, and heat for a chronic condition. When using ice packs, limit use to 20 minutes per application.

Compression is utilized to keep the muscles stable. During this stage, there may also be a cortisone injection to amp up muscle power. Make sure that any bandaging is not so tight that your wrist becomes blue or cold.

Elevating the wrist above the heart is also another good method for dealing with wrist pain. Use a sling during the day, and during the night, elevate with a pillow.

The RICE treatment is only applicable as a first aid and in after care scenarios. If your feel that an injury is not responding to RICE protocols, then seek medical help as soon as possible.

Indeed, a sore wrist may not look like much to worry about today but you have to be very careful that tomorrow, it will be as good as new. After all, your life may very well depend on how well your wrist works with and for you.




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