The Truth About Wrist, Elbow & Arm Pain
Small joints like in the hand, wrist and elbow and the 21 muscles from the elbow to your fingers, get used and abused by everyday life.
Computer work is very hard on the upper extremities, in fact 80% of wrist, elbow & arm pain is caused by overuse and repetitive stress damage.
You might be noticing that your wrist or elbow just ache all the time. Even the weight of a coffee cup might be bothering your elbow. Maybe your workouts are suffering. Do some of your favorite exercises hurt?
When assessing your own arm pain, it can be tricky to determine if you really need treatment.
Signs You Should Get Help
- Chronic, daily pain in on the inside or outside of your elbow, stopping you from everyday activities
- Wrist or finger pain or numbness in your hands
- Weak grip: things feel like they might slip out of your hand
- Intense elbow pain that flares up during sports or workouts
- Night time discomfort that wakes you up with numb hands, throbbing elbows or shooting arm pains
Tennis Elbow or Golfers Elbow
Simply put, these two painful conditions are the most common causes of elbow pain.
This overuse injury occurs when the muscles of the arm become tight, begin to micro tear and form scar tissue which shortens the muscle, subsequently causing pressure on the tendons in the elbow. The tendon begins to thicken up and pull on its attachment on the bone.
You will feel pain in the elbow and forearm.
Skilled manual therapy to break down the scar tissue, re-orient the muscles fibers, reintroduce blood flow to injured areas and lessen the pressure on the tendon is paramount to recovery.
Alignment of the wrist and elbow must also be addressed for full recovery.
Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that causes pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and arm.
The condition occurs when one of the major nerves to the hand — the median nerve — is squeezed or compressed as it travels through the wrist.
The source of compression on the median nerve is often misdiagnosed leading to frequent unnecessary surgeries. Median nerve compression can occur in other areas than the carpal tunnel which is the area that is surgically released.
The clinicians at Head 2 Toe understand that nerve compression must be assessed and treated throughout the entire chain, from the neck through the multiple possible areas of nerve compression.
Certainly surgery may be an option, but before you get cut, come let us have a look at your wrist and help you to make an informed choice.
Wrist Pain
Are you feeling wrist pain when lifting weights or doing pushups, or perhaps during simple tasks like carrying your child or groceries?
There are many potential causes of wrist pain.
The most common being a wrist sprain and tendonitis. The reason behind your pain dictates exactly how it's experienced—sharp pain, dull ache, pins and needles, or tightness, for example. But due to the wrist's complex anatomy, determining the "why" behind your wrist pain can be a tricky process.
The Clinicians at Head 2 Toe know how to differentiate between a wrist sprain and tendonitis, and when to send for an x-ray to rule out a fracture.
The anatomy of the wrist dictates skilled manual therapy to the forearm, wrist and hand all be done to treat your wrist pain correctly.
If your wrist is hurting you, don’t wait. This heavily overused part of your body does not usually respond to rest alone.
