Two conditions that can cause wrist pain in Portage, MI

Wrist issues can often hurt more when you bend your wrist, and placing pressure on your wrist can also lead to increased pain in many cases. The higher level of pain that these actions cause could be a sign of several different wrist problems. Two conditions in particular are both common and can cause increased wrist pain during these movements in Portage, Michigan. 

1.   Carpal tunnel syndrome

Most people have probably heard of carpal tunnel syndrome as the bane of the modern office worker. This condition occurs when the tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel in the wrist become inflamed. In turn, these inflamed tendons irritate the median nerve that also passes through the carpal tunnel, and the irritated nerve typically leads to pain, numbness and tingling in the hand and wrist. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by repetitive movements like typing or writing, but it can also be caused by vibrations from construction tools like jackhammers. Continuing to do repetitive tasks with no treatment can cause carpal tunnel symptoms to get worse. Also, your symptoms can increase when the wrist is bent or pressure is put on it. This is because these actions cause the inflamed wrist tendons to move, and the movement can increase the irritation of the median nerve. 

2.   Wrist tendinitis

The tendons that run through your wrist are responsible for moving your fingers and thumb. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to make a fist, pick up objects or turn a doorknob. A fall or blow to the wrist can cause overstretching or tearing of these important tendons, but the most common cause of tendinitis is repetitive motion. All these causes can lead to inflammation of the wrist tendons. In turn, the inflammation restricts the movements of these tendons, which can cause pain and other symptoms. 

Although wrist tendinitis sounds similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, they are different in one important way: Carpal tunnel syndrome involves tendon inflammation and nerve irritation, but tendinitis doesn’t irritate a nerve. However, bending the wrist or putting pressure on it are still likely to increase your pain if you have wrist tendinitis. 

Find out how Armor Physical Therapy can help treat your wrist pain in Portage, MI

Wrist pain is just one of the issues that can be treated at Armor Physical Therapy’s Portage clinic. Our team will start by having you come in for a free screening, and this screening will give us a chance to examine your wrist and pinpoint the cause of your pain. Once we’ve gathered this information, we’ll use it to create a personalized treatment plan for you. Multiple beneficial therapy methods will be used in this plan, and some of the techniques your plan might use include: 

• Therapeutic exercises
• Kinesiology taping
• Manual therapy
• Work hardening

Take the next step to start reducing your wrist pain. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.