I'm just really worried, and the constant pain and not knowing what is wrong drives me nuts. Try our Symptom Checker Got any other symptoms? As the blood degrades and gets flushed out of the tissue, the bruise changes color with time (dark blue, green, then yellow). Went to the ER the next day (because people told me it was just a sprain and I needed rest. I know something is wrong because like you, my wrist swells from activity and becomes dull and achy etc - Like I can still do everyday stuff but if its too aggrevated from like playing guitar or swimming it justs starts to truly hurt. Had surgery. So, he said I could've had a stress fracture, that wouldn't be visible on the first x-ray, but could be causing me pain because it hadn't healed, since I had to walk after only 10 days again. Ask Dr. Molly if you have questions or want a personal session on how to best use Ask DoctorBase for maximum marketing impact. Sprains and strains. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You would be best served to see an. Doctoral Degree. Common symptoms of a broken wrist include: If you think your wrist is broken, get medical help immediately. Last Updated: December 30, 2021 Remember, if your problem is a screw, only a screwdriver will work. How to deal with a wrist sprain and how long do i stop physical activity? Repeat wrapping diagonally across your palm, creating a crisscross. Small stress fractures of carpal bones (particularly the scaphoid bone) are very difficult to see on regular x-rays until all the inflammation fades away. Adhesion and scar tissue look the same under a microscope, except that the cause was different. But guess what, I have that tendon. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited. At Barefoot Rehab, we specialize in fixing peoples pains that have been present for more than 2 months, even when theyve seen 3-5 other doctors. Hello Chris I just hope it works.. The only occurrences when it wont be permanent or last are when you have: The first bullet point on rest is the #1 reason why people with wrist pain dont heal. Inflammation (swelling) is a common symptom of all wrist sprains, as well as wrist fractures, but it varies significantly according to the severity of injury. Hi! So I'm very afraid they will once again look at the MRI, expecting nothing, maybe looking in the wrong place, missing it once again, and leaving me with yet another injury that has yet to be solved. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified Well apparently a lot more than them.). My hope is to save you a lot of time, money, and energy by telling you what often is happening with wrist pain that wont go away that is very commonly neglected by 95% of healthcare providers. It may get a little bit better, but it then hurts every time you push up from a chair, lift something heavy or twist your forearm. did dumbell curl, felt sharp pain on the underside of my wrist. ", "This helped me greatly. Hi Fran, it sounds like you need some adhesion removed. Small hairline (stress) fractures tend to mimic Grade 1 or 2 sprains and do respond to cold therapy (long term) better than more serious fractures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ODZiA_6Bk&t=137s. My right wrist has been in pain for a year now and the left wrist is 3 months I started tapping my wrists and they get pain free by tapping . Good luck ! Most wrist sprains get better with immobilization and rest. I am a carpenter and the lack of strength and sharp pain is preventing me from getting back to building. Long term effects If your wrist injury is left untreated it can lead to long term effects. By using our website, you consent to our use of cookies. When it happened my two toes next to the big toe were swollen and very sore. a metabolic problem that prevents your body from healing (like diabetes or a thyroid condition). Visit the SA Department of Healths website for COVID-19 updates: Your email address will not be published. Sprains are caused by trauma such as a fall or blow that knocks a joint out of position. We have practices in 3 locations: Midrand, Bryanston and Bedfordview. This is our specialty so take it with a grain of salt. Wrist or Hand Hairline Fracture. Hi Matt, so sorry to hear this. Adhesion feels like a well-done steak instead of a bunch of spaghetti that you can roll over your fingers with. Taking it off to shower and relieve the pressure points from the splint only and no moving it if I did. A grade 3 which is severe can take between 3 and 6 months to recover fully. Move your wrist down. Don't stop until you get some answers. After half a year I went back to a specialist in the hospital and told him I still couldn't run, walking stairs and even in every day life, my ankle still hurt a lot, and still got swollen every day. Due to the accumulation of inflammation, which consists of lymph fluid and a variety of specialized immune system cells, a sprained wrist will feel warm to the touch. To learn more, please visit our. Limit application of ice or heat to 20 minutes at a time. you have muscle spasms or cramping - where your muscles painfully tighten on their own. And the doctor that told me "there's nothing there" was somewhat right too, because normally there isn't. Follow these tips to prevent wrist sprains: In most cases, a sprained wrist can be treated with rest, ice, and over-the-counter pain relievers. I went anyway because it felt like something was wrong, and I never go to doctors unless I need to). as being in breach of those terms. Motor vehicle crashes. so I had a car accident just over 2 years ago and have been in pain ever since. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. For potential or actual medical emergencies, immediately call 911 or your local emergency service. My therapist said he wanted to do some more digging into fixing this tendon, since he had never encountered it before, but he suggested shockwave therapy, and some physical therapy. Stop adding wood to the fire and the fire will die down (and your inflammation will go away). Many trees are cut from miles away, put into containers and shipped to our area. Some of the goals of physical therapy include: The wrist and arm should be functional for most activity by 8 to 10 weeks after surgery. Of course, when that happens, I will go back to the belgian doctor, but I have no idea 1. what's wrong with my ankle and why I still have this much pain, and 2. what I could do next. If youve been having this ache for years after doing your iron work, Id say its safe to say its from work. Swelling and difficulty moving for more than a few days after the incident. Tendinitis, ruptured tendons and bursitis of the wrist (including carpal tunnel syndrome) mimic wrist sprains, but an MRI can distinguish between the different injuries. Top answers from doctors based on your search: Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone. Asked my doctor since in my early 70s assumes arthritic. Occasionally, a fall on the outstretched hand is sore for a few days and then it resolves. HIRING: Full-Time Social Media Bad-A$$ & Content Creator, Why Your Numb Hands STILL Cant Feel After Over 6 Months, 8 Life Lessons from Car Baby Koas Arrival, Know Thy Pain: A Lesson in Broadcast Management, Dont Let Achilles Tendon Pain be your Achilles Heel: One Essential Rehab Exercise You Need To Know, Frustrated? The cool thing about getting your adhesion removed is that youll know if its REALLY helping you the first visit. This article received 11 testimonials and 82% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. severe pain, especially when moving your hand, recently sustained a serious injury, like a vehicle collision. He said I might have damaged that ligament in the spraining too, and said it was inflamed. I had therapy, so stretching and exercises, for months. severe pain. Increasingly upset with nothing you do seeming to have any positive result, you decide to google wrist pain and you end up here. Got a hard cast for 10 weeks. A wrist sprain is an injury where the ligaments in your wrist stretch or tear. So if you're wondering why you still have some symptoms a couple of weeks after spraining your ankle or knee, it's because your body is . If not a lot better in 7-10 days seek medical attention and demand an xRay. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Find low drug prices at local & online pharmacies. No pain. Wrist sprains are common during snowfall or ice storms. Ankle Circles/Ankle Alphabet: Start in a seated position. Avoid activities requiring use of wrist. Read on to learn about the different types of wrist sprains and what treatment and recovery looks like. The primary way you know if you have adhesion is with the wrist and finger extension test. It is a clinical diagnosis that a hand therapist with a bit of experience can diagnose. Shockwave Therapy: Evolving the Treatment of Chronic Pain. He used an ultrasound to look at the area of pain, and was surprised to hear I had only had one x-ray, and at the time it had happened. I have had X-rays , mri and a steroid injections in the side of my ankle but on Wednesday the orthopaedic doctor say there is nothing he can find and has sent me to have s nerve test. Sometimes if I rest on it feels almost like a burning sensation only on the right hand. They told me it would take at least 6 months to get back to normal. A thumb sprain occurs when the thumb is bent out of its normal range of movement, usually backwards. Now if you develop chronic i Hi KristinaM, its likely just a strain and dissipate with time. Sprained Thumb Thumb sprains are common injuries where a ligament stretches or tears within your thumb joint. No scans or anything were made, because he didn't believe anything was wrong. A full recovery may take 6 to 12 months, especially if you need surgery. Grade 1 wrist sprains are mildly painful and the pain is usually described as a soreness that can be sharp with movement. Copyright 2021 | Tanya Coats Occupational Therapy. Registered in England and Wales. Nobody checked my right hand although i have always complained about it. Complications Related to Treatment Treatment of a broken wrist might include the use of a brace, splint or cast. Is the pain only when you lift too heavy? A year later when it still hurt (a lot! He told me again that it could take a very long time, even longer than a year. and elevationneeds updating, some researchers say. All posts copyright their original authors. This article has been viewed 315,498 times. Your body has to create scar tissue to repair your injury. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo clutches his wrist after injuring it Feb. 16 in a game in Chicago against the Bulls. If you have a grade 3 wrist sprain, you may need surgery. Do the moves two or three times a day: Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and place it against your side. If your pain came on gradually and there was no obvious trauma, then were talking about adhesion. Hold a light weight, like a 2-pound dumbbell. Regardless of the approach used to treat a distal radius fracture, physical therapy is essential to the recovery process. As your flexibility approaches normal, your symptoms approach normal and go away too. Soft tissue injuries lead to pain and swelling, which sometimes causes finger numbness. I don't know if I need sugery, or if it just will stop on its own but I find the second option highly unlikeley. Unfortunately I also work in a factory packing plastic bottles into boxes (oh the glamour! He talked about some ligament higher up my ankle, the one connecting the two bones in the lower leg. It happens when one or several bones in your wrist crack or break. He received his MD from the Medical University of the Americas in 2012 and completed his residency in Family Medicine at the Robert Packer Hospital. A sprained wrist is usually treated without surgery. Place one end of the bandage on the inside of your wrist. I have had 4 different braces, an air cast, and an actual cast. The constant workload of the patient combined with the dosage of adhesion removal I do means the pain level doesnt change. "I was able to recognize the signs of a sprained wrist and what treatment options were available to me. Im also left-handed. Stay informed! Approved. Alternate 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. A woman presents with wrist pain after falling on her outstretched hand. I've had 2 injuries (one in my toe, the other in my knee) where they did MRI's, told me I was fine, and years of struggling and complaining later, they found out what was wrong (toe - recurring swelling, was taken care of with a few shots, knee - some loose thing they removed with surgery). We want the forums to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the forums are Ice helps prevent tissue damage and decreases swelling and pain. If youve been given a splint, remove it before doing the exercises. Your wrist can suddenly twist or bend, causing damage to the ligaments. Make a fist, placing your thumb around your fingers. When this happens, it is very likely that the hand or wrist bends or twists forcefully. Dr. Miller: So to summarize, it sounds like if you have a fall and your wrist really hurts or is immobile or the pain lasts and the swelling is lasting longer than three days, you probably ought to have that checked out, have an X-ray. High Writings with Dr. Chris: More Than A Chronic Pain Clinic? Dr. Catania is a board certified Family Medicine Physician in Pennsylvania. A b. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. It can also happen when the ligaments are overloaded during regular movement. Ive been compensating in general by using my right hand, wrist and arm to do more like opening a heavy door, lifting a heavy bag, etc. He told me my tendons and ligaments looked fine, but he saw some white stripes that apparently meant calcination (hope it's the right word). It hurts, but you're still able to move your sprained joint and bear weight in the location. Thank you for your input doctors, as soon as I get the chance I will visit my doctor and get an X-Ray/MRI and see what exactly is going on. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our. how come i have random pain all of a sudden? 7 years ago, Here's what you may experience as you go through treatment. These symptoms include: bruising. Don't know. References Hopefully you have enough range of motion to do that. This process starts at around 24-48 hours and it can go on for several months, normally stopping at around 4-6 months. This is really interesting and sounds a lot like what I'm going through - except its my wrist thats giving me trouble. Right more than left. Use this list to select a high quality, effective wrist brace that matches your needs. Of course that's just a name for all the things they can't really pinpoint, but hey. Your wrist should be past the edge. I have severe, constant pain in my thumb that has worsened. Feb 23, 2023. Wrist Sprains When you fall forward, as when you trip running or rollerblading, your natural response is to put your hands out in front of you to catch yourself. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between a badly sprained wrist and a bone fracture, so being well-informed should help you make the distinction. Protect yourself: Exercise regularly. Im worried because Im also an artist, I draw and paint and dont want to jeopardise my dexterity. Our clinical information meets the standards set by the NHS in their Standard for Creating Health Content guidance. Do the wrist and finger extension test. orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/wrist-sprains, mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-wrist/symptoms-causes/syc-20353169, hss.edu/playbook/so-you-sprained-your-wrist/, niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sprains-and-strains, sportsmedicine.mayoclinic.org/condition/wrist-sprains/, mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/Wrist%20Strain%20Sprain%20Tendinitis_tcm75-893574.pdf, Is It a Sprain or a Strain? put an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas) in a towel and place it on your wrist for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours keep your hands and wrists moving with gentle exercises to help ease pain and stiffness take paracetamol to ease the pain take off any jewellery if your hand looks swollen Copyright 2016 Kareo, Inc. All rights reserved. Working through the pain, or shaking it off can cause more damage to already injured ligaments and structures. Contact me if you need assistance and would like a consultation. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Heres how: Wrist sprains are categorized based on their severity. Wrist fractures can occur with a fall on an outstretched arm, or a forceful impact such as a car accident. If you fall, the wrist guard will stop your wrist from extreme motions. You should feel this stretch in your back leg's calf muscle. A wrist sprain is an injury where the ligaments in your wrist stretch or tear. There are 20 individual ligaments of the wrist connecting the eight carpal bones to each other as well as to the forearm and the hand. If it hurts randomly, then it may be a torn ligament or, There are several injuries that can cause continued pain in the wrist like you describe. Did your GP tell you to return if it doesn't improve? Once the strength is back, then you can start lifting heavier. Simple sprain of wrist usually heals with out any long term problems if one takes care of it with rest and immobilzation. Massaging your ankle after a sprain may help reduce pain and swelling, but you also want to be careful. Only when the odds are stacked in your favor can treatment for the adhesion take hold and get you out of pain. He said these things could easily be missed and they should've done another x-ray after a few weeks as well. All answers submitted by healthcare professionals (you) are for entertainment purposes only and do not constitute doctor-patient relationships. Have had trouble opening jars but no pain after prior to injury and was wondering was the injury from wear and tear from all the above mentioned or would i call it a work injury as it happened the day after the 2 weeks on the saturday when i got up and day off. March is Steering Committee election season! 1 of 2. Many in the medico-legal arena (insurance attorneys think MVA here) will argue that healing of injured ligaments should be complete within 6-8 weeks. This is true, depending on what the definition of healing is. This means that my wrist never recovered from the Thermos injury (my diagnosis, I never went to see a doctor) . The wrist has many vital structures that are used every day at work and at home. This was extremely painful still, and my foot was still swollen like a balloon and black and blue everywhere, but they didn't say anything about it at the hospital so I thought that it was normal. This typically happens when you fall onto an outstretched hand, an injury known as FOOSH. Wrist sprains and strains are often confused with each other, but theyre different injuries. It got very intense last year so I finally went to a specialised hand therapy clinic. Here's how to apply one correctly. A sprained wrist happens when something stretches your wrist ligaments enough to damage them. So I rested for a week and concentrated on pulls and squats for a few weeks. I have had an ankle problom for 3 years now and I have had difficulty doing all of the regular things I used to do day to day and I don't understand what has happened. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. Fractures to the wrist are typically painful at the wrist . Walking around the house and putting weeight on it is sometimes more then I can take. A sprain affects a ligament. Bring it up and diagonally over your palm, moving toward your thumb. Symptoms such as pain, swelling, bruising and loss of strength or stability are common with mild (grade 1) to moderate (grade 2) wrist sprains. Spread your fingers wide, keeping your wrist and fingers straight. Next, bring it behind your fingers. Rosenzweig L. (2015). A muscle strain, or pulled muscle, occurs when your muscle is overstretched or torn. If youve injured your hand, a bandage might be able to help in the healing process. The doctor believes there is no reason for pain but my Physiotherapist believes it is the fragment. If you have a moderate or severe injury, recovery might last 6 to 8 weeks. Ice and a splint or gentle wrap may be helpful for the first few days after a wrist sprain. So you can get fixed and not be worried about wasting your time, energy, or money. Anyway, since they now know what problem it is (where the tendon is attached to my bone it's irritated or damaged), they hopefully can fix me. A fracture is a break in one of the eight small wrist bones. Of course. This will immobilize your wrist as it heals. An MRI is also helpful to see the extent of blood vessel and nerve damage, particularly if your wrist injury is causing symptoms in your hand, such as numbness, tingling and/or loss of normal color. I've had an MRI which showed nothing apparently, and later another injection (which didn't help of course) and a bone scan. Had a MSI and showed a tear and perforation. Definitely see a specialist and good luck! Details like which parts of your pain matter (how much work youre doing with your wrist) and which parts dont (stretching, ice, heat) is why seeing a detail-oriented doctor or therapist is so important. Many wrist fractures occur during contact sports or sports in which you might fall onto an outstretched hand such as in-line skating or snowboarding. Almost 2 years ago, in March 2014, I sprained my ankle pretty badly playing soccer. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin.