The inability to do many of your daily activities due to elbow, wrist, or hand pain can be debilitating. These are typical reasons for pain:
What are the causes of elbow pain ?
Tennis elbow: is more prevalent than golfer’s elbow, yet, contrary to what the names suggest, both injuries are more often the result of overuse from various hobbies, sports, or activities. A single trauma, like a quick, abrupt tug on the forearm can sometimes bring on the symptoms. Once the pain begins, regular routines and behaviors can perpetuate the issue. Tennis or golfer’s elbow can be more common if there are underlying neck, wrist, or shoulder issues that may not be uncomfortable in and of themselves.
Carpal Tunnel: A condition known as carpal tunnel affects the median nerve as it travels through the wrist and into the hand. In addition to weakness and loss of dexterity, especially in the thumb, sufferers frequently experience numbness and/or pain in the hand, occasionally into the forearm. It might be linked to repetitive tasks, but it can also occur during pregnancy or in connection with diseases like hypothyroidism and diabetes. Additionally, the illness may be predisposed by issues with the neck and upper back.
Osteoarthritis: It is a condition in which the cartilage in the joints gradually wears out, resulting in discomfort as the two bones of the joint rub against one another. The joints at the tips of the fingers and the base of the thumb might be severely affected, resulting in pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving your hands and wrists effectively.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: It is often caused by repetitive thumb use, which inflames the tendons at the base of the thumb on the side of the wrist and causes pain that can travel up the forearm. This discomfort is more prevalent in activities like golfing, office work, playing an instrument, or manual labour like carpentry and is frequently made worse by repetitive lifting, gripping, or twisting motions of the hand.
Referred forearm, wrist, and hand pain: When pain is felt in a location other than the site of the original injury, such as the neck or upper back,
Sprained wrists or fingers are most frequently caused by falls or rapid twisting motions that cause the joints to bend abnormally.
How Osteopaths approach the elbow and wrist pain:
Your osteopathic practitioner will work with you to try and identify the source of your elbow, wrist, or hand pain. Then, he or she will be able to either prescribe osteopathic treatment or advise you as to whether your situation necessitates additional testing.
Your osteopath will employ a variety of treatments to help relieve muscular tension and enhance mobility in the elbow, wrist, hand, neck, and upper back joints, depending on your age, fitness level, and diagnosis. Additionally, advice on using sports straps, elbow or wrist braces, and/or hydrotherapy will be given, as well as stretching and strengthening exercises. Osteopathic treatment can help patients return to regular activities more quickly by significantly lowering elbow, wrist, or hand stiffness and pain.