Causes and Symptoms
If your job involves many repetitive movements with your hands, such as in office work or caregiving tasks, these movements can lead to overloading of the joints, muscles, and tendons in the wrist. You may also experience discomfort in your thumb.
Symptoms can include pain, stiffness, reduced strength, or slight swelling in the wrist. You may also feel tenderness in the forearm muscles or possibly irritation in the wrist when using your thumb. Additionally, wrist pain can cause pain in your elbow as you naturally try to avoid the pain from your wrist and therefore compensate with other parts of your body.
If your pain has arisen due to trauma, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor before following the advice and exercises provided below.
What can you do yourself?
The pain in the joint arises due to the repetitive movements you often make with your hands. The same strain is placed on the joint, and the same muscles are used constantly. You can prevent discomfort by trying to vary your wrist movements in your daily work and performing the exercises listed below.
If you have a particularly tender/swollen spot where the thumb meets the wrist, a wrist guard with a thumb brace can help you become more aware of your thumb and wrist movements.
Mobility Exercises:
- Make a Fist. Perform a rolling motion with your wrists. Change direction. Roll with both hands. The movement should only occur in the wrist.
- Finger Stretching. Place your palms on a table or wall and straighten your arms. Slowly lift your fingertips up so you can feel a stretch in your forearms and wrists. Hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.
Strengthening Exercises with a Resistance Band:
Perform 2 rounds of 6-8 repetitions of the following exercises:
3. Place your elbows close to your sides and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Hold the resistance band between your hands with your knuckles facing upward. Rotate your forearms outward so that your knuckles now point toward the floor. Return to the starting position.
4. Place your forearm on the edge of a table or armrest with your hand hanging over the edge. Palm facing downward. Hold the resistance band with your fingers. Place your other hand on your thigh and hold the other end of the band. Bend your wrist against the resistance of the band and feel the muscles on the top of your forearm tighten.
5. Place your forearm on the edge of a table or armrest with your hand hanging over the edge. Palm facing upward. Hold the resistance band with your fingers. Place your other hand on your thigh and hold the other end of the band. Bend your wrist against the resistance of the band and feel the muscles on the underside of your forearm tighten.
Stretching Exercises:
6. Hold your arm out to the side with your thumb pointing forward. Make a loose fist with your thumb inside your hand. Gently bend your wrist downward toward the floor. Hold for 15-20 seconds. Switch hands.
7. Hold your arms in front of your body and place the backs of your hands together. Press your elbows down toward the floor, feeling a stretch on the top side of your forearms. Hold for 10-15 seconds.
8. Hold your arms in front of your body and place your palms together. Lift your elbows toward the ceiling, feeling a stretch on the underside of your forearms. Hold for 10-15 seconds.