Wrist & Hand Pain Physiotherapy near Prince Edward

Eight small bones, a dense set of ligaments, the finger tendons and two major nerves all pass through the wrist, so several very different problems can produce pain in a small area. Where the pain sits and what provokes it narrows things considerably. Reading about symptoms cannot diagnose a wrist, and after a fall onto an outstretched hand it is particularly important to have it examined, because some fractures are easy to miss and hurt less than expected.

Descriptions vary widely: aching after typing, pain taking weight through the hand in a press-up or yoga pose, pain twisting a door handle, a click on the little-finger side, or numbness and altered sensation in specific fingers. That last group points towards a nerve rather than a tendon. Other possible causes stay in view too: thumb-side tendon problems, joint inflammation, a missed scaphoid fracture after a fall, and referred symptoms from the neck can look similar early on.

• Aching after typing, writing or repetitive hand work
• Pain taking body weight through the hand, as in a press-up or plank
• Pain twisting a door handle, a lid or a key
• Clicking, catching or pain on the little-finger side of the wrist
• Numbness or altered sensation in specific fingers, which suggests a nerve rather than a tendon

We locate the pain precisely and test the structures underneath it, comparing sides. We check wrist and forearm movement, grip and pinch strength, and how you load the hand in the tasks that bother you. Where symptoms include numbness or altered sensation we test sensation by finger and check the nerves at the wrist, elbow and neck. If there is a history of a fall onto the hand, we specifically check the areas where fractures are easily missed.

• Your symptoms: exact location, provoking movements, swelling and any clicking
• Daily activities and function: cooking, housework, dressing, carrying, phone and computer use
• Work or study demands: tools, keyboard and mouse, repetition, and grip force required
• Sleep: whether the wrist or hand aches or goes numb at night
• Load and injury history: falls onto the hand, previous fractures, training or workload changes
• Movement: wrist, forearm and finger range of motion compared side to side
• Strength and control: grip, pinch and forearm strength, and how the shoulder supports the hand
• Neurological and general screening: sensation by finger, muscle power, and medical history including inflammatory conditions and medicines

Once we know which structure is involved, the plan usually combines a period of reduced provocation with graded strengthening for the wrist, forearm and grip, plus practical changes to tools and technique. Depending on the assessment, a splint, taping, hands-on treatment or acupuncture may be considered where you consent and they may help you use the hand more comfortably. Not everyone needs the same combination, your preferences and work demands guide it, and we adjust with your response.

Since hands are hard to rest, most of the work is redistribution: carrying with two hands or a forearm, thicker grips on tools, taking weight through a fist or parallel bars instead of a flat palm, and breaking up long typing blocks. We agree how much next-day soreness is acceptable, and you will get a flare-up plan for a heavy day. At each visit we review pain with specific tasks, grip strength and your activity and load tolerance before progressing.

Gradual-onset wrist pain is usually well suited to a physiotherapy assessment first. Arrange a prompt medical review if the wrist is red, hot and swollen with a fever, if several joints are painful and stiff for a long time each morning, if pain followed a fall onto the hand and has not settled within a few days — particularly tenderness in the hollow at the base of the thumb, where fractures are easily missed — or if numbness is becoming constant. Go to an emergency department the same day if the wrist looks deformed after an injury, if you cannot move the fingers, or if the hand becomes cold, pale or blue.