Elbow, Wrist, and Hand Pain Relief

Is Your Elbow, Wrist, or Hand Giving You Problems?

Physical Therapy Can Relieve Upper Extremity Pain

Whether you’re experiencing pain due to an injury, ailment, or some other underlying condition, it can greatly impact your quality of life. Imagine your typical morning: you get out of bed, brush your teeth, shower, get dressed, make breakfast, and begin your commute to work.

At this point, you’ve already used your elbows, wrists, and hands hundreds of times – and you’re still at the beginning of your day! If you are doing all this with pain, it can make everyday mundane tasks become really painful. You might even find it difficult to navigate your own home independently.

You use your elbows, wrists, and hands constantly throughout the day – but nothing will make you realize just how much you use them like feeling the aches and pains within them. Fortunately, you can find relief or even experience a full recovery by working with a licensed physical therapist in McAllen, TX. What are you waiting for? Request your appointment now!

What causes elbow, wrist, and hand pain?

There are many reasons you might be experiencing upper extremity pain. Listed below are a few of the most common conditions that may be the culprit for the pain you are feeling:

Arthritis

There are many different forms of arthritis, but it is typically caused by repetitive motions or an injury that impacts the cartilage in the joints of the elbow, wrist, or hand.

Arthritis is a very common condition that affects approximately 53 million Americans. In fact, according to the Arthritis Foundation, it is the most common form of disability in the United States. Physical therapy helps to improve joint motion, reduce inflammation, and strengthen the surrounding supportive muscles.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

When pressure is put on the cubital tunnel and surrounding nerves, it can cause pain, numbness, and tingling, especially to the ring and pinky fingers.

Cubital tunnel syndrome is a common form of nerve compression damage that can lead to elbow, wrist, and hand pain. It is caused by repetitive pressure on the ulnar nerve, which is located inside of the elbow and is known as your “funny bone.”

Elbow Bursitis

At the end of the elbow is a fluid-filled sac called the “bursa” that serves as a cushion to the elbow bone, or “ulna.” When that bursa is compressed due to an injury or repetitive motion, it can lead to pain and swelling. Because of this, it is common to see the condition in athletes and students.

Golfer’s Elbow/Tennis Elbow

Both of these injuries are a result of repetitive use injuries and can be attributed to a variety of different tasks, not just the sports they are named after.

Tennis elbow refers to pain on the lateral or outside aspect of the elbow, whereas golfer’s elbow refers to pain on the medial or inside aspect of the elbow.

Physical therapy is the best treatment for either of these conditions, because it restores the underlying joint and soft tissue limitations that are causing strain to the tendons, and reduces the inflammation quite rapidly.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

 The main job of the carpal tunnel is to protect the median nerve on the inside of your wrist, in addition to the tendons you use to bend the fingers. However, it is possible for this tunnel to become constricted, and when it does, nerve compression can result, leading to a variety of symptoms, such as numbness and tingling to the thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers.

Carpal tunnel syndrome impacts approximately 5% of all Americans, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. In addition pain to the wrist, hand as well as swelling to the hand and fingers is even possible. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) can be caused by an injury or by repetitive job-related use, such as assembly-line work, keyboard-heavy work, or driving heavy machinery.

Sprains/Strains

Strains refer to muscle or tendon injuries, whereas sprains refer more to the ligaments, which connect bone to bone. These injuries typically occur from quick over-stretching of the ligaments or tendons, such as a fall on an outstretched arm, or catching something heavy.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms caused by the conditions above, or if you have persistent pain that won’t seem to go away, don’t depend on harmful medications to combat your symptoms. Contact our office in McAllen, TX as soon as possible for an appointment.

Symptoms you may notice with upper extremity pain

Everyone deals with pain symptoms differently when it comes to upper extremity pain. You may consider your pain level to be between mild and severe, and it may also be intermittent, meaning it comes and goes at different points throughout the day. Regardless of your pain level, don’t expect it to disappear on its own.

Short-term pain in the elbow, wrist, or hand typically results from an injury, but long-term chronic pain may indicate illness or other underlying factors.

Other symptoms accompanying the pain may include numbness or tingling in the extremities, especially in the fingers.

This can make it difficult for you to physically perform in a range that is normal for you, creating issues with work or completing everyday tasks, depending on the seriousness of your condition.

Physical therapy can help alleviate elbow, wrist, and hand pain

In many cases, physical therapy treatments can alleviate, or even help you eliminate the need for harmful painkillers or invasive surgical procedures for nerve-damaging conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and arthritis.

Our physical therapists create a personalized treatment plan unique to the specific needs of your condition. The advanced treatment options we provide here at Pure Physical Therapy & Pilates can help relieve your pain, restore your range of motion, and get you back to living your normal life. Whatever the cause of your elbow, wrist, or hand pain may be, physical therapy can help you.

Therapy may include any combination of specialized treatments, such as manual therapy, pain, and inflammation-reducing modalities, and specific therapeutic exercises to restore strength and pain-free motion.

Ready to find relief with physical therapy?

If your quality of life has been affected negatively due to hand, elbow, or wrist pain, it’s time to make a change.  If you are looking for a physical therapist, Contact Us Today at McAllen, TX center to schedule an appointment and to meet with one of our dedicated team members. We are skilled, attentive, and ready to get you back to living the healthy and physically active life you deserve!