Elbow Wrist and Hand Pain

Find Relief for All Your Elbow, Wrist, and Hand Pains

Physical Therapy Can Help You Move Your Upper Extremities More Easily

Consider your typical morning routine: getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, showering, dressing, eating breakfast, and starting your commute to work.

At this point, how many times do you think you’ve used your elbows, wrists, and hands? Probably hundreds!

Now, if you do all of this while in pain, even the most mundane tasks can become difficult. You might even find it difficult to do simple, everyday things around your own house.

We take our elbows, wrists, and hands for granted when we aren’t in pain. Fortunately, working with a licensed Doctor of physical therapist at our Ahwatukee, Biltmore or Tempe, AZ clinic can help you find relief and recovery.

Call our clinic today at (480) 921-9000 or (480)597-4241 for the help you’ve been looking for!

How can physical therapy relieve elbow, wrist, and hand pain?

Physical therapy can reduce or even eliminate the need for drugs and medications, as well as reduce the risk for needing costly, invasive surgical procedures.

Physical therapists are experts in movement and joint disorders who can determine the cause of your pain and treat your symptoms!

Our physical therapists in Ahwatukee, Biltmore and Tempe, AZ create a personalized treatment plans that is tailored to the needs of each patient’s specific condition.

The advanced treatment options available at Orthopedic Sports Therapy can help to relieve your pain, restore your range of motion, and get you back to living your life normally. Most causes of elbow, wrist, or hand pain can be addressed with physical therapy treatment.

Manual therapy, pain and inflammation-reduction methods, and specific therapeutic exercises to restore strength and pain-free movement are all examples of specialized treatments that may be included in physical therapy for your elbow, wrist and hand pain.

Common symptoms of elbow, wrist, and hand pain

When it comes to upper extremity pain, everyone has a unique set of symptoms.

Acute elbow, wrist, or hand pain is usually the result of an injury, but long-term chronic pain can be caused by poor posture, overuse, illness or other underlying factors.

Other symptoms that may accompany the pain include numbness or tingling in the extremities, particularly the fingers, which may make normal daily activities difficult, depending on the severity of your condition.

Your pain could be mild to severe, and it could also be intermittent, meaning that it comes and goes throughout the day.

In most cases, consulting with one of Orthopedic Sports Therapy’s Doctors of physical therapy, who can evaluate the situation, will result in the best possible outcome for your pain.

What’s causing my elbow, wrist, and hand pain?

Because our bodies are so complex, 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 reason for the pain you are feeling:

Golfer’s Elbow/Tennis Elbow

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.

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.

Seeing a physical therapist for these conditions is recommended, because therapy addresses the underlying joint and soft tissue limitations that are causing strain to the tendons, and reduces the inflammation quite rapidly. Your Orthopedic Sports Therapy physical therapist will also determine if any other part of your arm, shoulder or neck is part of the problem.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel is a condition you may have heard thrown around in conversation, maybe from someone who uses their hands and wrists a lot for their jobs.

Carpal tunnel syndrome impacts approximately 5% of all Americans, according to the American Physical Therapy Association.

The main job of the carpal tunnel, which is part of the wrist itself, is to protect the a nerve (the median nerve) on the inside of your wrist, as well as the tendons you use to bend the fingers.

However, this tunnel can 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. Besides pain to the wrist and hand, 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 jobs that require someone to operate heavy machinery.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Cubital tunnel syndrome is a common form of nerve compression damage that can lead to elbow, wrist, and hand pain.

This condition is different from carpal tunnel syndrome and occurs when pressure is put on the cubital tunnel and surrounding nerves.

It is caused by repetitive pressure on the ulnar nerve, which is located inside of the elbow and is known as your “funny bone.” It can cause pain, numbness, and tingling, especially to the ring and pinky fingers.

Arthritis

Arthritis is a very common condition that people of all ages are living with. 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.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis 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.

Sprains/Strains

Strains refer to muscle or tendon injuries, whereas sprains refer more to the ligaments, which connect bones.

Sprains and strains typically occur from rapid overstretching of the ligaments or tendons, such as a fall on an outstretched arm, or catching something heavy.

Elbow Bursitis

At the point of the elbow is a fluid-filled sac called the “bursae” 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 this condition in athletes and students.

Relieve the discomfort in your upper extremities with physical therapy

If you are experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms, or if you have persistent pain that does not seem to go away, do not rely on potentially harmful medications to treat your symptoms.

If elbow, wrist, or hand pain is interfering with your quality of life, please contact our office today to set up an appointment with one of our dedicated team members.

We are skilled, attentive, and eager to get you back to the healthy, physically active lifestyle you deserve!