Hand, Wrist, and Elbow Pain
We’ve been using our arms and hands since before we can remember. It starts as a reflex until we fine-tune our movements and coordinate them to work together. It becomes an effortless part of everyday tasks. Over time and with each repetitive motion, our bodies start showing wear and tear. Joints become stiff and sore, and things stop working correctly. Those once effortless movements turn into tedious chores. Sometimes there are underlying causes behind this. Chiropractors are here to help when this happens.
What causes hand, wrist, and elbow pain?
IDENTIFY AND ELIMINATE
Other than the normal wear and tear that our joints go through during everyday motions, here are a few more reasons why there might be pain.
- Arthritis. Arthritis causes inflammation in the joints, which leads to stiffness and soreness with movement.
- Injury. Any injury can result in damage of the muscles and tendons that run throughout the arm. Injuries could be sports-related, a sudden impact, or various other reasons.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal tunnel is often caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist, elbow, shoulder, or neck. It causes numbness, tingling, or pain that can radiate up and down the arm.
- Tendinitis. Tendinitis is what happens when a tendon becomes inflamed. There are two common types of tendonitis that affect the arm. Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow, and Golfers elbow affects the inside of the elbow.
Tennis Elbow
Identify the symptoms of Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow is another common problem that many people experience from the overuse of the muscles in their arms. Tennis Elbow refers to the pain and inflammation, or micro-tearing, of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow, the lateral epicondyle. When these forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from overuse, this will lead to pain and tenderness outside the elbow.
Symptoms of Tennis Elbow include:
- Weakness of the wrist
- Pain or tenderness outside of the elbow (may travel up or down the arm)
- Pain when lifting or bending the arm
- Experience problems extending the forearm fully
- Difficulty or discomfort when gripping, lifting and/or carrying
- Continued pain that occurs for three weeks or longer
- Weakness of the wrist
What A Chiropractor Can Do
Help you relieve pain and get your health back
Chiropractors talk to the patient to get a history and determine which type of treatment will be most effective. In some cases, an adjustment or a realignment can be very effective. When in alignment, the joint functions more properly, and it can relieve pain in other areas. If nerve compression is detected, we may respond by recommending that you use a brace and design a treatment strategy to alleviate the pressure. We may also recommend exercises to counteract the effects and strengthen the necessary muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the region affected.
When it comes to the hand, wrist, and elbow, if a problem occurs anywhere, it can create pain in other areas. Chiropractors offer a non-invasive approach that can relieve pain without surgery or harmful medications.
Still, want to learn more?
Check Out the Frequently Asked Questions About Hand, Wrist, and Elbow Pain
What Happens if Tennis Elbow is Left Untreated?
Everyone has been there. You have an ache or pain and try to wait it out until it goes away on your own for whatever reason. Maybe you get nervous about seeing a doctor as you suffer from White Coat Syndrome, or perhaps you don’t have time to make an appointment. No matter the reason, what happens if you don’t handle your tennis elbow?
Many believe that if they take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications and topical creams for pain, they’ll be able to handle tennis elbow on their own. The truth is that while that might be true for the occasional strain, it’s not true when it comes to actual tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is a repetitive motion injury, and over time, will, in most circumstances, get worse. Unfortunately, not seeking treatment for your tennis elbow can allow this condition to get to the point where the only treatment option is surgery.
Seeking treatment when your tennis elbow begins to bother you and your initial home remedies aren’t helping can potentially make a difference in the type of treatment you’ll receive. Some potential treatments your doctor may prescribe include medications, rest, braces, and physical therapy. In cases where the tennis elbow has advanced, doctors may treat it with surgery.
How Long Does Tendonitis Take to Heal?
Tendonitis is a severe condition that can take a lot out of you. It can stop you from sleeping. You may not feel like doing your usual hobbies. You may even feel as though your life will never be the same. One of the first things you want to know about when you start to suffer from tendonitis is how long will I feel this pain. Unfortunately, when it comes to tendonitis, there is no exact answer for everyone.
Some of the factors that can impact healing time for tendonitis include the treatment type, age, overall health, and more. In many cases, getting treatment for tendonitis and following through on it can lead to relief in about two weeks. You may start feeling better after about a week of treatment, with most of the inflammation going away after the second week.
However, individuals dealing with chronic tendonitis that never sought treatment or continued to use the shoulder over and over can be in for a much longer recovery time. Depending on the severity of the tendonitis and the treatment, it could take around six weeks or more for the condition to heal correctly. It’s possible for healing to happen sooner when a person follows the treatment recommendations exactly and the reverse for someone who ignores the pain and tries to do things that they shouldn’t while healing.
Can Chiropractors Help My Arthritis?
Do you have the belief that arthritis is just the cost of getting older and that there isn’t much that can be done for it beyond medication? Well, the truth is that chiropractors can be beneficial for helping with your arthritis pain.
Several benefits come from going to see a chiropractor when dealing with arthritis pain. First, a chiropractic adjustment is an excellent natural treatment when looking to avoid addicting medications with side effects. Some of the potential benefits of an adjustment are reduced inflammation, increased range of motion, decreased pain and discomfort, and improved flexibility. In most situations, these benefits can also result in having a more active lifestyle and improved wellbeing.
That being said, the type of arthritis that you have and your current health can play a role in whether or not chiropractic adjustment is for you. For example, individuals that are dealing with osteoarthritis can often be best benefited from this treatment. If you’re experiencing an inflammatory type of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, you may be unable to get that particular joint adjusted, but other chiropractic treatments may be available. In some cases, an adjustment may not be advisable for one area, but treating another area may help you find relief. It can be beneficial to consult with a chiropractor to learn what treatments are available to you and how they can help the way you’re currently feeling with arthritis.