Tendinitis is a health condition involving inflammation of the tendons that connect muscles to bone, and it is most commonly caused by overuse and repetitive motion. Considering how often we use our hands and wrists on a daily basis for repetitive tasks, it should come as no surprise that these areas are prone for tendinitis development. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at complications associated with tendinitis of the wrist and how the condition is treated with physical therapy.
Causes of Wrist Tendinitis
Wrist tendinitis is such a common problem in America today because many individuals face risk factors at the workplace and at home. If you’re performing repetitive actions on an assembly line or you type on a computer all day, you are at risk for overstressing soft tissues of the wrist through repetitive motions. If you’re at home and you do a lot of typing on your phone or you play a lot of tennis or golf, your wrists are also going to take a beating. Your wrists are under a lot of stress from work and recreational forces, so it’s not all that surprising that tens of thousands of individuals need wrist-based physical therapy every year.
Age also plays a significant factor in wrist tendinitis onset. As we get older, we tend to lose some of the natural elasticity in the tendons of our wrist, making us more susceptible to an injury from repetitive motions. This can lead to different types of tendon issues that require physical therapy. At OrthoRehab Specialists, we’ve helped treat patients with the following tendon issues:
- Wrist Tendonitis – Early stage tendon irritation and inflammation.
- Tendinopathy – Later-stage tendinitis that becomes chronic if not treated earlier.
- Tenosynovitis – Tendon irritation that develops in the synovial sheath, which aids in tendon movement.
- De Quervain’s Tendinitis – Tendinitis that affects the thumb side of the wrist.
Diagnosis and Treatment
So if you are experiencing pain, stiffness or limited range of motion in your wrist, consider heading to a doctor or a physical therapist for an assessment. You can be referred to our clinic, but if you believe it’s wrist tendinitis, you can also come straight to our center and skip the middleman, which can help keep costs down. Tendinitis can oftentimes be diagnosed just by listening to symptoms and having the patient complete a few physical tests.
If we suspect wrist tendinitis or a similar issue is at play after the diagnostic period, we’ll then work to educate you on the tissues involved so you know how to protect and strengthen them when you’re not in our clinic. We’ll also set you up with a targeted physical therapy plan that you’ll perform in-house and at home. These exercises will be designed to target a number of issues in your wrist, and they should help you see improvements in:
- Pain control
- Strength
- Endurance when performing manual tasks
- Range of motion and flexibility
- Stiffness reduction
- Functional task performance
So if you are being bothered by regular wrist pain, know that it’s probably not going to get better on its own, and leaving it untreated may lead to a worsening of symptoms. Instead, have your wrist actively treated by a team of therapists that specialize in treating conditions of the hands and wrist. For more information or to set up an appointment, reach out to OrthoRehab Specialists today.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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