Most wrist injuries are the product of micro-stresses repeated over time. These kinds of repetitive stress injuries need multifaceted treatment. This is why chiropractic care is so effective for wrist pain; it treats both the symptoms and the causes so you can get back to work quickly.
Read on to find out how chiropractors can help with wrist pain.
Can Chiropractors Help With Wrist Pain?
When people think of chiropractic care, they tend to think of back or spine adjustments. But the truth is that chiropractors treat the entire musculoskeletal system. This includes joints all over the body. And there are few joints as delicate and complex as wrist joints.
Chiropractors focus on the wrist in much the same way that they focus on the other joints in the body. They relieve pain and swelling first, then they focus on strengthening the joint. All the while they are determining what caused the injury and how best to keep it from happening again.
This is fairly straightforward for injuries caused by a fall or some sort of trauma, but it’s a little more involved when it comes to repetitive stress injuries because they’re caused by habits we may not even know are bad. Still, a chiropractor can help prevent future injuries with advice, exercises, and guidance.
Chiropractor Wrist Tendonitis
Chances are you’ve heard of tendonitis. It happens when a tendon that attaches muscle to bone becomes inflamed. This is common among athletes. In fact, it’s so common that the most well-known type of tendonitis is often called tennis elbow.
The tendons in the wrist can also become inflamed and cause pain. And a chiropractor can help. Here’s a breakdown of the typical chiropractic treatment for wrist tendonitis:
- Diagnose and assess if tendonitis is the culprit.
- Reduce the swelling and pain in the wrist using ice, bracing, ultrasound, laser therapy, or other inflammation-reducing methods.
- After the inflammation is down, chiropractors often use massage therapy to help tendonitis. They may also use physical therapy and manual manipulation to restore mobility to the wrist.
- Once the pain has been fully reduced and mobility restored, the chiropractor will likely break down the scar tissue in the wrist to help the body heal fully and reduce the likelihood of it happening again.
- Finally, the doctor of chiropractic will likely give the patient ergonomic tips and exercises to help prevent tendonitis from flaring up again.
Popping Wrist
Another common wrist issue is the annoying and sometimes painful popping that happens with hand movements. There are a few potential causes for this. If the popping happens without pain, it’s likely gases escaping from somewhere in the wrist joint. This is fairly normal and isn’t something to worry about, although a chiropractor can help with joint cracking if it becomes burdensome for you.
Another cause of wrist popping is when a tendon slides over the bone in a certain way, with certain types of movements. This kind of popping is often accompanied by pain and should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent further damage.
Both of these issues are commonly treated with wrist adjustments. But we’ll get to that soon. First, let’s discuss a dislocated wrist.
Dislocated Wrist
Those suffering from a dislocated wrist should seek immediate medical care at an emergency room. The wrist needs to first be set and allowed to heal before a chiropractor can work on it to fix any remaining issues that the dislocation caused.
Many people who have had a serious wrist injury in the past benefit from chiropractic care in a number of ways:
- Pain relief
- Restoration of function and movement
- Proper alignment
- Reduced scar tissue
- Strengthening of the muscles
- Relief from aching, popping, or cracking
Wrist Adjustment for Carpal Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common wrist issues out there. It’s most common in office workers and those who perform repetitive motions with their wrists at their job or while playing a sport. Believe it or not, the positioning of your upper spine can also contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome. This is why chiropractors are in a unique position to help get rid of carpal tunnel.
Not only do chiropractors focus on the wrist itself, but they can also adjust the upper spine if they determine it is contributing to CTS. They focus on gentle manipulations of the wrist and hand to take the pressure off the median nerve that runs down the forearm and into the hand.
They may also assign simple exercises to do at home to relieve CTS by stretching and strengthening the wrist and hand. For pain they may use anti-inflammatory practices such as soft tissue manipulation and cold therapy.
Chiropractor Wrist Adjustment
The type of wrist adjustment used depends on the injury or issue that the patient is facing. Many people wonder how chiropractic adjustments work, and the answer is fairly straightforward: the chiropractor uses different tactics to perform adjustments that return the joints to their proper alignment.
The specific type of adjustment the doctor of chiropractic uses depends on the specific issue. Wrist adjustments are often done by hand and are gentle because the bones and tendons of the hand and wrist don’t often need a lot of force to correct.
Many people also wonder if adjustments hurt. Most often, they do not hurt. However, there are instances where the patient can experience some discomfort during and immediately following the adjustment. Such instances are rare, and most people report that chiropractic adjustments feel good and help them relax.
Chiropractic Care For Wrist Pain
The incredibly low instances of adverse effects are one of the reasons why chiropractic care is considered incredibly safe. It’s an effective, non-invasive, drug-free treatment option for many different wrist injuries and issues.
If you’re unsure about whether a chiropractor can help relieve your wrist pain, it’s a good idea to call and talk to them. If a chiropractor doesn’t feel that he or she can help you, they will recommend someone who can. If they can help you, it’s not uncommon to experience relief after one adjustment session.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647076/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161475408002947
https://europepmc.org/article/med/8046280?utm_source=website&utm_medium=cowc_website&utm_campaign=not_set&client=bot&client=bot
