Tendonitis at wrist and physical therapy

It is a very common condition and in this condition, the tendon present at the wrist joint causes pain, irritation, and inflammation this joint has many tendons around it but in this condition usually, one tendon is affected and in some cases, it involves two or more than two it occurs mostly at the areas where tendons of the wrist cross each other or they pass over a bony surface this can lead to the pain when you try to move your wrist
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Anatomy of wrist tendons

The wrist tendon is the part of the body that connect our forearm muscles to the hand and finger bones there are 6 tendons in the   wrist which performs this function

Extensors

These are three tendons on the back of the wrist that bend the wrist backward the tendons are

•  EXTENSOR CARPI RADIALIS BREVIS (ECRB) TENDON 
• EXTENSOR CARPI RADIALIS LONGUS (ECRL) TENDON 
• EXTENSOR CARPI ULNARIS (ECU) TENDON

Flexors: Three tendons on the front side of the wrist that bend the wrist are flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, and palmaris longus

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of inflammation of wrist tendons are

• Pain  that worsens with movements
• Swelling around the wrist joint
• Warmth redness and pallor
• the feeling of grinding with movement

Causes

Any tendon of the body can become swollen and irritated but it is most common in some of the tendons because of their usage and movements. Some of the conditions which can lead to tendonitis are

• Trauma or sudden injury
• Overuse of tendons
• Repetitive movement in an awkward way

It can also be caused by several medical conditions such as

• Gout or pseudogout
• Autoimmune disorders
• Diabetes
• Blood flow obstruction

Treatment

Your health care provider or physical therapist will choose the treatment for your wrist tendonitis based on several factors such as a variety of types of tendonitis and the severity of tendonitis. The early goal of treatment is controlling pain and inflammation and allowing the tendon to heal improperly this involves the most common physical therapy technique named as

• Rest or immobilization

This can be achieved by a splint or cast. A splint or cast will immobilize the injury and provide the accurate time and conditions for healing of tendon

• Ice

Applying ice on the affected tendon can  lessen inflammation reduce swelling and pain and also affect blood flow in such a way that it heals the tendon fastly

• compression and elevation

Applying pressure on the affected area and keeping the affected area elevated can reduce swelling and pain

Hand therapy

This is a specialized form of physical therapy which includes stretching exercises strengthening exercises electrical stimulation splints cast and braces for injury.
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