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Wrist pain is an extremely common issue among older adults that can negatively impact your quality of life. Wrist pain can make daily activities, such as typing, opening jars, and playing golf or tennis, difficult.

The wrist is a complex joint of multiple bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that must work together properly. When something goes wrong, the results can be painful.

Chiropractic care focuses on aligning and functioning the body’s muscles and bones for overall health and wellness. Currently, more and more people have been visiting chiropractors to treat wrist pain and injuries.

But can chiropractic care help alleviate wrist pain? Let’s take a closer look.

How Chiropractic Can Help With Wrist Pain?

Chiropractor for wrist pain uses gentle techniques to improve function, reduce pain, and speed up healing after injury. The benefits of chiropractic therapy include,

1. Wrist Bone Realignment

Careful and precise movement can gently realign wrist bones after injuries like falls or fractures. The restoration of optimal positioning takes pressure off compressed nerves, allows proper joint motion to return, and prevents arthritis.

2. Decreased Inflammation

Special adjustments and massage therapy reduce swelling and inflammation in the wrist joint and surrounding tendons/ligaments. It minimizes irritation on nearby nerves causing pain. You can also use ice therapy and microcurrent electrical stimulation to minimize inflammation.

3. Improved Circulation

Gentle pulling can relax muscles and improve blood flow, while focused therapy can remove scar tissue that blocks blood vessels. Enhanced circulation accelerates healing by carrying vital oxygen and nutrients into damaged areas. Adjustments also influence the nervous system to optimize blood flow.

4. Reduced Muscle Tension

Massage techniques and therapy can help relax tense forearm, wrist, and hand muscles. It can improve mobility and reduce stiffness caused by overuse. It also takes pressure off nearby nerves.

5. Improved Range of Motion

As muscular tension decreases, the body reduces swelling, increases blood flow, and improves overall mobility. Gentle stretching, manipulation, and therapy exercises further restore flexibility and strength. It let you resume daily tasks, sports, and hobbies without pain.

Common Causes of Wrist Pain

Several potential causes of painful wrist sprains exist which involve,

1. Repetitive Strain Injuries

Repetitive tasks like typing can cause tiny tears and inflammation. Chiropractors help heal tissues and ensure proper wrist adjustments to prevent future strain.

2. Sudden Impact Injuries

Mayo Clinic says falling on an outstretched hand can sprain ligaments or even fracture bones. Chiropractic adjustments restore alignment, while therapy exercises increase strength and stability.

3. Arthritis

The cartilage protecting wrist bones can wear away over time, resulting in painful arthritis. Chiropractors provide drug-free pain relief.

4. Tendinitis

Overusing certain wrist muscles leads to swelling and tendinitis. Chiropractic massages reduce inflammation, while stretches enhance flexibility.

5. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Pressure on the median nerve causes pain, numbness, or tingling sensations. Chiropractors use conservative techniques to take stress off the nerve.

How Chiropractors Diagnose Wrist Pain

The thorough evaluation allows chiropractors to pinpoint the exact structures contributing to your discomfort. Common diagnostic approaches include:

Physical Examination: Range of motion tests, palpation, provocative activity, orthopedic tests.
Imaging Tests: X-rays and MRI scans to assess bone alignment and soft tissue injuries.
Nerve Conduction Studies: Measures nerve impulses to test for carpal tunnel syndrome.

These assessments identify problem areas needing correction and rule out severe injuries requiring medical care. Related, Should I See A Chiropractor For Lower Back Pain?

Chiropractic Techniques Used For Wrist Pain

You can benefit from chiropractic treatments if a thorough evaluation indicates wrist pain. Chiropractors use various direct and indirect techniques to provide relief such as:

1. Spinal Manipulation

Spinal manipulation aligns joints in various body areas, such as the wrist, neck, upper back, and shoulders. This alignment improves the mobility and function of the wrist.

Misalignments in these areas can contribute to inflammation, muscle tension, and compression of nerves related to wrist health. Spine adjustments fix movement in the spine, improve brain-wrist communication, and reduce pain signals.

2. Soft Tissue therapy

Soft tissue therapy uses massage, tools, or trigger point therapy on the wrist, forearm, and shoulder muscles. Chiropractors find tender spots, scar tissue, tight muscles, and adhesions that cause less flexibility, grip problems, and wrist pain.

Deep cross-fibre friction techniques break up these problem tissues, while massage increases blood flow to reduce inflammation.

3. Active Release Technique (ART)

Active Release Technique (ART) first identifies specific adhesions contributing to stiffness, nerve compression, grip weakness, and pain. Then, the chiropractor uses hands to apply tension at different angles while you move your wrist and fingers. It helps the provider feel restrictions and scar tissue breaking up in real-time, speeding up healing.

4. Graston Technique

Graston Technique utilizes stainless steel instruments to detect tissues affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. You cannot locate the target area on the skin’s surface through touch alone. Inflamed tendons, muscle strain, and joint inflammation appear as texture changes when scanned with the Graston tools.

After finding problem areas, chiropractors use friction and stretching to break up scar tissue and promote healing blood flow. It lessens nerve irritation and muscle tension, leading to improved mobility.

Talk to your chiropractor about different techniques to find the best way to treat your wrist pain. An integrated treatment plan provides the most complete relief.

Exercises to Help Wrist Pain

Certain exercises further wrist recovery by increasing strength and flexibility and promoting healing blood flow:

Wrist Rotation: Slowly rotate the hand clockwise and counterclockwise.
Hand Clenching: Open and close fingers into a fist.
Wrist Flexion: Bend wrist gently up and down, feeling the stretch.
Finger Flexion: Bend fingers downward towards the palm, then straighten.

Always check with your chiropractor before beginning exercises to ensure proper form. Start with extremely gentle movements and gradually increase over time. Stop immediately if any exercise causes chronic pain.

Preventing Wrist Pain

Making a few adjustments helps avoid future discomfort or reinjury in the wrist:

Ergonomic modifications like supportive braces, alternate keyboards, and mouse options.
Stretching and strengthening exercises enhance flexibility and stability.
Proper posture when working, lifting, and sleeping reduces strain.
Taking regular breaks gives overworked tissues respite to heal during lengthy tasks.

Are you worrying about persistent wrist pain?

Get your wrist pain under control with Aloha Sports Chiropractors, the best chiropractor in providing relief and prevention strategies for a pain-free life.

Get Appointment

The Final Words

Can chiropractors help with wrist pain? The answer, in most cases, is yes. The holistic approach of chiropractic care (manual therapies) combined with rehabilitative exercises (wrist rotation ,flexion and clenching) provides well-rounded treatment for severe wrist injuries.

Start with a thorough chiropractic evaluation to pinpoint the root cause, then create a personalized recovery plan. Consistent care ensures long-lasting relief.