What’s Causing My Elbow and Wrist Pain — And How Can Physical Therapy Help?
Remember the last time you accidentally slammed your funny bone? That sharp, radiating pain is deeply unpleasant — fortunately, it usually only lasts a few moments. But what happens when that pain lingers? If you’re dealing with pain in your elbow, forearm, or wrist, Haymarket Physical Therapy is here to help!
Wrist and elbow pain can have several potential causes. Three major nerves run through the arm and can become entrapped, leading to numbness, tingling, and pain. You can also injure the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in the elbow and wrist joints, which can cause mobility restrictions and pain in the impacted area.
Our team of physical therapists will help you get to the bottom of your elbow pain — and we’ll help you find a way to resolve that pain for good. Call us to schedule an appointment and get started today!
Let’s Get to the Root of Your Wrist or Elbow Pain!
Pain in the wrist or elbow can seriously impact your quality of life, making it difficult to perform day-to-day movements like brushing your teeth, typing on a computer, or preparing a meal. The team at Haymarket Physical Therapy will help you get to the bottom of your pain to find lasting relief. Call us to schedule your initial appointment today!
A Closer Look at the Causes of Wrist and Elbow Pain
When you come in for your appointment, the first thing we’ll do is carefully review your symptoms and run a few simple movement screens to help pinpoint the cause of your pain.
Overuse injuries are one of the more common causes of wrist and elbow pain. You’ve probably heard of conditions such as tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow — both are examples of overuse injuries. They stem from repetitive movements or awkward postures that strain the joint’s soft tissue, leading to a gradual onset of symptoms.
You can also suffer acute injuries, particularly in the wrist. These injuries happen suddenly rather than over time. Wrist sprains, in which the ligaments in the wrist suffer damage, are among the most common. You can also fracture the bones in your wrist and elbow, which will typically require medical intervention.
Nerve disorders are another common source of discomfort in the elbow, forearm, and wrist. They occur when one of the nerves running through the arm becomes entrapped, leading to pain, numbness or tingling, and mobility restrictions. The location of your symptoms can let you know which nerve is affected:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome affects the median nerve and can become trapped in a structure in your wrist (the carpal tunnel). You’ll typically experience symptoms in your wrist and hand.
- Cubital tunnel syndrome affects the ulnar nerve, which passes through a narrow structure in your elbow (the cubital tunnel). If the nerve becomes entrapped in the cubital tunnel, it can cause symptoms in your elbow and hand.
Finally, arthritis can affect your elbows and wrists, leading to pain and restricted range of motion.
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What Physical Therapy Can Do to Help Ease Your Wrist and Elbow Pain
Once our therapist has determined the source of your pain, we’ll develop a customized treatment program to help you find relief. The good news is that physical therapy alone can resolve most common sources of wrist and elbow pain. Here are a few of the techniques we might incorporate into your program:
- Injury Prevention: We’ll let you know what you can do to prevent future injuries. We might show you ergonomic adjustments to reduce the impact of repetitive movements, postural corrections to minimize strain on your wrist or elbow, or other strategies.
- Manual Therapy: Manual therapy techniques help reduce pain and restore mobility restrictions. We might guide the joint through its current range of motion, manipulate your soft tissue, or try other techniques.
- Therapeutic Exercises: We’ll create a targeted, progressive exercise program to ease your symptoms. We’ll start with gentle stretches and mobility work, then move on to strengthening exercises to help support and stabilize the impacted joint.
- Braces and Splints: Some conditions might benefit from a brace or splint, which temporarily immobilizes the joint as you work on treatment. We’ll let you know if it’s a good choice and help you find the right device to suit your needs.
Fall Salad With Pomegranate Dressing
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. spring salad mix
- 1 pear sliced or chopped
- 1 sweet apple sliced or chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup roasted salted pepitas
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 4 oz. soft crumbled gorgonzola cheese
- roasted pecans
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled and chopped into 1/2″-3/4” cubes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon, salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Dash of cayenne
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds optional
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp garlic powder, salt, pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
Directions:
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Combine all of the Pomegranate Vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Either whisk or shake vigorously until combined.
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Store in the fridge until ready to serve (up to 5 days). Shake/whisk before serving.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
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Add butternut squash followed by olive oil, maple, cinnamon, salt, pepper, cayenne and toss until evenly coated.
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Lay in a single layer and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
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When ready to serve, toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. If serving right away and you don’t expect leftovers then you can drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss to combine.
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If you expect leftovers, serve dressing on the side.
Nerve Glides: Simple Exercises to Ease Nerve Discomfort
If your elbow, wrist, or hand pain stems from a nerve disorder (like carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel syndromes), you might benefit from nerve glide exercises. These simple mobilization techniques stretch the nerves and encourage them to follow the natural movement of your joint.
Your arm contains three major nerves, and the Haymarket Physical Therapy physical therapists have a nerve mobilization exercise for each. Try them out at home–but stop if you feel any pain.
And if you want to learn more about nerve gliding exercises, schedule an appointment with us today!
Median Nerve Glide
- Stand up straight and place one arm by your side, the palm facing up. Slowly bend your wrist back so your fingers move toward the floor, and you feel a stretch in the front of your wrist and palm.
- Next, tilt your head away from your arm. Imagine your arm, neck, and head forming a diagonal line.
- Hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position and repeating on the other side.
Ulnar Nerve Glide
- Stand up straight and hold your arm so that it forms a 90-degree angle with your palm turned away from your body. Turn your head to look at the back of your hand.
- Next, bend your wrist so your fingers point toward your face. Then, slowly move your hand and head so that you can touch your palm to the side of your face.
- Repeat the movement a few times, then move to the other side.
