Wrist Braces Will Help Treat Wrist Pain Effectively

One of the most common complaints in post industrial societies is wrist pain; documented back to the Industrial Revolution as “weaver’s wrists”, it actually covers a lot of conditions. One of the most common tools to aid in the recovery of wrist pain is a wrist brace.

Nowadays, wrist pain is caused from either tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome or a sprain a person has suffered. The function of the wrist brace in each instance varies a bit, and being diagnosed will aid in you in properly wearing your wrist brace to recover fast.

For tendonitis, the tendon sheath gets inflamed from over use – this is common with athletes doing sports that put a lot of torque on the wrist, like racketball or tennis. A wrist brace, in this case, is meant to keep the tendon sheathe from moving; it’s usually done in conjunction with anti inflammatory drugs or icing the wrist, and the brace is removed for physical therapy. A brace in this case usually allows the wrist to flex up or down, but not side to side.

Carpal tunnel syndrome comes from compression and inflammation of the nerve sheathe for the median nerve that runs over the joint of the wrist. Common symptoms include not only wrist pain, but ‘funny bone’ pinched nerves in the hand (at the base of the fingers, the base of the thumbs) and all the way up the forearm to the elbow.

Carpal tunnel syndrome develops from repetitive stress injuries such as typing too much or using a mouse too often. In severe instances, it can prevent the use of the hand. Wrist braces work in this case to try to prevent the wrist from moving in a vertical fashion, because the general cause of this issue comes from poor posture when typing because people do not move their wrists at the appropriate angle where the nerve can be compressed.

Good wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome are nearly identical to a wrist brace for tendonitis, they’re just adjusted differently – they’re usually not as tight on lateral motion, and offer more support to the underside or inside of the wrist. Most will also have a rigid insert on the underside of the wrist to keep you from flexing your wrist like a hinge.

A sprained or broken wrist will sustain injuries to the ligaments around the wrist joints; however, unlike tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, these issues will heal with little physical therapy. The function of a wrist brace for a sprain is to prevent any movement of your wrist at all. This will of course influence how you can use the injured hand a lot.

No matter what the issue that needs you to wear a wrist brace, make sure you spend the time needed to read the instructions on your wrist brace. When putting it on, do not pull too tightly on the straps or you will prevent blood flow. Don your wrist brace whenever you feel a bout of your condition coming on.

Tom Nicholson has spent years helping carpal tunnel sufferers. You can follow this link to learn more regarding having asore wrist.