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Doctors for Wrist Pain 
OTC Medicines for Wrist Pain
What is wrist pain?
A pain in the wrist can be a symptom of an underlying condition or injury.
What are its main signs and symptoms?
The symptoms associated with wrist pain are:
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Inflammation
- Loss of grip strength
- Clicking sound during movement
- Skin lesions
- Difficulty in moving the wrist joint
What are the main causes?
The causes of wrist pain include:
- Mechanical causes
- Ligament tear
- Fracture of bone
- Neurologic causes
- Injury to the nerve, like carpal tunnel syndrome and Guyon’s canal syndrome
- Systemic causes
- Haematologic diseases, like leukaemia and myeloma
- Tuberculosis
- Metabolic conditions, like diabetes, arthritis, gout, pseudogout, pregnancy, deficiency of calcium and hypothyroidism
How is it diagnosed and treated?
A detailed medical history of the individual is useful in determining the cause of the wrist pain in about 70% of cases. A number of special tests are available to confirm the diagnosis. The doctor tries to ascertain the nature, duration and severity of the pain along with its aggravating factors before recommending therapy. The diagnosis is made in the following manner:
- In case of sudden onset of pain, history of trauma or work that requires repetitive movement is elicited
- Imaging techniques may also be suggested which include:
- CT scan
- MRI scan
- Ultrasonography
- Special tests like McMurray’s test, Watson’s test, the supination lift test and the grind test may be performed by the physician to confirm the diagnosis
The treatment of wrist pain depends on the cause. The doctor may recommend the following:
- In case of injury, resting the wrist is advised. Applying an ice pack over the swollen area and taking over-the-counter pain medications are recommended to relieve pain.
- In case of non-infectious arthritis, regular strengthening and flexibility exercises are recommended to relieve the pain. However, any exercise in the presence of inflammation must be avoided.
