How Chiropractors Treat Wrist Problems?

The wrist is one of the most commonly used and complex joints that involves a lot of bones, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue. Your wrist is put to test every time – no matter what you do or the kind of job you have. Pain, swelling, and tenderness can develop more often in those who put high levels of stress on their wrists such as athletes or laborers. However, desk work also puts cumulative stress on the wrist and may cause similar symptoms. Simply put, if you are not having your wrist in a proper position while playing or working – then you are putting pressure and causing micro-trauma onto the delicate bones, ligaments, and tendons.

Following are some of the common signs and symptoms of wrist problems that you shouldn’t ignore and must consult a chiropractor;

• Pain or tenderness
• Swelling
• Clicking
• Soreness
• Numbness
• Stiffness
• Tingling
• Extreme hot or cold
• Reduced range of motion

While you wait to see a chiropractor, you can use a wrist brace to help support your wrist and keep it pain-free.

How Can A Chiropractor Help With Wrist Pain?

The chiropractor will take your medical history and carefully examine your wrist and hand during your initial visit. He will assess the damage by locating the damaged tissue and tension in the ligaments.

The two therapies most commonly used in chiropractic care to treat wrist injuries include wrist realignment and wrist stretching.

1. Wrist Realignment

Readjustment of the joints is the basic principle of any chiropractic technique. Your chiropractor will help reduce the pain and stimulate the healing process by manipulating the bones and soft tissue of the wrist and realigning them back into the optimal place.

There will be a lot of pressure buildup and swelling if a bone is out of place in your wrist. Both can quickly involve your hands or forearms. This swelling causes additional symptoms such as numbness and tingling and may restrict the movement of your wrist joint.

The chiropractor will help catalyze the natural healing process by realigning the bones using the wrist realignment technique. As your bones and tendons realign, inflammation, pain, and tenderness will be dramatically reduced along with restoration of the normal wrist movements.

1. Wrist Stretching

Besides wrist realignment and manipulation, chiropractors also use different stretching techniques to help release the pressure in your wrist joint. Wrist rotation, wrist flexion, finger flexion, and hand clenching are some of the most effective chiropractic wrist stretching techniques. These all involve the simultaneous tightening and releasing of your tendons and muscles to help ease pain, subside swelling, and reduce the tightness in inflamed ligaments.

Both of these techniques not only make you stronger by restoring alignment of the bone and muscle flow, but also improve your quality of life. The best part – they can improve your grip. In fact, many athletes use wrist stretching techniques to improve their grip and athletic performance in this way. Furthermore, strengthening your wrist joint will also reduce the risk of injury in the future.