calling Dr Hive....wrist pain

[ProudGrandma]

yesterday I developed sharp pains in my right wrist.  Comes and goes....but when it comes it really hurts.  I am trying to identify it as either carpal tunnel or tendentious.  

I have no numbness in my fingers or hands.  The pain is ONLY in my wrist. (thus I think it might not be CT)

BUT, when I google the difference between the 2, I have read over and over again that if it's CT the pain is on the palm side of my wrist, but if it's tendentious, then the pain will be on the pinky side of the non-palm side....BUT my pain is on the pinky side of the palm of my wrist. 

From what I have read CT is a constant pain and mine is only with some movements. 

However, I woke up 3 times last night in major pain until I stretched out my wrist some.  

So....I am not sure...and maybe it doesn't matter....

what do you guys think and what should I do for it?  I am not a fan of pain meds.  I have been bracing it, but I know I have the wrong size brace because it doesn't fit very snuggly.  But I also don't know exactly what kind of brace to get...there are so many. 

Help me with your thoughts and opinions please.

Thanks. 

[regentrude]

I would get a brace that stabilizes the wrist and limits motion. Then use the other hand as much as possible. 

I had wrist issues years back from overuse. Learned to use the computer mouse with my left, wrote on the blackboard with my left. Pain went away after a few weeks of rest.

Unless you had a traumatic injury and suspect a fracture, I wouldn't bother with a doctor at this point. 

[ProudGrandma]

2 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I would get a brace that stabilizes the wrist and limits motion. Then use the other hand as much as possible. 

I had wrist issues years back from overuse. Learned to use the computer mouse with my left, wrote on the blackboard with my left. Pain went away after a few weeks of rest.

Unless you had a traumatic injury and suspect a fracture, I wouldn't bother with a doctor at this point. 

thanks. 

[Pawz4me]

11 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I would get a brace that stabilizes the wrist and limits motion.

Agree.

My rheumy says most of the OTC hand/wrist braces work well. You just want to keep the affected joint in a stable (neutral) position.

Signed, she who is currently attempting to type whilst wearing a thumb stabilizer. 😉 

[ScoutTN]

31 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I would get a brace that stabilizes the wrist and limits motion. Then use the other hand as much as possible. 

I had wrist issues years back from overuse. Learned to use the computer mouse with my left, wrote on the blackboard with my left. Pain went away after a few weeks of rest.

Unless you had a traumatic injury and suspect a fracture, I wouldn't bother with a doctor at this point. 

This. Support, rest, and otc anti-inflammatory.

[Starr]

My carpal tunnel did not hurt all the time. The band braces really helped. I’m also having a memory that when you tap the underside of your wrist you can feel it in your fingertips with carpal tunnel. Anyone else hear of that? I hope It’s better soon. 

[ProudGrandma]

 

 

22 minutes ago, Starr said:

My carpal tunnel did not hurt all the time. The band braces really helped. I’m also having a memory that when you tap the underside of your wrist you can feel it in your fingertips with carpal tunnel. Anyone else hear of that? I hope It’s better soon. 

Do you mean when you tap the underside of my wrist I would feel pain? If so there is no tenderness at all... just when I move it in certain ways do I have pain. 

[Pawz4me]

Could it be arthritis?

If you don't want to take oral pain medication you can try some of the topical stuff. Those can work fairly well for smaller joints. Voltaren (diclofenac) is now available OTC (used to be Rx). BioFreeze is my choice, other people like the ones with capsaicin. But what works best is probably fairly individual.

[Starr]

10 hours ago, kfeusse said:

 

 

Do you mean when you tap the underside of my wrist I would feel pain? If so there is no tenderness at all... just when I move it in certain ways do I have pain. 

No a good tap on the underside of your wrist makes you feel sparks on your fingertips .

[Bootsie]

I have had severe carpal tunnel, and it was not at all like you are describing.  What I experienced was not painful upon movement.  It was a painful numbness in the hands (from my thumb through the thumb-side of my ring finger--the pinky-side of the ring finger or pinky finger).  I had to constantly shake my hands (to get some relief for a minute or two) and I could not grip items.  

[TravelingChris]

You can have other nerves involved other than the carpal tunnel nerve, too.  Long ago, I thought I had carpal tunnel, but I actually had issues with my ulnar nerve.

And secondly, I support Pawz4me suggestions.  Voltaren gel works really well for my hand pain.   Also, braces can really help.

[ProudGrandma]

I got a good brace yesterday...it's helped with sleeping...but i am still having pain when I try to do things.  I don't expect it to be perfect, but I didn't expect the amount of pain still.  But maybe I am being too impatient. 

[wintermom]

When I get wrist pain it's always due to repetitive motions, such as holding a baby, walking a dog that pulls a lot, playing tennis or lots of typing. I've needed a e-step approach of controlling for pain, building up muscles to support the motions I do, and altering or spacing out the actions causing the pain. A writst guard can be useful at night, but if you don't build up supporting musculature and find out and address the actions causing the pain, it may just linger on.

[Ditto]

On 8/28/2023 at 2:38 PM, Pawz4me said:

Could it be arthritis?

If you don't want to take oral pain medication you can try some of the topical stuff. Those can work fairly well for smaller joints. Voltaren (diclofenac) is now available OTC (used to be Rx). BioFreeze is my choice, other people like the ones with capsaicin. But what works best is probably fairly individual.

I have just been diagnosed with arthritis in one of my wrists.  I can't take NSAIDs so I am left to rely on topical.   I didn't realize they actually worked pretty well so hadn't tried any of them.  Does this have a strong odor? Strong odors give me a headache.  How long does it typically relieve your pain?   My hand surgeon gave me a cortisone shot that has kept the pain tolerable and should hopefully keep working another month or so.  But I would love to have a med to use once the cortisone isn't working well anymore.

[ProudGrandma]

6 minutes ago, Ditto said:

I have just been diagnosed with arthritis in one of my wrists.  I can't take NSAIDs so I am left to rely on topical.   I didn't realize they actually worked pretty well so hadn't tried any of them.  Does this have a strong odor? Strong odors give me a headache.  How long does it typically relieve your pain?   My hand surgeon gave me a cortisone shot that has kept the pain tolerable and should hopefully keep working another month or so.  But I would love to have a med to use once the cortisone isn't working well anymore.

My wrist is feeling a lot better and the only thing I did was wear a wrist brace 24/7 for a week.....and today it feels normal.  I will just be more diligent on if I start feeling pain again to put the brace back on.  I am also trying hard to watch how my wrists bend while on the computer (which I tend to be on a lot).  I am hoping both things will keep my wrist happy. 

[Pawz4me]

50 minutes ago, Ditto said:

I have just been diagnosed with arthritis in one of my wrists.  I can't take NSAIDs so I am left to rely on topical.   I didn't realize they actually worked pretty well so hadn't tried any of them.  Does this have a strong odor? Strong odors give me a headache.  How long does it typically relieve your pain?   My hand surgeon gave me a cortisone shot that has kept the pain tolerable and should hopefully keep working another month or so.  But I would love to have a med to use once the cortisone isn't working well anymore.

I'm not particularly sensitive to odors, but I don't recall that Voltaren or Capzasin have any odor at all. BioFreeze has a slight odor but it goes away quickly. The topicals can work fairly well for smaller joints, but not so well for larger/deeper ones. IIRC Voltaren can be used up to four times a day.

Can you take Tylenol (acetaminophen)? It's not a NSAID, and the arthritis version works well for me. I have both RA and OA, with many affected joints. I do sometimes switch to NSAIDs when I'm having significant swelling, but for maintenance/normal use I stick with Tylenol Arthritis. But if you just have one wrist affected it makes sense to try a topical.

[TravelingChris]

36 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm not particularly sensitive to odors, but I don't recall that Voltaren or Capzasin have any odor at all. BioFreeze has a slight odor but it goes away quickly. The topicals can work fairly well for smaller joints, but not so well for larger/deeper ones. IIRC Voltaren can be used up to four times a day.

Can you take Tylenol (acetaminophen)? It's not a NSAID, and the arthritis version works well for me. I have both RA and OA, with many affected joints. I do sometimes switch to NSAIDs when I'm having significant swelling, but for maintenance/normal use I stick with Tylenol Arthritis. But if you just have one wrist affected it makes sense to try a topical.

Voltaren  has eucalipitc odor.

[Ditto]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm not particularly sensitive to odors, but I don't recall that Voltaren or Capzasin have any odor at all. BioFreeze has a slight odor but it goes away quickly. The topicals can work fairly well for smaller joints, but not so well for larger/deeper ones. IIRC Voltaren can be used up to four times a day.

Can you take Tylenol (acetaminophen)? It's not a NSAID, and the arthritis version works well for me. I have both RA and OA, with many affected joints. I do sometimes switch to NSAIDs when I'm having significant swelling, but for maintenance/normal use I stick with Tylenol Arthritis. But if you just have one wrist affected it makes sense to try a topical.

Yes, I can take Tylenol but had no idea they had an arthritis version.    My understanding was that all the arthritis versions of meds contained an NSAID.   I will definitely look into it.  Being able to take something orally would be nice on days that the pain is bad.  Swelling is better some days and worse other days.  So far it is officially just the one joint but there is no cartilage at all in the joint and since that visit there are times my entire hand just aches and hurts so I am wondering if my hand is also affected.  I also have tendonitis in this hand, though that is not an issue right now (my hand surgeon treated it a few months ago with cortisone shots and the second one took care of it).  

Thank you so much for the info on the various topical meds.  It sounds like they will all be fine odor-wise and now I have 3 good options.   I am sorry you are dealing with both types of arthritis and in multiple joints.  That is not fun at all.   I really appreciate your help.