Main Causes Of Wrist Injuries

Updated on January 5, 2022

There are many reasons why you might experience wrist pain, and because of this, it can present differently for different people. You might, for example, feel a sharp pain in your wrist. However, your wrist pain might also be a dull pain or even feel like pins and needles. It might just feel tight. 

The wrist might seem like a simple part of the body, but it is actually much more complex than most people think, which is why it can be injured in so many different ways. However, some wrist injuries are more common than others and have similar causes. Read on to find out what the main causes of wrist injuries are so you can mitigate the risk as much as possible. 

Wrist Sprain

You will no doubt have heard the word ‘sprain’ before, and you might even have suffered from one. Perhaps you were able to treat it yourself by strapping the affected area up with a brace from www.podobrace.co.uk and plenty of rest. That’s a good start, but knowing what a sprain is will help you even more. 

Whether it’s a sprain in your wrist, ankle, or elsewhere, the problem is going to be with the connective tissues between your joints, otherwise known as ligaments. When your ligaments are injured, you will feel pain when you move, you will see swelling, there might also be bruising, and sometimes you’ll experience paresthesia (a tingling or burning sensation). 

If you sprain your wrist, you have essentially stretched your ligaments further than they can comfortably go, and although you won’t have intended to do this, it happens commonly, and a main cause of which is falling over and bracing yourself on your hands. 

Wrist Tendonitis 

As you might have guessed from the name, this kind of wrist injury happens within the tendons of the wrist. Tendons connect muscle to bone, and in the wrist, they extend over the wrist to do so. 

If you are suffering from tendonitis, it means the tendons are inflamed. You will feel an ache in your wrist, and the joint will be stiff (particularly in the morning). You might also find that the area is a little swollen, and it might feel warm – although this doesn’t always happen. 

How does tendonitis occur? Although you might think of an injury like this taking place on the sports field or in the gym, most of the time, those who suffer from tendonitis are office workers or people working in a factory. This is because tendonitis occurs when you have to use many repetitive wrist movements – typing is a prime example of this, but so is working with machinery or being on a production line. Sports can create this kind of issue as well, and tennis and golf are the two most common. 

Wrist Tenosynovitis

Wrist tenosynovitis is a similar condition to tendonitis. When the sheath contains fluid that protects the tendons because inflamed due to injury and damage, tenosynovitis will occur. Interestingly, although a different condition, the symptoms are the same as tendonitis, so without an accurate medical diagnosis, it can be impossible to know which condition you are suffering from. 

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The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.