What causes Wrist/Hand pain?

• an injury or fall
• repetitive, new or reduced activities
• pain travelling from the neck into the arm
• other conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia
• factors such as poor sleep, stress or anxiety, feeling run down, obesity or smoking
• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome - nerve pain affecting the hand
• De Quervain's Tenosynovitis - pain and swelling of the tendons surrounding the thumb

What are the symptoms?

You may experience constant or intermittent (comes and goes) symptoms that are aggravated by certain activities and reduced by others. They may include:

• Pain in the wrist, hand or finger/thumb joints
• Reduced movement and stiffness
• Reduced grip strength
• Swelling or a misshapen wrist, hand or fingers
• A loss or change in feeling in the hand or fingers
• Not being able to straighten a finger or thumb joint

Self Help

Most wrist/hand pain will normally settle within 6-8 weeks without medical intervention. Try some of these self-help measures to aid your recovery:

• For the first few days after the onset of pain - changing or reducing your usual activities may help. However, gradually returning to all your usual activities and exercise is important to help your recovery
• Apply heat (e.g. a wheat pack) or ice to the area as and when needed
• Try to stay at work, or return as soon as you are able to. Your GP, Employer or Health Practitioner should be able to support a graded return to your normal duties
• General aerobic exercise such as walking, can help the body's natural pain relief system
• Try a short course of simple pain medication as advised by your pharmacist
• Good sleep habits and managing stress can help you cope better with your pain
• Try some of the exercises on these pages and build up gradually

Should I refer myself to Physiotherapy?

If you have tried the self-help measures on these pages and the symptoms have not settled, you can self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy if you live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland.

For more information on how to self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy visit our Service Page.

When should I seek urgent medical advice?

Call 111 for advice or visit your local Walk-In Centre if:

• you have a sudden loss of grip
• there is any change in the shape of the wrist, hand or fingers following an injury (e.g. a fall, following a punch or sporting injury, or having been hit by an object)
• you have sustained a cut to the wrist, hand or finger
• you are suddenly unable to straighten a finger or thumb joint

Call your GP if

• pain is unremitting, especially at night, and does not ease with rest
• you have had numbness in your hand for more than 1 week

General Wrist/Hand Advice and Exercises

• Managing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Pregnancy (UHL)
• General Hand Exercises to Reduce Stiffness (UHL)
• Managing Osteoarthritis in your Thumb (UHL)

Wrist/Hand Injury or Surgery - Advice and Information

• Aftercare for MCP Joint Replacement Surgery in the knuckles of your fingers (UHL)
• Finger, hand and wrist exercises for sprains and injury (UHL)

Other Useful Resources

• The British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Understanding Sleep and how to improve it for your wellbeing (UHL)