Wrist pain is usually caused by an overuse of the wrist or stress from repetitive tasks. Tennis players, golfers, factory workers and bodybuilders sometimes have problems with their wrist. You can strain your wrist or even develop tendonitis in your wrist. Both can cause considerable swelling, inflammation, pain and discomfort. The best initial treatment for your wrist pain is to rest. Refrain from doing any physical activity that involves your wrist for several days. You should also consider using a wrist brace or splint to immobilize the wrist as much as possible, especially during the early stages of wrist pain. During the first 48-72 hours, ice your wrist at 15-20 minute intervals throughout the day (every 3 or 4 hours). Ice is most effective if it is compressed directly against your source of pain. Ice reduces swelling, inflammation and pain by limiting blood and lymph fluids from reaching the wrist joint. Once you have the initial inflammation and swelling under control, you can use a heating pad on your wrist to promote blood (with healing properties such as oxygen and vitamin C) flow to the area.

Early on, start taking 2 ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) pills every 4-6 hours for wrist inflammation and pain. Take either anti-inflammatory medication until your wrist pain is gone. Furthermore, if your wrist pain is muscular in nature, your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant or even give you a cortisone shot for severe pain. About the time you start using heat on your wrist, massage your wrist for about 5 minutes a few times per day. Massage also increases blood flow to the wrist. It also helps relax the nerves which are the culprit for both local and referral pain (that which radiates to other areas of the body).

After the inflammation and swelling have been substanitally reduced, peform some basic stretching exercises for your wrist. Stretching exercises such as bending your wrist in different directions and holding the movement for 15-30 seconds can increase flexibility in your wrist. Strength-building exercises like squeezing a tennis ball can add greater stability to your wrist and relieve pressure from tendons and muscles (flexor and extensor muscles which feed into the wrist from the forearm). Stick to all of these procedures and you will be surprised how quickly you can recover from annoying wrist pain.

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