Integrative Spine & Sports provides treatment for hand and wrist pain at our Upper West Side practice dedicated to spine and sports medicine.
Top-Rated Hand & Wrist Pain Doctors In Manhattan
Integrative Spine & Sports employs a multidisciplinary approach when addressing the debilitating and painful symptoms of hand and wrist pain. Our medical interventions may include a combination of traditional and innovative medical procedures, state-of-the-art technologies, physical therapy modalities, and therapeutic exercise regimens. Here, we describe the most frequently occurring symptoms associated with hand and wrist pain and the treatment methods our specialists use to maximize outcomes for patients.
Hand & Wrist Pain Treatment
We offer a breadth of nonsurgical therapies for conditions that affect the tendons, muscles, nerves, bones, and soft tissues in the hand and wrist. With a focus on the root causes of acute and chronic pain, our integrative, holistic treatment plans are designed to reduce pain and inflammation, and improve mobility, strength, and flexibility; they may include one or more of the following:
Hand & Wrist Pain Specialists
Integrative Spine & Sports’ primary objective is to efficiently and effectively resolve debilitating symptoms associated with acute injury-related pain and chronic conditions affecting the muscles, soft tissue, bones, and nerves within the hand and wrist. Our integrative team of board-certified specialists consists of a physiatrist, chiropractors, and physical therapists who collaborate in the creation and application of customized, comprehensive treatment plans to meet the specific needs of each patient. We implement state-of-the-art technologies and provide to our patients both traditional and cutting-edge medical procedures, physical therapy modalities, and therapeutic exercise regimens to treat their pain and injuries.
Hand & Wrist Pain Conditions We Treat
Integrative Spine & Sports offers a nonsurgical approach to the treatment of hand and wrist pain for the following conditions:
Signs and Symptoms of Hand & Wrist Pain
Most hand and wrist injuries are caused by misuse or overuse. They can be as minor as strains (muscle tears) and sprains (ligament tears) or as major as fractures. Listed below are the causes of injury-related hand and wrist pain.
- Sprains and strains
- Dislocation
- Fracture
- Wear-and-tear
- Disease
With proper treatment and enough rest, these most commonly associated symptoms should gradually disappear:
- Pain and discomfort in the hand and wrist region
- Decreased hand and wrist mobility
- Swelling, stiffness, redness, and warmth in the hand and wrist area
- Difficulty lifting objects
- A catching or grinding sensation in the hand and wrist joint
Causes of Hand and Wrist Pain?
Pain from sprains and strains often subsides within a period of two to 14 days. Consult a doctor immediately if pain persists beyond two weeks or becomes unmanageable.
- Repetitive movements
- Awkward hand / wrist positioning during daily tasks
- Prolonged lifting, gripping, or pinching
Any of these actions can result in wear-and-tear injuries if not performed with care. Individuals who engage in heavy striking movements—such as blacksmiths, fighters, and athletes—are particularly susceptible. However, even lighter repetitive motions can be problematic; for instance, chefs may develop significant wear-and-tear issues from repetitive knife work and whisking, and percussionists may suffer due to intense drumming sessions.
The risk of injury increases with prolonged, repetitive, or improper use, especially without proper maintenance. Preventative measures and consistent treatments can be essential to counteract wear-and-tear, delaying or preventing not only short-term pain, but also debilitating long-term effects.
Please reference below for a list of diseases known to cause varying degrees of hand and wrist pain.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Gout
- Lupus
- Lyme disease
In many cases, hand and wrist pain serve as early indicators, helping patients identify these conditions before they worsen. (Please note: these diseases often present with additional symptoms, enabling a more accurate diagnosis.)
If left untreated or if improperly treated, certain hand and wrist diseases can severely impair function and mobility; to prevent the risk of this and to minimize pain, consult with a doctor immediately and seek prompt treatment. These diseases include:
- Flexor / Extensor Tendonitis
- Flexor / Extensor Tendonosis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Ganglion Cysts
Hand & Wrist pain FAQs
If hand and wrist pain is a common problem when lifting weights, try reducing the weight to a manageable number and work up from there. It can also be helpful to change up one’s exercise program. Focus on exercises that put less strain on the wrists and isolate the muscles that need working out. Doing negative reps also help a lot. To prevent wrist pain from even occurring during lifting, it’s a good idea to strengthen the forearm muscles using small weights or resistance bands. We also recommend being extra careful by maintaining proper form at all times.
Sometimes, injury can be invisible, like what happens in cases of hand and wrist osteoarthritis. Conditions like these are caused by wear-and-tear resulting from hand and wrist overuse/misuse (e.g., too much heavy lifting, repetitive movements) and even aging.
Acupuncture provides long-term relief for both acute and chronic hand and wrist pain such as in conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome. It helps relieve hand and wrist pain by reducing inflammation. By stimulating the various acupuncture points associated with hand and wrist pain, parts of the nervous system are also stimulated, which can help provide pain relief. Because of its low-risk, low-side effect nature of treatment, acupuncture is something patients should consider before having more invasive procedures like surgery.
Hand and wrist sprains/strains usually last between 2 to 10 weeks. The severity of the pain is usually telling of how long it will last – the more painful the injury, the longer it will last. In some cases, patients are unable to even press keys on their keyboard or pick up pens. In serious cases such as these, immediate medical attention is required. Home remedies like gentle stretches, heat therapy, and cold therapy help alleviate the pain, but we recommend consulting a physiatrist for faster results.
Most cases of hand and wrist pain (which are often results of sprains/strains) subside naturally after a period of 2 days to 2 weeks. However, if the pain gets worse or persists after the 2-week mark, seek immediate medical attention. Sometimes, hand and wrist pain is merely a symptom of a more serious or underlying condition, so pay attention to other symptoms that accompany the pain.
Natural remedies for acute hand and wrist pain are rest, ice, heat, and gentle stretching. Some people recover completely by just resting, but it’s possible to speed up the process by applying ice and heat to the affected area. If these don’t work after 2 weeks, or if the pain worsens, seek immediate medical assistance.
To relieve hand and wrist pain, doing some gentle hand and wrist stretches can help. It’s best to do these stretches once swelling (if any) subsides. Heat therapy and cold therapy can also work well for pain relief. If your hand and wrist pain is a result of poor posture or a bad workstation setup, make the necessary changes to avoid hand and wrist pain in the future.
Generally, the best position to sleep is on your back. Sleeping on one’s back helps ensure that the hand and wrists aren’t assuming awkward positions that could aggravate the pain. It also helps to unclench the fingers and lay the hands out to prevent the wrists from twisting or bending. Hanging the hand over the side of the bed can also help stretch out the wrist ligaments, reducing pain overnight.
Some of the common symptoms of COVID-19 are “aches and pains”. Some patients do experience joint pain, sometimes in the knees and hand and wrists. But this isn’t very common. Symptoms to watch out for are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. If the hand and wrist pain gets worse or persists for longer than 2 weeks, consult your doctor.