May 22, 2023

Learn about Wrist Anatomy & Various Injuries, including Wrist Tendinitis as well as Exercises to help Strengthen your Hand & Wrist

Wrist injury and anatomy

The wrist is a complex joint that supports your hand, allowing you to move it in many different ways. It connects your forearm bones to the bones of your hand and allows your hand to bend and rotate.

👉Because of this complexity, the wrist can be injured in many different ways that can range from simple sprains and strains to more serious injuries such as fractures or dislocations. 👉There are many types of wrist injuries, including fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains.

👉A broken bone in the wrist is called a fracture. A dislocation occurs when a bone or joint pops out of place.

If you have any type of injury to your wrist (or even if you just want to see what makes up this complex joint), we will cover basic anatomy through to treatment options for common types of injuries affecting this area of the body

The bones of your wrist are held together by ligaments and an abundance of tendons.

The bones of your wrist are held together by ligaments and an abundance of tendons. The two main joints at the base of your thumb and index finger are known as carpal bones or carpals, which form a horseshoe shape.

These are the seven main bones in the hand

scaphoid,
lunate,
triquetrum,
pisiforme (sometimes called "triangular bone"),
trapezium (or trapezoid),
capitate (or capitulum)
Hamate

These bones are all connected by strong ligaments that provide stability to the joint when you move it in different directions.

Tendons connect muscles to bone so they can move your body parts; they're made up of tough tissue that's strong enough to withstand repeated use without getting worn out. Tendons tend to be stronger than muscle tissue which can be more prone to injury during activities like weightlifting or running long distances on pavement without proper running shoes!

wrist-anatomy

There are many types of wrist injuries, including fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains.

The most common types of wrist injury are:

fractures (breaks in the bone),
dislocations (the bones moving out of place)
sprains/strains (injury to ligaments)

Injuries can occur to any part of the wrist: bones; ligaments that support your joints; tendons that connect muscles to bone or joint surfaces.

A broken bone in the wrist is called a fracture.

Fractures are common injuries that can range from mild to severe. A break in your skin may or may not accompany an open fracture, depending on how fast you receive medical attention.

Open fractures occur when damage to both sides of a bone breaks through its skin surface and allows an infection to enter the surrounding tissue (e.g., dirt). Closed fractures don't break through any tissue layers; they fracture one side of a bone without breaking through its outer layer, making them less likely to become infected

wrist-pain

A dislocation occurs when a bone or joint pops out of place.

A dislocation occurs when a bone or joint pops out of place. This can be more severe than a sprain, which is caused by stretching or tearing ligaments around joints.

👉A dislocation often happens as a result of impact, such as falling on an outstretched hand or playing sports where your arm is bent at the elbow and struck by another player.

👉Repeated stress on one part of your body can also cause a dislocation if you're doing repetitive motions that put stress on the same ligaments over and over again, such as swinging a golf club for hours at a time without taking breaks in between swings

👉This is why it's important to take breaks when playing sports

👉 Dislocations are usually painful because they damage muscles and other soft tissues around the joint along with causing damage to bones themselves

👉Depending on how bad it was before getting treatment (like if you didn't go right away), there may still be some lingering pain after having gotten treatment done successfully!

wrist-pain

It is important to get treatment if you have any type of wrist injury so that it heals properly.

If you have a wrist injury, it is important to get treatment so that the injury heals properly. If you are not sure what to do or how long to rest your wrist, see a doctor or other health care provider right away.

Rest the injured area as much as possible and keep it elevated above heart level if possible.
Apply ice packs several times daily for 20 minutes at a time (for up to 48 hours).
Use a brace or splint for comfort if needed during normal activity (such as sleeping). MendMeShip has a great compression product that can help keep your wrist in a safe, supported position
Do not try putting weight on an injured joint until it has healed completely; otherwise, you could cause further damage!

mendmeshop-compression-support-wrist-brace-gardening

If you are injured and need treatment, be sure to go see a doctor right away. There are many types of wrist injuries, including fractures, dislocations and strains. If left untreated, these injuries can cause long-term problems for your wrist and hand function.

Tendinitis of the wrist

Tendinitis is a common condition that causes pain, swelling and tenderness in a tendon. Tendons are the structures in your body that connect muscles to bones.
Tendinitis can happen anywhere in your body, but it's most common in the shoulders or wrists.
It typically affects people who use their hands for work or sports activities on a regular basis or those who have an acute injury such as falling down stairs or getting into an accident while driving.

Tendinitis is the inflammation of tendons.

✔️Tendinitis is a form of tendinopathy, or inflammation of a tendon.

✔️Tendons are the soft tissues that connect muscles to bones in your body.

✔️When you use your hand and wrist for repetitive tasks, it can cause pain and stiffness anywhere in your body, but tendinitis is most common in the shoulders and wrists.

👉Tendons have an outer lining called tendon sheaths (or synovial sheaths). These coverings protect them from friction and help them slide easily over each other as they move around during everyday activities (like typing on a keyboard or opening a jar lid).

👉If these sheaths become inflamed due to overuse or injury, they'll swell up like balloons filled with water until they burst through their protective coverings.

👉When this happens inside your joints (like between two bones), it causes a lot more pain than just having some fluid under pressure on its own

👉Tendons are the soft tissues that connect muscles to bones in the body.

👉They're made of collagen, a protein that makes up much of the body's connective tissue.

Injuries to tendons may occur as a result of overuse or sudden trauma such as falling on an outstretched hand (called a "mallet finger"). Injuries can also be caused by repetitive movements such as typing on computers or playing sports like tennis or golf. These are activities where there is repeated stress put on one particular joint at a time for long periods of time without adequate rest between bouts of activity..

Tendinitis can cause pain and stiffness anywhere in your body, but it's most common in the shoulders and wrists. Other areas affected include:

Elbows
Knees
Ankles

Overuse injuries are repetitive motions that put stress on the tendons in your wrists and elbows, such as typing on a computer keyboard for long periods of time without taking breaks. Acute injuries like falling down stairs may cause tendinitis in these areas as well.

Symptoms of Tendinitis

👉You may have wrist pain and tenderness at the back of your hand, on the side of your thumb or near your fingers.

👉 Pain is usually worse when you use your hands. Tenderness may be felt along the tendons and on the sides of your thumb or fingers.

👉You may also have redness and swelling around your tendons.

👉This is called inflammation, which is a sign of injury to the tendon. The reason it's important to know about this is because it can make the tendinitis worse by increasing pressure in the area and making it harder for blood flow to reach where you need it most.

👉If you have severe pain or swelling and weakness in your hand, you may need surgery to fix the problem. In this case, surgeons will likely remove the damaged tendon and reattach it to the bone. This surgery can help reduce inflammation and pain associated with tendinitis.

🧑🏿‍⚕️If you have pain and swelling in your wrist area after using it for an extended period of time (overuse), see a doctor right away because this could mean that there's something wrong with one of the structures.

Exercises to help strengthen the wrist

The wrists are really important joints in the body. Without them, you would not be able to perform the simplest of tasks, like typing or texting on your phone, holding food, picking up groceries, gardening, or a whole host of sporting activities. That’s why it’s important for us to strengthen our wrists so that we can prevent future injuries.

Here are some great examples of exercises that can help strengthen your wrist:

Flexion

Extend one arm out in front of you
Face your palm upwards towards the ceiling
Bend your outstretched wrist away from you, pointing your hand toward the floor.
With your other hand, gently bend your wrist farther until you feel a mild to moderate stretch in your forearm.
Hold for 10 seconds, then release and repeat 5 times. Do not overstretch!

Extension exercises for the wrist

For this exercises you need light weights

Sit in a chair. Hold a weight in one hand.
Lean your forearm on a table (or your upper thigh) with the wrist hanging over the edge of the table.
Keeping your forearm in place on the table, bend your wrist upwards and downwards.
Repeat 5 times and then switch arms/ hands

Adduction

Stand with your arms beside your body with hands clenched
Keeping your arm still and elbow straight, gently lift your clenched hand in an upwards direction (towards the sky, or as far as your wrists will go)
Slowly return to the starting position.
Hold for 10 seconds, then release and repeat 5 times. Do not overstretch!

Abduction

To do this exercise, you'll need a set of light dumbbells or weights.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold the weights in each hand at arm's length.
Keep your elbows straight as you raise them up to shoulder height (or whatever feels most comfortable),
then slowly lower them back down until they're hanging at your sides again.
Keep your wrist straight during abduction so that it stays parallel with your forearm; don't allow it to bend up or down as you move away from or toward the body
Hold for ten seconds

Finger opposition

Finger opposition is the ability to move the fingers in opposite directions. For example, you can bring your thumb and pinky together while keeping the rest of your fingers straight

if there is pain or discomfort somewhere else (e.g., wrist), stop immediately and consult with a doctor before continuing with these exercises!

The wrists should be strengthened to prevent future injuries

Strengthening the wrists is important for a number of reasons. Wrist injuries are common in people who do a lot of typing, such as office workers or writers. Other examples include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and arthritis.

If you're experiencing pain in your wrists or hands, here are some things you can do to help ease the discomfort:

Avoid activities that aggravate the pain - this includes gripping items tightly (e.g., holding onto a steering wheel) and repetitive motions that put strain on your hands (e.g., playing piano).
Stretch after periods of activity - if possible, take breaks every 30 minutes or so during long stretches of typing/writing time; hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds before moving onto another one; repeat until done with all stretches

We hope that you have enjoyed learning more about exercises to strengthen the wrists. Remember, if you're experiencing any pain or discomfort in this area after doing these exercises, it's important to see a doctor right away.

MendMeShop's Arnica Infusion can be a great support for help with pain relief for conditions such as Tendinitis! Contact our customer service team to find out more - we love to hear from you!

mendmeshop-arnica-infusion-pain-relief

If you're experiencing any symptoms in your wrist, you should see a doctor immediately. The doctor will evaluate your hand and make sure there's no permanent damage. If there is, surgery may be needed to repair it. In most cases, however, rest and ice are enough to get rid of the pain without any invasive procedures needed!

mendmeshop-wrist-compression-brace-support

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References

We pride ourselves on being thoroughly researched before we post blog posts, articles or webpages. Here is a list of references used to create this content:

👉Ref 1: Bones of the Hand: Carpals, Metacarpals and Phalanges Teach Me Anatomy

👉Ref 2: What are tendons and tendon sheaths? National LIbrary of Medicine

👉Ref 3:Exercises for Wrist Pain Elite Sports Medicine & Orthpedic

👉Ref 4:Slip and Fall? Physiotherapy can help!

Keystone Physiotherapy

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