Health Network News

One of the most common complaints in post industrial societies is wrist pain; documented back to the Industrial Revolution as “weaver’s wrists”, it actually covers a lot of conditions. One of the most common tools to aid in the recovery of wrist pain is a wrist brace.

Nowadays, wrist pain is caused from either tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome or a sprain a person has suffered. The function of the wrist brace in each instance varies a bit, and being diagnosed will aid in you in properly wearing your wrist brace to recover fast.

With tendonitis, the tendon sheath will become irritated from too much usage. This is a common issue for athletes participating in sports that need a lot of wrist action such as tennis. To help this condition, a wrist brace will be used to keep the tendon sheath from moving. Much of the time anti-inflammatory drugs are given to stop inflammation, and ice may be used on the wrist as well. The brace will be removed for physical therapy and a brace for this sort of problem will let the wrist move up and down, but not side to side.

Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when there has been compression and inflammation of the nerve sheath for the median nerve that goes over the joint of the wrist. Sufferers usually feel pain in their wrist as well as ‘funny bone’ pinched nerves in the hand, which will begin at the base of the thumbs and travel up to the forearm to the elbow.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is triggered by repetitive stress injuries - typing too much or using a mouse too much. In extreme cases, it can impair the use of the hand. Wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome try to keep the wrist from moving vertically, as the usual cause of this problem stems from bad ‘typing posture’, where people keep their wrists immobile at an angle where the nerve can be compressed.

Good wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome are nearly identical to a wrist brace for tendonitis, they’re just adjusted differently - they’re usually not as tight on lateral motion, and offer more support to the underside or inside of the wrist. Most will also have a rigid insert on the underside of the wrist to keep you from flexing your wrist like a hinge.

A sprained or broken wrist will sustain injuries to the ligaments around the wrist joints; however, unlike tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, these issues will heal with little physical therapy. The function of a wrist brace for a sprain is to prevent any movement of your wrist at all. This will of course influence how you can use the injured hand a lot.

No matter what the issue that needs you to wear a wrist brace, make sure you spend the time needed to read the instructions on your wrist brace. When putting it on, do not pull too tightly on the straps or you will prevent blood flow. Don your wrist brace whenever you feel a bout of your condition coming on.