Did you get hit in the wrist, fall on your wrist, or swing a bat or racket in a way that put a sudden strain on your wrist? If your wrist now feels sore and hard to turn, you probably sprained it. Here's what you need to know about this injury.
1. Symptoms of a Sprained Wrist
As you're probably already noticed, the primary symptom of a sprained wrist is pain. This pain is probably pretty dull when you're standing there with your wrist in one place, but it sharpens the moment you try to twist or bend your wrist. You may feel as though you have a smaller range of motion in your wrist due to the pain. Some people experience swelling with a wrist sprain, but the swelling is not usually too severe or noticeable. You may also notice a popping sensation when you move your wrist a certain way.
2. Diagnosing a Sprained Wrist
It's not always necessary to seek treatment for a sprained wrist. If the pain is mild to moderate and you can use your wrist fairly normally, then you can always rest it for a few days, ice it regularly, and see how you feel. If the symptoms are still present after 48 hours, or if the pain is so severe that you really can't use your wrist at all, then make an appointment with a sports medicine doctor.
A sports medicine doctor will diagnose a sprained wrist based on your symptoms, and also based on the results of an MRI or x-ray. Both of these imaging options are painless and should tell your doctor, within minutes, whether or not you have a sprain.
3. Treating a Sprained Wrist
So your doctor diagnoses you with a sprained wrist. What's next? If the sprain is minor, your doctor will likely recommend what's called conservative therapy. You'll be told to rest your wrist and apply ice for about 20 minutes, three or four times per day. You will also be fitted with a specialized wrist bandage that keeps your wrist from turning more than a certain amount. This bandage will also help keep swelling down, which will speed healing.
If the sprain does not feel a whole lot better within a few weeks, then you may need a cortisone injection to speed the healing process. Cortisone is a steroid that will trigger the healing process and ease the pain while you continue to recover.
Sprained wrists are pretty common in athletes and inactive individuals. If you sustain this injury, don't hesitate to contact services such as Town Center Orthopaedic Associates, P.C.
Is your knee stiff and painful every morning when you get out of bed? Perhaps, you sometimes feel a grinding sensation in your knee. If you can relate to this frustrating situation, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis. Thankfully, several treatments are available for this joint condition. Sometimes, physicians recommend patients battling osteoarthritis of the knee take a prescription painkiller. Doctors also often encourage patients to lose weight and start a low-impact exercise program. Swimming and walking are both great forms of low-impact exercise. On this blog, I hope you will discover how to effectively and quickly relieve the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Enjoy!