1. Get a Diagnosis
Wrist tendonitis is a common occurrence for people who have a job that actively involves their wrists for long periods of time. Certain professions such as data entry or computer programming, and sports such as tennis or bowling, are more likely to cause to injury, but anybody can get injured under the right circumstances. There are no specific tests to diagnose wrist tendonitis, so it's important that you are examined and that you pay attention to common symptoms. These symptoms include pain when moving or touching the area around the wrist, pain that extends up the arm (right on the tendon), burning or itching that seems to come from inside (rather than from the skin) and difficulty moving the wrist. Getting the right diagnosis by a doctor, a chiropractor or a sports therapist will help you decide on the appropriate treatment.
2. Take a Break
Since wrist tendonitis is a type of repetitive injury, cutting down on whatever activity you do that caused the injury in the first place will help you. This may be difficult if your job involves heavy use of your wrist, but there are things you can do to ease the strain. If you spend a lot of time typing, for example, consider using a voice program to dictate your thoughts, rather than writing them directly. You can also record them and pay somebody to do the typing for you. If you can't stop completely, use wrist braces and take short breaks every 30 minutes or any time the pain becomes too bothersome.
3. Change Your Habits
Tendonitis could also be caused by bad posture or awkward positioning of your wrists. Using better wrist support when at the computer, wearing a brace or other type of ergonomic support or learning to do wrist and arm stretches can all help ease the pain and avoid increased pain in the future. When the pain is intense, applying anti-inflammatory medications in the form of gels or creams directly on the wrists can speed up the recovery.
4. Make Your Work Station Ergonomic
First of all, make sure your chair is at the right height. If it's too low, you'll have to position your hands too high in order to reach the keyboard. A chair that is too high means your wrists will have no support when you are typing. The ideal height is one that keeps your forearms parallel to the floor as you're typing. Slightly higher is better than lower.
Next, get good wrist support for both the keyboard and the mouse pad. Cushions that are permanently attached to the mouse pad itself are best, as they won't move when you are typing. If you have a laptop, avoid typing on your lap or on an uneven surface, since that puts added pressure on your wrists.
