Whether you've suffered a wrist break or sprain, suffer with the debilitating pain of rheumatoid arthritis, or have sore hands and wrists from carpal tunnel syndrome, you needn't suffer from the pain on your own. Making and keeping an appointment with your physical therapist can give you options when it comes to treatment to help reduce the pain. A physical therapist has access to certain aids that can help you find pain relief and prevent that pain from returning in the future.
Foam Stretcher
When your hand or wrist pain is the result of a past injury, your physical therapist may ask you to perform certain range-of-motion exercises to rehabilitate the muscles and tendons. Daily use activities like opening jars or fastening buttons can be an important exercise in healing, but your physical therapist may also suggest a foam stretcher. A foam stretcher is a piece of equipment that looks like a large, padded mitten. You'll place your hand on either side of the mitten and press your hands together to depress the foam and stretch your hands and wrists.
Wrist Brace
If you suffer from carpal tunnel disease, your repetitive motions throughout the day can have the greatest impact on your symptoms. The way you sleep, hold your wrists when you type and complete daily activities can disrupt the healing process and lead to continuing degeneration of the nerves in the wrists. That's why a wrist brace is often used to hold your wrist in the proper position throughout the day. The brace reduces pressure on the medium nerve that runs through your wrist and hand.
Stress Ball
No matter what the reason for your hand and wrist pain, maintaining strength and flexibility in those areas leads to a better overall quality of life. One of the ways that a physical therapist may remind you to continue exercising and stretching your hands is with a flexible stress ball. Made from polyurethane foam that can be compressed and then returned to its original size, the balls are ideal for stretching the hand and the wrist continuously throughout your day.
Assistive Living Devices
Depending on the type of hand pain you have and how advanced your condition is, your physical therapist may work toward making your life easier when dealing with pain by introducing assistive living devices. The devices are used to help you accomplish tasks with less pain. They may include items like a long shoe horn to help you remove and replace your shoes, or grippers that help you accomplish precise work. Your physical therapist can teach you more about the devices and order those that you think would benefit your daily life.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Occupational and Physical Therapy for Arthritis
- Spine Universe; Physical Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis; Kelly Rehan
- American Physical Therapy Association; Wrist Braces Study; Margot Miller
- "Introduction to Physical Therapy for Physical Therapist Assistants"; Olga Dreeben-Irimia; 2010
