Tendonitis in the wrist

[MrEgo]

I'm almost positive I have tendonitis in my wrist. There is a sharp pain around where my ulna attaches to my hand. It hurts to do curls with it, but it doesn't really impede my strength.

I figure icing it will help, as well as taking some fish oil supplements. I'll lay off the heavier weight, but should I just lay off any kind of curling what so ever for awhile? If so, how long?

Any other suggestions?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Tendonitis is rarely ever a sharp pain. It's likely your TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex) that allows your ulna to bear some weight when the hand is in weightbearing. It could be a handful of other things too - the thing is, it needs further investigation. Taking fish oil and icing it (which are addressing the inflammation - a symptom, not the problem) isn't going to do anything to fix it. If it's been around for more than two weeks, you should probably see somebody about it.

 

[DeckardBlade]

I get significant tendonitis in my right wrist and to a lesser extent my left. Inflammation doesn't "hurt" but it is incredibly irritating. I have a hard time describing what it feels like and this doesn't feel adequate but it's the best that comes to mind--somewhat itchy and burning.

It's not a symptom that would bother you (me) right away but after several days/weeks you'd be pretty damn tired of it. I'm rather pale white so when it acts up on me my skin in the area will actually redden--usually on the inside of the wrist where the thumb connects. Icing and stretching helps this, but what you have sounds a lot different from what I normally experience.

Weight training usually makes my wrists feel better when flaring up, no idea why--perhaps the increase in blood flow. But usually by the time I have a good pump going I really don't feel it at all personally.

 

[wuliheron]

Sounds like capacitor going. Open the case and look inside with a flashlight to see if any of the little cylinders are bulging.

 

[cessation]

I figure icing it will help, as well as taking some fish oil supplements. I'll lay off the heavier weight, but should I just lay off any kind of curling what so ever for awhile? If so, how long?

Any other suggestions?

If you're sure it's tendonitis I'd let it rest for a long time while using ice and heat. I would see a doctor to make sure that's what it is though. Tendonitis can hurt like hell if you let it get bad enough and you'll have a hell of a time getting rid of it. I've had it in both of my hands for 3 years now. If I type too much my hands/fingers swell up and hurt bad. If I ignore the swelling and pain my fingers will get stuck down for about a week (trigger finger). If I try to bend my fingers when they're in that condition it feels like twisting them with plyers.

I let it get so bad that even after I waited about 3 months of letting my hands rest it's still there. So do what you can to get rid of it before it's bad.

Taking fish oil and icing it (which are addressing the inflammation - a symptom, not the problem) isn't going to do anything to fix it.

How is inflammation a symptom and not the problem? Tendonitis is just inflammation of a tendon. Once the inflammation is gone the problem (tendonitis) is gone. Now if he continues to do what caused it in the first place it might come back but inflammation is the problem. The orthopedic I saw told me to stretch, rest, and use ice/heat to get rid of it. Although if it's bad enough your only options will be steroid injections or surgery.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Taking fish oil and icing it (which are addressing the inflammation - a symptom, not the problem) isn't going to do anything to fix it

If it really is tendonitis and the cause is just overuse or strain, then getting rid of the inflammation and resting it is the fix. There's nothing else to fix.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

How is inflammation a symptom and not the problem? Tendonitis is just inflammation of a tendon. Once the inflammation is gone the problem (tendonitis) is gone. Now if he continues to do what caused it in the first place it might come back but inflammation is the problem. The orthopedic I saw told me to stretch, rest, and use ice/heat to get rid of it. Although if it's bad enough your only options will be steroid injections or surgery.

Oh, friends. Let's talk about this. Tendonitis is not just inflammation. The inflammation is due to intrinsic or extrinsic factors within the muscle or tendon. If the tendon is stretched vigorously or is asked to transduce more force than it is able, there is damage at the junction. Inflammation is present to address the actual damage to the area.

You do need to lightly stretch (VERY lightly from day 1 to about 7-10), ice it, etc. At a certain point, inflammation CAN hinder healing due to stagnation of blood flow edema (limiting joint ROM). Addressing the inflammation too early will actually delay healing. The inflammation isn't just there for kicks - it's there to promote healing, especially early on.

If it really is tendonitis and the cause is just overuse or strain, then getting rid of the inflammation and resting it is the fix. There's nothing else to fix.

I'm not saying this to be mean, but talking about things outside of your scope is misleading to people who have no idea. Tendonitis can be caused by so many things - instrinsic factors such as muscle tightness, bony protrusions, synovial sheath length; extrinsic factors such as activities, force generation, speed of muscle loading. It can be caused by poor biomechanics or just over-use. However, the inflammation will go away in 5-7 days typically. The injury will remain until it's done healing, which will take more than 8 weeks. Tissue damage is what must be addressed - not inflammation. Inflammation, as I said, is ONLY a symptom. The tissue damage is the true issue that must be rehabilitated.

<- Physical therapy student, been going to school for 5 years in total for this.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

And by the way, I already said it's NOT LIKELY to be tendonitis. Tendonitis rarely elicits a sharp pain regularly.

 

[MrEgo]

Well, the sharp pain only happens when I'm doing curls. Otherwise, there is pain (like right now as I'm typing this) but it's more of an annoyance than anything that really hurts.

My ulna on my right wrist sticks out quite a bit more than the ulna on my left wrist. My left wrist has never hurt, but the right wrist has had pain on and off over the past few years.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Well, the sharp pain only happens when I'm doing curls. Otherwise, there is pain (like right now as I'm typing this) but it's more of an annoyance than anything that really hurts.

My ulna on my right wrist sticks out quite a bit more than the ulna on my left wrist. My left wrist has never hurt, but the right wrist has had pain on and off over the past few years.

Right, but tendonitis, in my experience, doesn't tend to be sharp even during contraction. I'm sure it CAN be if it's bad, but most of the time it's just annoying and the throbbing/aching amps up as you use it.

The problem is that you're in a pathological state, even if you don't think it. Pain at rest means you're in the inflammatory phase, which is the earliest stage of healing. The injury should progress through that very quickly (within a week), but if you keep aggravating it with daily activities, it won't continue to heal and will stagnate in that stage.

Perhaps it's just due to genetics that your one ulna is more prominent, but that still modifies your biomechanics and such. I still bet on ligamentous structures or your TFCC being the source of pain. Like I said, if it sticks around for more than two weeks and you still have pain at rest, you should see someone about it because it won't go away on its own.

 

[eits]

Tendonitis is rarely ever a sharp pain. It's likely your TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex) that allows your ulna to bear some weight when the hand is in weightbearing. It could be a handful of other things too - the thing is, it needs further investigation. Taking fish oil and icing it (which are addressing the inflammation - a symptom, not the problem) isn't going to do anything to fix it. If it's been around for more than two weeks, you should probably see somebody about it.

mechanism of injury for tfcc is not there. it's more likely tendonitis. i think he's on the right track... ice and high quality fish oil supplementation. i recommend life extension fish oil.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

The wrist flexors AND extensors both contribute to significant compression at the articulation between the ulna and the carpals. This compression in itself could be aggravating the TFCC. I'd like to see how weightbearing through the ulnocarpal joints affected the pain. I'd say try doing a push-up or putting a dumbbell in the affected hand like DB bench press and see if it hurt, but there's limitations for that considering wrist flexors and extensors fire in those positions as well.

I'm not saying it has to be TFCC, I'm just hypothesizing.