Holly loved her work as a barista. She could whip out a customized latte in less than a minute, and she had a great relationship with her regular customers. So, when she started to develop persistent wrist pain, she grew concerned. She knew work-related wrist injuries were an issue for baristas.
As it turned out, Holly had indeed developed “barista wrist,” a type of repetitive use injury caused by repeatedly tamping down espresso into the filter. The twisting motion strains the muscles and tendons in the wrist, leading to Holly’s symptoms: wrist pain and stiffness.
At a coworker’s suggestion, Holly sought treatment from a physical therapist, who provided her with a customized treatment plan to reduce pain and restore her range of motion. He also showed her several modifications to tamp down espresso without putting excess strain on her wrist. By keeping her wrist’s alignment neutral and using her abdominal muscles rather than her shoulder for the movement, she’d be more likely to avoid a future injury.
Work-related wrist injuries can happen across several professions. Restaurant workers like Holly have a particularly high risk, as do assembly line workers, cashiers, and drivers. At Ohana Physical Therapy, our team of physical therapists can help identify the work movements that might be contributing to your injury–and provide solutions for lasting relief.
Keep reading to learn more about common wrist injuries. Already dealing with work-related wrist pain? Call our CO clinic for an appointment!
Common Work-Related Wrist Injuries
The wrist is a common location for workplace injuries, but it’s important to remember that all work-related wrist injuries are not the same! Our physical therapists can help you identify the exact type of injury you’ve suffered–and the exact source of your pain–so they can create an appropriate treatment plan.
Here are a few of the more common workplace wrist injuries:
- Wrist Sprains and Strains: Often, wrist pain stems from damage to your wrist’s soft tissue. Performing the same movements over and over can cause microtraumas in your wrist’s muscles, tendons, or ligaments, eventually leading to pain, immobility, and inflammation. Pinpointing the movements that caused those microtraumas is crucial in treating these injuries.
- De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: For example, this is one of the more common wrist-related overuse injuries. It affects the tendons on the side of your wrist and the base of your thumb and stems from repeated grasping or gripping movements.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This is one of the most well-known sources of wrist pain. It affects the median nerve, a major nerve that runs from your forearm and into your fingers through a wrist structure called the carpal tunnel. When the median becomes compressed, it can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in your wrist and hand.
How Physical Therapy Can Help You Find Relief from Work-Related Wrist Injuries
Our team of physical therapists has extensive experience working with people who have suffered injuries at work. We understand how important it is that we not only treat your pain but also work to address its source. For workplace injuries, this often means tweaking your movements and creating an ergonomic workspace.
We’ll develop a customized treatment plan based on your specific injury, symptoms, and line of work. While every plan is different, we generally pull from the following approaches:
- Manual Therapy: These hands-on techniques are great for drug-free pain management. We might carefully manipulate your muscles, tendons, or ligaments to manage pain and improve circulation. Or we might gently guide your wrist through its range of motion, helping to improve its mobility.
- Stretching Exercises: We’ll show you gentle wrist stretches to help manage pain and improve mobility.
- Strengthening Exercises: We’ll help you build the muscles in your wrist, arm, and shoulders to help stabilize the joint.
- Postural Corrections: Sometimes, wrist strains stem from postural issues. This was something Holly learned: by not keeping her spine in alignment as she worked, she wound up putting undue strain on her wrist and arm. We can suggest corrections that address your particular needs and impairments.
- Movement Modifications and Other Ergonomic Suggestions: Finally, we’ll pinpoint any changes you can make in work-related movements and/or your workspace that will help minimize strain on your wrists–and help you avoid any injury in the future.
What to Expect at Your Physical Therapy Sessions
Your first appointment with us will be a comprehensive physical assessment to help us fully understand your condition. We’ll take a complete health history and talk with you about the work- and recreation-related movements you perform daily. We’ll also review your symptoms and conduct a few simple movement and postural screens to help us identify other factors contributing to your condition.
All this information helps us develop the best treatment plan for your needs. At subsequent appointments, we’ll guide you through this program, slowly progressing you through different exercises to help resolve your pain.
We generally begin with manual therapy and wrist mobilizations to help with acute pain relief. As you improve, we’ll start incorporating strengthening exercises, including exercises you can do at home. If we think you might benefit from wearing a temporary wrist brace (which immobilizes the wrist while allowing you to continue using your hands), we can let you know more about that, too.
Finally, no treatment plan is complete without an in-depth discussion of workspace improvement strategies. These strategies will vary depending on your job, but they might include changes in how you perform movements, suggestions for timed breaks, adjustments to your computer setup, and more.
Make Your Appointment Today!
You don’t have to suffer from wrist pain while you’re at work. Ohana Physical Therapy offers physical therapy for work-related wrist injuries to the CO community, and we’d love to help you!
Request your initial consultation today to get started.
