Physical Therapy Services
Hand and Wrist Pain
Care for wrist and hand pain, stiffness, weakness and numbness.
Hand and Wrist Pain
The hand and wrist contain a large number of small joints and tendons working in a confined space, which is why problems there tend to affect everything from typing to carrying shopping.
Pain, stiffness, weakness, and pins and needles can come from repetitive strain, arthritis, a previous fracture or sprain, or from compression of a nerve at the wrist. Symptoms in the hand can also be referred from the neck, so a thorough assessment looks beyond the painful area itself.
Treatment is matched to the cause and may include hands-on mobilisation, splinting advice, nerve mobility work, and a specific strengthening programme for grip and the small muscles of the hand.
How This Works
What hand and wrist pain treatment involves
The hand and wrist contain a large number of small joints and tendons working in a confined space, which is why problems there tend to affect everything from typing to carrying shopping. Pain, stiffness, weakness and pins and needles can come from repetitive strain, arthritis, a previous fracture or sprain, or from compression of a nerve at the wrist.
Symptoms in the hand can also be referred from the neck, so a thorough assessment looks beyond the painful area itself. Treatment is matched to the cause and may include hands-on mobilisation, splinting advice, nerve mobility work, and a specific strengthening programme for grip and the small muscles of the hand.
What to Expect
Your visits, step by step
Assessment beyond the hand
Your therapist assesses the wrist and hand joints, grip and small-muscle strength, and screens the neck and forearm — because symptoms in the hand are sometimes referred from higher up.
Treatment matched to the cause
Depending on what is found this may include hands-on mobilisation, nerve mobility work, or advice on splinting.
Strengthening grip and the small muscles
A specific programme targets grip and the small muscles of the hand, progressed at a level the tissue tolerates.
Adapting daily tasks
Practical changes to keyboard, mouse, tool use and how you carry and grip are worked through, since those are what load the area between visits.
Benefits
What hand and wrist pain treatment is used for
- Used to address hand and wrist pain, stiffness, weakness and pins and needles.
- Used to address problems arising from repetitive strain, arthritis, previous fracture or sprain, and nerve compression at the wrist.
- Includes assessment of the neck and forearm, since hand symptoms can be referred from higher up the limb.
- Applied to grip and small-muscle strength as well as joint mobility, because hand function depends on both.
Results of an injury vary from person to person. What is appropriate for you is decided at your evaluation — call (718) 714-6995 and we can talk it through.
Common Questions
Hand and Wrist Pain FAQs
I get pins and needles in my hand at night. What causes that?
Night symptoms in the hand are commonly associated with nerve compression at the wrist, though symptoms in the hand can also be referred from the neck. Which applies in your case is what the assessment establishes — mention which fingers are affected, because the pattern matters.
Do I need a splint?
Sometimes splinting is appropriate and sometimes it is not, and how long it is worn matters. Your therapist will give you specific advice for your situation rather than a general recommendation.
Will I have to stop typing or using my hands at work?
Usually the aim is modification rather than stopping — changes to keyboard and mouse setup, grip, tool use and how you break up the task. Your therapist will go through what is practical for your job.
I broke my wrist a while ago and it is still stiff. Can that be treated?
Stiffness and reduced grip after a fracture are common and are routinely assessed and treated. Bring any imaging or reports you have from the original injury.
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