Upper Extremity Pain
Upper extremity pain is pain in the elbow, forearm, wrist or hand, and it can make simple jobs like gripping, typing or lifting a coffee cup hard. Physical therapy uses hands-on treatment and targeted exercise to relieve the pain and get your arm working again. Western Slope Rehab and Performance treats elbow, wrist and hand pain in Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands.
What is behind your elbow, wrist or hand pain
The same-sounding pain can come from very different places. These are the causes we see most.
Tennis elbow
Lateral epicondylitis: tendon irritation on the outside of the elbow. It comes from repeated gripping and wrist extension, whether with a racket, a paintbrush or a hammer, and hurts when you grip, lift or twist your forearm.
Golfer's elbow
Medial epicondylitis: the same kind of tendon overuse on the inside of the elbow, from the muscles that bend your wrist and fingers.
Tendinitis
An overuse injury that builds over time. Inflamed tendons swell and ache, especially when the area moves.
Sprains and strains
A sudden overstretch of the tissues in the elbow, wrist or hand, with swelling, pain and trouble moving.
Fractures
Falls often break the fingers, wrist or elbow, because we try to catch ourselves. Afterward the joints can get very stiff and weak.
Nerve irritation
Numbness, tingling or changes in temperature when a nerve in the elbow, forearm, wrist or hand is irritated or injured.
Numb fingers and carpal tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the median nerve is squeezed in a narrow channel at the wrist. It brings numbness, stiffness or aching in the fingers, hand, wrist or forearm, and it is common with typing, assembly work and other repetitive hand tasks. Hand numbness at night and dropping things are common signs.
Hands-on therapy, nerve and tendon gliding exercises, and changes to how you do your tasks can help many people with mild to moderate symptoms, and we treat carpal tunnel without surgery when that is a safe choice. Tingling in the arm can also come from the neck, which is something your therapist checks for. See Neck Pain.
Elbow pain: why loading beats resting
You do not have to play tennis
Painters, carpenters and desk workers all get elbow tendinitis. Gripping and repetitive work are the usual cause.
Rest alone rarely settles it
Long rest without rehab brings stiffness and weakness. Guided exercise that gradually loads the tendon helps it recover.
What we use
Manual Therapy, Therapeutic Exercise, and when it fits, Dry Needling and Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM).
Changes at work and home
Small changes to how you grip, lift and set up tasks take pressure off the tendon. See also Work Injuries & Workers' Comp and Sports Injury Rehab.
How we treat upper extremity pain at WSRP
Your therapist finds what is causing your pain, then builds a plan that may include:
- Hands-on therapy to ease pain and improve circulation
- Exercises to restore range of motion and strength in the elbow, wrist and hand
- Manual Therapy for stiff joints and tight forearm muscles
- Neuromuscular Re-education re-education when movement is not working right
- Kinesiology Taping taping where it supports the area
- Advice for work and home so the problem does not come back
See a doctor first if
- Your wrist, hand or elbow looks out of shape after a fall or injury
- You cannot move a finger or your hand, or have new weakness
- The joint is hot, red and swollen, or you have a fever
- Numbness or tingling is constant or getting worse
For a suspected broken bone or severe injury, go to urgent care or the ER.
After a fracture, cast or surgery
A broken wrist or elbow often leaves fingers, wrist and elbow stiff and weak after healing. Rehab brings back motion and strength step by step, within what your doctor allows. See Post-Surgical Rehab if you have had an operation. Arthritis in the thumb or hand is common too, and Arthritis & Joint Pain explains how exercise helps.
Use your hands and arms comfortably again
We see patients from Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands. You can start physical therapy without a referral from a doctor in most cases. Some insurance plans, including Medicare, still need a doctor's sign-off on the plan of care (Direct Access). Call (970) 314-9822 and we will check your plan.
We see patients from Grand Junction and the surrounding Grand Valley: Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands.