20 Home Remedies for Wrist Pain

There are a number of things that can cause wrist pain. It can be from an injury, the effects of an injury, or it could also be an onset of a bigger condition. There are two main kinds of injuries you want to watch out for. There are wrist pains that come from the following.

• Sudden Impact
  • Fractures
  • Sprains
  • Strains  
• Repetitive Motions

These repetitive motions can be anything. Too much tennis, driving, typing, playing an instrument, anything. When it comes to the repetitive motions causing pain, it is normally just from the swelling in the wrist but the motions can also cause what is called a stress fracture.

There are also two different kinds of arthritis that are found to affect the wrist. Those are Rheumatoid Arthritis (when the immune system starts taking down its own tissue) and Osteoarthritis (when the ends of your bones have thinner cartilage if any at all).

There are three other things that cause wrist pains as well. These include…

• Ganglion Cysts
  • These are bumps that form on the outside of the wrist. They can be any size from a pea to about an inch around.
  • They cause pain if the swelling presses against a nerve.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • The carpal tunnel is a little passageway that holds the median nerve. The syndrome for the tunnel comes from there is extra pressure on the nerve.
• Kienbock’s Disease
  • This is when a smaller bone in the wrist collapses because the bone is not getting enough blood. It usually affects young adults more than anyone else.   

Symptoms

There are different symptoms and/or feelings that come with the different. If you have pain after you have suffered from an impact or fall to the wrist, talk a doctor as you can because you may have broken, sprained, or dislocated something.

People with carpal tunnel syndrome have reported feelings of pins-and-needles while osteoarthritis is said to have more of a dull toothache pain but in the wrist.

 

Home Remedies for Wrist Pain

1. Splints

Splints help with some wrist pains because they keep the wrist straight and sometimes some straight support is just what you need. The gently added pressure can help to ease some of the inflammation.

It is not uncommon for the wrist pain to worsen at night, so it is not a terrible idea for you to wear the splints in the evening to intercept the pain before it gets the chance to develop.

2. Breaks

Working for 15 minutes and then taking break one of the best ways to stop or ward wrist pain. It doesn’t matter what the task is. Writing, playing an instrument, working with hand tools, typing, whatever it may be. After 15 minutes take a couple moments to flex your fingers, make little circles with your wrists, get them moving better so that blood flow improves.

 

3. Do Not Over Flex

Flexing your arm too much can cause even more pain and discomfort to the pained wrist. So if you can help, do not put too much stress or strain on yourself. Doing some light wrist stretches is okay. Just do not do anything that hurts.

 

4. Warmth

If you live in a cold area, then do not be worried if the pain gets worse in the winter. This is more for arthritis and carpal tunnel than for the injuries. So when winter comes around, make sure that you have gloves of some sort. Even fingerless ones are better than nothing.

5. Lighten the Force

You put a strain on your wrists and add to the swelling if you are being too harsh with something. So when cooking, typing, writing, or doing any task really, lighten the grip on the utensil or press the keys a lighter and that alone can help you.

 

6. Ointments

There are different over-the-counter ointments that can do wonders for sore wrists. Any of the basic sports creams can help. It is suggested that you get one with menthol because menthol aids in lowering the swelling. That is why things like biofreeze and Icy Hot work so well. However, when using products with menthol, keep in mind that it is normal to feel a gentle burning feeling in the area where you used the cream.

 

7. Boiled Potato          

As strange as this is going to sound, applying a boiled and mashed potato to the pained wrist can actually help with pain. This can help because the potato holds in heat for a good while which can seriously help to increase blood circulation and aid some swelling.

8. Lose Some Weight

Being overweight can add unneeded stress and pressure onto the median nerve which can cause more pain. If you are five or ten pounds over the suggested weight by your doctor you should be fine, but if you are 15 or more pounds over then it would not be a terrible idea for you to lose a couple of pounds.  

 

9. Basic Health

If your wrist has been causing you pain because of an injury, one of the best things you can do is just take care of yourself. Getting sleep, quitting smoking if you do (it poorly affects your circulation all over the body and having good circulation is vital for a bone or sprain to heal), eat well, and exercise as you can.

10. Dial Down Vibrations

Machinery that uses heavy vibrations can aggravate the nerves in the wrists as well knock things together in there, so using machinery on lower settings can help more than you might expect. So if you work chainsaws, riveters, sanders, chisels, grinders, jackhammers, and that sort of thing, using the lowest setting you can while still getting the job done.

 

11. Hand Exercises

This tip is more for people with CTS (carpal tunnel), a form of arthritis, or maybe a someone going through PT (physical therapy) for a broken wrist. There are a few different ones that you can do, and they do not take any weights or anything like that. They are all simple things that you could do sitting in a class or standing in a line while in a store.

• Finger-Thumb Squeeze
  • Take a small stress ball and squeeze it tightly about ten minutes and stretch your fingers a bit after those times and then do the same thing with the other hand.
  • You should ask your doctor about this one if you have high blood pressure.
• Wrist Circles
  • Hands out with your palms down, rotate both of your wrists clockwise and then counter-clockwise.  
• Five Finger Stretch
  • You stretch your fingers out as far as you can without it hurting and you hold that for five to ten seconds before easing up. Do this three or five times if you can.

12. Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper has something in it called capsaicin. This is actually what makes the pepper so hot and it is also what makes this pepper amazing for healing different things. This pepper lessens swelling and helps the injury to heal faster. You can either add cayenne pepper or add it to a lotion or cream for it to aid wrist pains. If you add the pepper to creams, you should wash the cream off after about 20 minutes.

 

13. Mustard Plaster

Mustard- the herb, not what you put on hamburgers- is rather strong when it comes to increasing your overall circulation and blood flow. Having a stronger blood flow helps the injury to heal faster.

Making the mustard plaster is pretty easy. All you need is…

• Two or three tablespoons of dry mustard
• Three or four tablespoons of flour
• Enough warm water to make a paste

When you have everything you need together in a small bowl, you mix it together and apply to the hurting wrist. Apply this paste after having iced the wrist for about 20 minutes and the leave the paste on for 20 minutes of its own.

14. Fruit and Water

Water is endlessly important for your body but what most people do not know is that drinking enough water can actually quicken healing time. In addition to drinking, you can infuse water with fruit or you can just eat more water-based fruits. Infusing water with fruits and eating water-based fruits is important because these fruits have minerals and vitamins that can help you to heal even faster. Pineapple, with its bromelain, is highly recommended.

 

15. Epsom Salt

Epsom salts are famous for relieving joint pains. This is because the Epsom salts calm inflammation, which improves blood flow. Using Epsom salts is one of the easiest remedies you will be able to imagine; it can also be relaxing. The next time your wrist(s) start hurting, take a bath, add in half a cup to a cup of Epsom salt, and take a 20-minute soak.

16. Turmeric

Turmeric is another amazing plant that can cut down the swelling and the wrist pain. This is because turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory, so it aid in tissue growth, lessen spasms and relax muscles. To use turmeric, you can add it to your cooking or you can make a paste using a tablespoon of both lime juice and turmeric. If you use the paste, apply it to the pained wrist and leave it on over night with a bandage over it.

 

17. Vitamins C and E

Vitamin C is important because it can induce faster healing, and it keep the injured wrist healing nicely because it fights off free radicals that might try to get into the wounded area if you pulled or tore something.

The Vitamin E can help because it lessens the chances of the scarring both of the skin and tissues within the body. So if your wrists because of a wound, try getting more vitamin E and C into your diet.

 

18. R.I.C.E

RICE is an acronym for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevation. It helps mostly with sprains, but it might be able to help at least a little when it comes to the different kinds of arthritis. The rest and elevation come into play with a break as well.

19. Horse Chestnuts

Horse Chestnuts are great because they have an anti-inflammatory called aescin. There are creams and lotions that you can to apply to the pained wrist or you can add horse chestnuts to your diet. You could also do both if you wanted to.

 

20. Aromatherapy

There are plenty of essential oils that promote healing and lessen swelling. You can buy essential oil diffusers in the form of jewelry or different diffusers that you plug into the wall. You can learn others way to do aromatherapy in our article How To Do Aromatherapy.

• Lavender
  • Lavender oil fights inflammation and eases muces.
• Chamomile
  • Camomile relieves spasms and cramps
  • Eases inflammation and swelling
  • This oil is heavy recommended for anyone with rheumatoid arthritis.
• Rosemary
  • Fights swelling in tissue, tendons, and muscles
  • Stomps muscle spasms
• Peppermint
  • Peppermint oil helps with swelling because it contains menthol and fights off other illnesses so that the body can focus on healing the injury.

            

When to See a Doctor

If you have suffered an injury and do not think right away that it is broken, then give the wrist a couple days of rest and ice. If the pain and swelling does not go down, then talk a doctor. Leaving a sprain or dislocation untreated can cause more intense pain and can even lead to permanent damage to the nerve and around the pained area.

 

Sources

http://www.essentialoilsareus.com/essential-oils-to-reduce-swelling/

https://www.disabled-world.com/medical/alternative/homeremedies/sprains-strains-remedy.php

http://blog.gameready.com/blog/sprained-wrist-the-6-best-ways-to-heal-fast

https://blog.muellersportsmed.com/9-home-remedies-for-wrist-injuries

https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-carpal-tunnel-syndrome1.htm

https://www.onlymyhealth.com/home-remedies-sore-wrist-1317720193

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3362986/

https://www.healthline.com/health/home-remedies-for-carpal-tunnel#wear-splints

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wrist-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20366213

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ganglion-cyst/symptoms-causes/syc-20351156