Sudden wrist pain - why?

September 9, 2024 3:21 PM

I'll need to see a doctor if this doesn't go away in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if I can do anything about the pain. Can you help me figure out what this is and what might help?

I don't remember doing anything extraordinary, perhaps a bit more typing than usual. Definitely no injury. The wrist started aching quite suddenly yesterday evening, and it hasn't improved despite ice, topical and oral pain meds, and (amateur) immobilization. It's not warm, swollen, or red.

It's a deep, shooting pain, similar to what I remember from sprained ankles. The type of pain you can't ignore without nausea (I'm used to sore joints, but this is much more). I can bend my hand about twenty degrees in each direction before it hurts too much to continue. Rotating hurts, spreading my fingers is impossible. I can ball up my fists, but otherwise, my hand is basically useless. I can't lift a water glass, flick a lightswitch, or turn a key. This is my left hand and I'm right-handed, luckily.

Any ideas what this might be?

posted by toucan to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Not a medical expert, but as an experienced owner of wrists and manager of RSI: that sounds to me like something in your wrist is out of place, and possibly pinching a nerve. If the careful stretching and rotating it sounds like you've been trying hasn't helped, then I'd go for the doctor.
posted by Rhedyn at 3:55 PM on September 9

Until you can see your doctor, a wrist splint may help immobilize it some. They're inexpensive and easy to find at drug and grocery stores.
posted by lhauser at 5:08 PM on September 9

RSIs can go from zero to omgwtfowowow pretty quick, so I second RSI. And really, getting yourself to the doc and/or a physiotherapist is the main thing. At this point, let the pain be your guide and try not to move it in such a way as to hurt it. Once you get it looked at, treatment may involve challenging that pain a little. But you want to do that with guidance not on your own.
posted by eekernohan at 6:53 PM on September 9

Could also be De Quervain's. Worth going to an orthopedist, preferably one who specializes in hands.
posted by donut_princess at 8:20 AM on September 10

Thanks, you all! I woke up in a lot of pain and went to the first orthopedist who agreed to fit me in. He didn't have any groundbreaking theories for the root cause, his idea was I might've bumped my hand without noticing. Not sure about that. Anyway, I got it bandaged up in a way that'll keep it immobilized completely, and the doctor said I should keep it that way for the next four days, ice it regularly, and come back if there's more problems. If it's not completely gone next week, I will go to a hand specialist I know and have him investigate the more complicated problems.
posted by toucan at 2:20 PM on September 10