QuestionMy friend has a pain in wrist caused by bending, lifting. Vein above swells, but goes back normal after resting. Pain runs for days before back to normal. Age 24. Construction worker. What are the possible cause and remedies?
AnswerHi,
Thanks for your question!
Wrist pain can be a debilitating condition especially when one uses their hands to work with.
Unfortunately the medical cause of wrist pain is difficult to diagnose from here, so hence forth I will ask you a few questions before committing myself.
Is the pain accompanied by tingling/pain/numbness in the first 4 fingers starting from the thumb?
Does the pain always happen on lifting or are there times after lifting where the pain does not start?
Does he get this pain when writing?
Construction workers commonly suffer from ganglion cysts where a growth can emerge mostly on the top of the wrist, under the wrist or on the thumb side of the wrist. Has he noticed any of these 'lumps'?
The wrist in my opinion is one of the most complicated areas to treat and a proper examination by an orthopedic surgeon is indicted.
The best remedy is using a splint to limit the twisting movement (similar to the ones used by weight lifters) and after a day of hard work the hand is immersed in alternating baths of cold/warm water.
If your friend uses a jackhammer in his work, then there is nothing much he can do unless he stops that type of work. I've seen so many jackhammer RSI's (Repetitive strain injuries) that its difficult to find a cure as the strain is repetitive.
Search google for repetitive strain injuries and find out that rest is the best cure. But then you'll still be prone to more injuries if you restart the same work.
If he intends using a jackhammer, just ask him to buy a thick foam grip to absorb the impact to his hands and wrists.
Hope this helps!
Any more questions, please ask!
Jeremy
