When Should You Worry about Hand or Wrist Pain?

Our hands and wrists are responsible for a lot of movement and work throughout the day. As a result, hand and wrist pain can be quite common. This can make it hard for people to determine when to see a doctor about hand and wrist pain. Here are some signs that your aches and pains are not normal and treatment is required.

The Pain Comes After an Injury

A pretty good sign that your pain needs treatment is what caused the pain in the first place. For example, if you put strain on your hand and wrist while sleeping and woke up the next morning with mild pain, you most likely do not need to seek treatment.

However, if you fell and caught yourself with your hands, and the next day you experience pain, it is likely that you have sustained an injury and should see a doctor. Without treatment, conditions such as hand and wrist fractures can become debilitating.

The Pain is Consistent

It’s important to know the signs that mean hand or wrist pain is serious. The sooner you can recognize these signs and seek treatment, the greater the success rate for treatment will be.

Random aches and pains will come and go, and in most cases are nothing to be overly concerned about. However, a sign of when to see a doctor about hand and wrist pain is when it becomes consistent.

Consistent does not mean it is present all the time; it just means that it happens quite often and usually at predictable moments. For example, pain that occurs when the wrist is flexed in a certain way or joint pain when the weather changes.

The Pain Prevents You from Functioning Normally

If ever the pain in your hand or wrist stops you from using it normally, you should see a doctor. Pain that is severe enough to inhibit function means there is absolutely an underlying problem. With surgical and other interventions, it is possible to regain function.