Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is It?SymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionWhen to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is It?
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Treatment for wrist tendonitis can include rest, icing, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), hand therapy, andcortisoneinjections.
This article gives you an overview of wrist tendonitis, including what it is and who’s most likely to get it. You’ll learn the symptoms and causes of wrist tendonitis and how it’s diagnosed and treated.
Verywell / Joshua Seong
What Is Wrist Tendonitis?
Tendonsare structures that connect a muscle to bone. They allow joints to move.
The wrist tendons connect your forearm muscles to the hand and finger bones. They’re divided into two groups:
Tendonitis usually affects one of these tendons, but it can involve two or more.
Often, wrist tendonitis occurs in the areas where tendons cross each other or pass over a bony area and become irritated. This can lead to pain when you move the wrist.
Tendon SheathsThe wrist tendons glide through fluid-filledtendon sheaths. These help with smooth movement. When the sheath is inflamed, it’s calledtenosynovitis.
Tendon Sheaths
The wrist tendons glide through fluid-filledtendon sheaths. These help with smooth movement. When the sheath is inflamed, it’s calledtenosynovitis.
Wrist Tendonitis Symptoms
Symptoms of wristtendonitisinclude:
1:34Click Play to Learn More About Wrist Tendonitis
1:34
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Causes of Wrist Cracking and Popping
Any tendon can become irritated and cause pain, but tendonitis is more common in a few specific tendons. That’s due to their anatomy plus common activities.
Some of these causes are related more to inflammation. In others, the main feature is chronic damage to the tendon (tendinosis).
Healthcare providers diagnose wrist tendonitis based in part on your symptoms. They’ll also give you a physical exam.
Specific stretches can be used to identify which tendon is hurting. One example is a test forde Quervain’s tenosynovitis. That’s a type of tendonitis often seen shortly after childbirth.
To test for it, your provider will have you:
If the thumb side of your wrist hurts, it’s most likely de Quervain’s. This is called the Finkelstein test.
Imaging typically isn’t needed to diagnose tendonitis. But your provider may want an X-ray to check for fractures or arthritis. An X-ray doesn’t show tendonitis.
Ultrasounds and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be useful, though. They can show whether there’s fluid around the aggravated tendon.
Your healthcare provider will choose wrist tendonitis treatments based on the location, type, and severity of your tendonitis. Wrist tendonitis is unlikely to heal on its own without some kind of action, even if it’s just home care or avoiding the motion that causes pain.
Home Remedies
Early goals usually focus on controlling inflammation and allowing the tendon time to heal. This may include a plan for wrist tendonitis treatment at home that involves:
In-office Care
If home treatment doesn’t help your tendonitis, there are a couple of in-office treatments that your healthcare provider may suggest:
Surgery
This is reserved for when other treatments fail.
Most of the time surgery can be done with local anesthesia. The surgeon will make a small incision in the wrist and may remove inflamed tissues or release pressure from tight tendon sheaths. If the damage to the tendons is extreme, surgery may require general anesthesia.
Physical therapy might be recommended while your wrist heals, which can take several weeks to a few months. Possible risks include:
Bursitis vs. Tendonitis: What’s the Difference?
Preventing Flare-Ups
This may mean changing the way you lift or adjusting your grip. Other steps include:
If you can’t control the symptoms, see your healthcare provider.
If you have minor wrist pain that doesn’t last, you probably don’t need to reach out to a healthcare provider. But in some cases, you will want to seek medical care.You may want to contact a healthcare provider if you:
If you have extreme bleeding or are unable to move your wrist, hand, or fingers, seek emergency care.
Summary
It’s diagnosed based on symptoms, a physical exam, and simple tests. You may or may not be sent for imaging, like X-rays or an MRI.
Treatment with rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication may help. Hand therapy and steroid injections may also work to speed up recovery time for wrist tendonitis. Surgery is a last resort.
Modify your activities to keep tendonitis from coming back. If you need help with this, talk to your healthcare provider or physical therapist.
A Word From Verywell
Wrist tendonitis can be painful and debilitating, but you don’t just have to live with it. Talk to your healthcare provider about your options.
Most types of wrist tendonitis do get a lot better with treatment. Stick to the regimen and be careful how you use the injured wrist. That’ll help you get back to doing the activities you enjoy.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Vuillemin V, Guerini H, Bard H, Morvan G.Stenosing tenosynovitis.J Ultrasound. 2012;15(1):20-8. doi:10.1016/j.jus.2012.02.002Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tendonitis.University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.Diabetes in Control.Tendon pain linked to diabetes.Goel R, Abzug JM.de Quervain’s tenosynovitis: A review of the rehabilitative options.Hand (N Y). 2015;10(1):1-5. doi:10.1007/s11552-014-9649-3University of Rochester Medical Center.The best way to treat, prevent tendonitis.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Treating chronic tendon pain - using ultrasound.Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Wrist arthroscopy.Penn Medicine.Wrist pain.Additional ReadingAdams JE, Habbu R.Tendinopathies of the hand and wrist[published correction appears in J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2016 Feb;24(2):123].J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23(12):741-750. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00216
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Vuillemin V, Guerini H, Bard H, Morvan G.Stenosing tenosynovitis.J Ultrasound. 2012;15(1):20-8. doi:10.1016/j.jus.2012.02.002Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tendonitis.University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.Diabetes in Control.Tendon pain linked to diabetes.Goel R, Abzug JM.de Quervain’s tenosynovitis: A review of the rehabilitative options.Hand (N Y). 2015;10(1):1-5. doi:10.1007/s11552-014-9649-3University of Rochester Medical Center.The best way to treat, prevent tendonitis.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Treating chronic tendon pain - using ultrasound.Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Wrist arthroscopy.Penn Medicine.Wrist pain.Additional ReadingAdams JE, Habbu R.Tendinopathies of the hand and wrist[published correction appears in J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2016 Feb;24(2):123].J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23(12):741-750. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00216
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Vuillemin V, Guerini H, Bard H, Morvan G.Stenosing tenosynovitis.J Ultrasound. 2012;15(1):20-8. doi:10.1016/j.jus.2012.02.002Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tendonitis.University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.Diabetes in Control.Tendon pain linked to diabetes.Goel R, Abzug JM.de Quervain’s tenosynovitis: A review of the rehabilitative options.Hand (N Y). 2015;10(1):1-5. doi:10.1007/s11552-014-9649-3University of Rochester Medical Center.The best way to treat, prevent tendonitis.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Treating chronic tendon pain - using ultrasound.Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Wrist arthroscopy.Penn Medicine.Wrist pain.
Vuillemin V, Guerini H, Bard H, Morvan G.Stenosing tenosynovitis.J Ultrasound. 2012;15(1):20-8. doi:10.1016/j.jus.2012.02.002
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Tendonitis.
University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.
Diabetes in Control.Tendon pain linked to diabetes.
Goel R, Abzug JM.de Quervain’s tenosynovitis: A review of the rehabilitative options.Hand (N Y). 2015;10(1):1-5. doi:10.1007/s11552-014-9649-3
University of Rochester Medical Center.The best way to treat, prevent tendonitis.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Treating chronic tendon pain - using ultrasound.
Penn Medicine.Tendonitis treatments.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Wrist arthroscopy.
Penn Medicine.Wrist pain.
Adams JE, Habbu R.Tendinopathies of the hand and wrist[published correction appears in J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2016 Feb;24(2):123].J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23(12):741-750. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00216
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