Hand & Wrist Pain
You use your hands and wrists constantly, so pain there shows up everywhere. Physical therapy helps with wrist sprains, recovery after a broken wrist, tendon problems like De Quervain’s and trigger finger, and thumb arthritis. Heights Physical Therapy provides physical therapy for hand and wrist problems for people in Gunnison, Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley.
Wrist sprains and recovery after a fracture or cast
A wrist sprain is an injury to the ligaments that connect bone to bone. In the wrist it often follows a fall on an outstretched hand, which is common on ice, on a mountain bike or on a ski hill. After a wrist fracture or weeks in a cast, the joint is usually stiff and weak.
We work with your physician’s protocol to restore range of motion, swelling control and strength, and get you back to daily tasks and your sport. If a broken wrist needs rehab after surgery, see post-surgical rehab.
Common causes of thumb, finger and hand pain
Different structures hurt in different places, so where you feel it matters.
Pain on the thumb side of the wrist
This is typical of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, an irritated tendon pair, often from repetitive gripping, lifting a baby or phone use. We adjust the load and treat the tendons.
A finger that catches or locks
Trigger finger happens when a tendon catches in its sheath. Targeted movement and hands-on work can help, and your therapist may suggest a store-bought splint or ask your doctor about one.
Thumb and hand arthritis
Arthritis in the base of the thumb or finger joints makes grip, jar opening and pinching sore. Joint motion work and strength around the joint can help. See arthritis.
Other thumb and hand pain
Thumb pain after a fall, a sport or heavy gripping needs the right mix of rest, motion and strengthening, and we help you sort out which comes first.
Hand and wrist exercises, strength and swelling care
Your plan is built around the condition and what you need your hand to do, whether that is typing, tying a fly or gripping handlebars.
- Advice on whether a brace or splint could help; your therapist may suggest one from a store or your doctor
- Range of motion exercises to bring back wrist and finger movement
- Grip and hand strengthening
- Manual therapy and swelling management, following your surgeon’s protocol after an operation
Numbness or tingling in your fingers?
Numbness and tingling that wakes you at night or reaches the thumb and first fingers may be carpal tunnel syndrome. Sometimes the nerve is irritated at the neck instead, so we look there too. Elbow tendon pain is on the elbow pain page.
See a doctor first if you have
- A hand or wrist that looks deformed after a fall
- A hot, red, swollen joint with fever
- Numbness that is spreading or a hand that is quickly getting weaker
Call us and we will tell you what applies to your insurance, and whether you need anything from your doctor, before your first visit.
Common wrist and hand questions
Is there a hand therapist near me in Gunnison?
Our physical therapists treat hand and wrist problems. If you are looking for a certified hand therapist, call and we will tell you whether we are the right fit.
Do you offer hand therapy?
We offer physical therapy for hand and wrist problems, and we work with your doctor or surgeon when you have a protocol to follow.
Can you help with a broken wrist after the cast comes off?
Yes. Wrist fracture recovery focuses on restoring motion and strength once your doctor clears you.
Get your grip and wrist motion back
Call Heights Physical Therapy if a sore wrist, thumb or finger is getting in the way of work, typing or your sport. We see people from Gunnison, Crested Butte and across the Gunnison Valley.
We see patients in Gunnison, Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley, Colorado.