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Elbow, wrist and hand guide

Elbow, Wrist and Hand Physical Therapy

You use your hands for almost everything, so a problem anywhere from the elbow to the fingertips can get in the way of ordinary tasks. This page explains how these problems are described, what a Physical Therapy evaluation looks at and where to read next.

Find your topic
A forearm and hand resting on a table, shown from the elbow to the fingertips.

Find your topic

  1. 01Tennis elbow and golfer's elbowPain on the outside or inside of the elbow, compared side by side.
  2. 02De Quervain's tenosynovitisPain on the thumb side of the wrist.
  3. 03Carpal tunnel syndromeNumbness or tingling in the thumb and first fingers.

Guides

Two-part sequence: a forearm resting on a table with the wrist bending down, then bending up.
GuideWrist and hand movementsThree educational examples, what to check first and when to stop.
A person at a desk with the keyboard in front of them, elbows close to the body and wrists straight.
GuideEveryday hand and wrist useDesk, mouse, phone and lifting habits that ease strain.

One chain, three areas

  1. Elbow

    Your elbow joint is made up of bone, cartilage, ligaments and fluid, and muscles and tendons help it move. Problems described at the elbow include tendinitis, sprains and strains, fractures, dislocations, bursitis and arthritis.

  2. Wrist

    Your wrist connects your hand to your forearm. It is made of several small joints, with two forearm bones and eight small bones called carpals. Problems described at the wrist include carpal tunnel syndrome, ganglion cysts, fractures, osteoarthritis, sprains and strains, and tendinitis.

  3. Hand

    Problems described in the hand include carpal tunnel syndrome, injuries such as broken bones, torn ligaments or dislocations, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, and problems affecting the fingers and thumb.

Knowing these names does not tell you which one is behind your symptoms. That takes an evaluation.

After a fall or injury

An injury can cause bruising, swelling, sprains, strains or broken bones in the elbow, wrist or hand. If an injury is recent, check the "When to get medical care first" list below before anything else. If you have already been treated for a fracture, sprain or strain, bring what you were told and any test results to your evaluation.

Numbness, tingling or weakness

Some elbow, wrist and hand problems involve a nerve as well as muscles or tendons. Carpal tunnel syndrome involves pressure on a nerve at the wrist, and golfer's elbow can come with tingling in the ring and little fingers. If numbness, tingling or weakness comes with your pain, mention it at your evaluation, and see the list below for when to contact a medical professional first.

Evaluation comes before treatment

  • How and when your symptoms started, any injury, your work and everyday hand use, care and tests you have already had, and what makes symptoms better or worse.
  • How your elbow, wrist, hand and fingers move, your grip and pinch strength, sensation, and where it is tender to the touch.
  • Your neck, shoulder and arm may also be checked, because symptoms in the hand can come from further up. If tests such as X-rays or nerve studies may be needed, your physical therapist may refer you to a physician.

Before your visit, it can help to note which tasks bring on symptoms, whether they wake you at night, and what you would like to be able to do again.

How Physical Therapy may fit

A Shanti physical therapist begins with an evaluation. If Physical Therapy looks like a good fit, the plan is built around what the evaluation shows and the tasks you want to get back to. Depending on the findings, a plan may use some, all or none of these approaches:

When to get medical care first

See the full safety checklist

Get emergency care if:

  • you cannot move your wrist, hand or a finger;
  • your elbow, wrist, hand or fingers look misshapen; or
  • you are bleeding a lot.

Contact a medical professional right away if pain comes with a fever over 100°F (37.7°C) or a rash, or if the joint is swollen and red, especially after a recent illness.

Contact a medical professional if:

  • the pain follows a direct injury, or there is a lot of swelling or bruising;
  • you cannot use or move your elbow, or it is locked and will not fully bend or straighten;
  • numbness, tingling or weakness comes with the pain, your fingers keep losing feeling, you are dropping things, or the muscles in your hand look smaller;
  • a child has elbow pain; or
  • pain continues for 2 weeks despite self-care.

If you are unsure what is causing your symptoms, ask a medical professional. Information online is not a diagnosis.

Ask about an appointment

Send a request and the clinic will contact you to discuss the next step.

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How a request works

  1. Open and send your emailShare your name, email, cell phone, your preferred clinic and when you are generally free. The form opens a draft in your own email app. Review it and send it from your mail app yourself; the website does not send it. Please leave out symptoms, diagnoses and insurance details.
  2. We contact youWe will contact you by the next business day, by phone, text or email, whichever you prefer.
  3. The clinic confirms itYour appointment is confirmed only after the clinic responds and agrees a time with you.

Submitting a request does not confirm an appointment. Your appointment is confirmed only after the clinic responds.

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