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5 Physical Therapist Recommended Stretches for Post-Accident Wrist Pain

Suffering from wrist pain after an accident? The human wrist is intricate, made up of 8 separate bones. When just one of these bones is out of alignment, it can throw off the entire alignment of your hand, leading to pain and loss of mobility that can impact your everyday life.

Motor vehicle accidents can cause wrist trauma in a variety of ways as a result of gripping the steering wheel, bracing yourself on your car’s interior, or making contact with airbags or windshield. Tendon tears, nerve damage, bone fractures, and more can injure your wrist. Luckily, with the help of a physical therapist, you can restore function and reduce pain in your wrist. Your physical therapist may recommend any one—or combination of—the following stretches to relieve your post-accident wrist pain.

1. Grip Exercise

Grip strength is a key part of your overall wrist function. This simple exercise helps you build a stronger grip. Simply grab a small ball and wrap the fingers of one hand around it, squeezing it as hard as you can for at least five seconds. Release the ball and repeat at least 10 times each day.

2. Wrist Flexor Stretch

By gently pulling your fingers back to stretch your wrist, you can relieve pain and improve mobility. Simply place your palm over the fingers of your affected hand. Using your palm, pull the fingers back gently toward your wrist. Hold the position and count to 25, then release. If the other wrist is affected, too, stretch it the same way.

3. Wrist Extensor Stretch

Holding one arm straight in front of you, with your palm down and fingers extended, bend the affected wrist down at a 90-degree angle. Don’t worry if your fingers don’t point to the floor—you may need to continue on your physical therapy journey to get there. You should feel this stretch in your forearm. Hold it for 15 to 30 seconds and release.

4. Wrist Deviations

This simple exercise is performed with your arm resting on a table with your hand hanging off. Slowly turn the hand to the side and hold the position for at least five seconds. Slowly return to the starting position, then turn the hand to the other side, holding for at least five seconds.

Prayer Stretch

Start this exercise with your elbows out and palms together, in a prayer-like pose. Slightly lower your wrists until you feel a slight stretch and hold the position for five seconds. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat at least 10 times. 

Start Your Healing Journey with Impact Medical Group of Lutz

When performed under the supervision of a professional physical therapist, some simple exercises can help you heal and reduce pain in your wrist after an accident. If you’re experiencing pain or loss of mobility in your wrist following an accident, the team at Impact Medical Group of Lutz is ready to help you get back your strength and range of motion. Call us today at (813) 536-0373 to schedule your free consultation!

Our Guide to Injections for Accident Pain

If you’ve been in a car accident, you not only experienced a frightening event, but you likely sustained injuries too. If you are like many accident victims, you may also be experiencing ongoing pain. Often, this pain lingers after your obvious injuries heal, which can be frustrating and debilitating.

At Impact Medical Wesley Chapel, our pain management doctors specialize in innovative treatments such as facet joint injections, steroid injections, and selective root blocks that can help accident victims manage and resolve chronic pain. 

Keep reading for our guide to injections for car accident pain!

What are Injections for Accident Pain?

Our pain management team at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel uses several different interventional pain procedures and injection therapy options to treat joint pain caused by an accident injury.

In addition to relieving pain, injections are very effective and can help improve a patient’s overall quality of life.

The Problem with Opioids and OTC Drugs

Opioids are a strong class of painkillers that work by binding to nerve receptors, blocking pain signals, and creating a sense of euphoria. But synthetic opioids that are often prescribed after an accident have stronger effects than naturally occurring opioids. This boosts their addictive properties and has helped in causing America’s opioid abuse epidemic.

OTC drugs like NSAIDS don’t cause the same addiction risk as opioids, but that doesn’t mean that they are safe. They can cause everything from stomach bleeds to kidney disease, and even liver failure. Plus, their painkilling effects are also short-lived, so you have to keep taking them every few hours to control the pain.

To avoid OTC drug and opioid drug use, we recommend the following injections depending on your unique situation.

Facet Joint Injections

Facet joints are small joints that are found at each segment of the spine. They provide stability to the body and guide motion. They can become inflamed due to an injury to the back during an accident.

During a facet joint injection, a small amount of local anesthetic and steroid medication is used to anesthetize the facet joints and help block the pain. These injections are meant to relieve pain so patients can tolerate physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Epidural Steroid Injections

Epidural injections deliver anti-inflammatory steroids to the spine around the nerve roots in the spine to help relieve back, leg, and other pain that is caused by irritated spinal nerves.

An epidural steroid injection is not a cure for back or leg pain, rather it gives patients enough relief to move forward with a physical therapy program. 

Selective Nerve Root Blocks

Selective nerve root blocks are long-lasting cortisone injections that are injected around the nerve root where it exits the spinal column.

These cortisone injections reduce the inflammation and pain caused by compression or pressure on the nerves. They can also be used as a diagnostic tool to help determine if the nerve is irritated.

Herniated discs are one of the most common conditions that benefit from selective nerve root blocks.

What Happens During an Injection?

Generally, appointments are less than an hour in duration. Depending on the type of treatment being administered, your doctor may use imaging equipment during the procedure to pinpoint the optimal injection site for the medication.

Some injections may cause minor discomfort, but patients usually do not experience any severe pain. Some patients feel pain relief from an injection right away.

Get Pain Relief Today

If you have been in a car accident and are experiencing lasting chronic pain, it may be time to ask your doctor about getting a facet joint injection, steroid injection, or selective root block injection to help relieve the pain so you can start healing. 

If you’re ready to get started, call our pain management specialists at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel today; (813) 953-1002!

3 Ways A Pain Management Doctor Can Help with Auto Accident Injuries

Any auto accident, even a minor fender bender, can result in a life-changing injury. Therefore, we recommend seeking help from our pain management team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills.

If you are suffering from the after-effects of an auto injury, here are three ways that our pain management doctors can help you heal.

What is a Pain Management Doctor?

A pain management doctor is a doctor who specializes in treating various types of pain. Whether it is acute pain from a car accident or chronic pain, a pain management doctor alleviates pain with non-surgical treatments. 

Although visiting your primary doctor can be helpful, you should seek treatment from a pain management doctor after a car accident as soon as possible. Their specialized knowledge allows pain management doctors to diagnose your injuries quicker and immediately start treating your pain. 

What Types of Auto Accident Injuries are Addressed with Pain Management?

The following injuries can cause chronic pain and deserve attention from one of our pain management doctors:

• Whiplash
• Soft-tissue injuries
• Herniated discs
• Neck injuries
• Displaced bone fragments in the spine
• Misaligned vertebrae

Remember, the effects of an accident can take some time to show up. You might not notice your injuries at first, but if you live with them for weeks or months, they may cause lasting pain and dysfunction.

Ways a Pain Management Doctor Can Help With Accident Injuries

Here are just a few of the ways that pain management doctors can help heal auto accident injuries:

#1. They Can Address the Pain Immediately

If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort due to your auto accident, seek medical care as soon as you can. Even if you aren’t in pain, a trip to the doctor should be on your agenda.

Our bodies are strong, but they aren’t designed to resist the force of a car accident. Come visit our pain management doctors at Impact Medical Zephyrhills and we will address your pain immediately so you can begin to heal.

#2. We Use Various Techniques

Our team at Impact Medical employs various techniques to help you heal after an accident including:

• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic care
• Nerve or root blocks
• Medications
• Injections
• And more

Having access to all these treatments in the same clinic allows patients to get the care they need without needing to go to numerous offices around town.

#3 We Have a Comprehensive Approach

Treating your injuries with a comprehensive approach allows you to begin healing and getting back to the things you love faster. We use:

Physical Therapy

This is one of the first lines of defense in the treatment of pain following a car accident. It is appealing because it doesn’t require medication and it can be highly effective.

There are many forms of physical therapy including manual, as well as hot or cold therapy. Most PT comes in the form of targeted exercises that help encourage mobility and increase strength after an accident.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic treatments are focused on adjusting the spine. Spinal manipulation is the most commonly used treatment to help alleviate pain, though other therapies may also be included in a chiropractic treatment plan.

Spinal manipulation should only be performed by a trained medical professional.

Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic exercise includes stretches and exercises that are done under the advice of a medical professional. Improvements in a patient’s strength, stamina, flexibility, and resilience help the body deal with pain better.

Contact a Pain Management Doctor

If you were in an auto accident, make arrangements to see a pain management doctor at Impact Medical Zephyrhills as soon as possible. We will guide you on your path back to a normal, pain-free life.

Schedule an appointment with one of our pain management doctors today; (813) 706-5156!

Is Radiofrequency Ablation a Safe Procedure?

If you suffer from chronic neck and lower back pain and simply cannot find relief, you may be a good candidate for radiofrequency ablation. This minimally invasive procedure is generally considered safe and low-risk. Impact Medical Group of Brandon shares more about radiofrequency ablation below.

Radiofrequency ablation, also known as rhizotomy, is a non-surgical procedure. In this process, waves of radiofrequency use ablation, or burning, to reduce or stop the transmission of pain within the nerves. This essentially eliminates nerve fibers that carry pain signals to the brain. Commonly used to treat chronic pain like arthritis in the spine, it may also be used to treat neck, back, knee, or pelvic pain. The benefits of radiofrequency ablation include little to no recovery time, immediate pain relief, and a decreased need for pain medication.

What can you expect from this procedure? Before performing the radiofrequency ablation, a doctor will review your medical history and imaging to plan for the best ablation locations. At this time, it’s best to discuss any medications you are taking and any questions you may have. The procedure takes place in an outpatient procedure room so patients can plan to recover at home that day. During the process, patients remain awake in order to provide feedback to the doctor. Typically, some initial pressure and discomfort may be felt as treatment begins but will dissipate.

An ideal candidate for radiofrequency ablation is someone who has experienced successful pain relief after receiving a diagnostic nerve or pain receptor block injection. Because this treatment uses x-ray guidance, it is not suited for people who have infections, are pregnant, or have bleeding problems.

Would you like to learn more about radiofrequency ablation and how it can positively impact your health? Call the Impact Medical Group of Brandon team today at (813) 522-8885 or visit us online to schedule an appointment.