Sudden wrist pain... please help
 

Over the past week or so I've been experiencing moderate to severe joint pain in my wrists and ankle. The onset was sudden and out of the blue. There is no specific cause that I can think of, and I'm starting to get worried.

For instance, I can barely bend my wrists. My right wrist has always been plagued with problems (tendonitis and cysts, scar tissue, tendon adhesion), but I've never had any problems with my left wrist. Now I have very limited range of motion in both wrists (about 30 degrees in my left, 60 in my right), I can barely make a fist, and my fingers are stiff on both hands. My grip is weak and I can't lift anything heavy without dropping it. I dropped my dog today :(

Also, my left ankle and foot are extraordinarily sore. I can't put my full weight on it without significant pain. So far I've just been taking Naproxen 500mg, but it's not doing a damn thing. I didn't injure myself, so what's going on?

I've been reading about different kinds of arthritis but I'm thoroughly confused. Has anyone here had similar symptoms? Any suggestions of what it could be?

Can you give some more info? is it ONLY your left side? is the pain sudden? does it last long periods of time? or come and go? Exactly where is the pain located? (front or back side of wrist) do you have decreased strength, what is the character of the pain? (sharp, dull, electric) anything you can do to make it better or worse? any change in diet? any recent colds?

sorry for all the questions, there are just 4 million reasons for joint pain.


answer some of these, and maybe we can get somewhere.....

The pain suddenly developed several days ago. It is a constant dull aching pain, with sharp pain when I try to flex/extend my wrist or grasp and lift objects. The pain is both anterior and posterior, and sometimes travels up the palm of my hand. ROM is drastically decreased. Pain is decreased when I wrap my wrist to limit my ROM. No change in diet or recent illnesses. The pain increases as the day goes on.

I'm right hand dominant, so I don't know why my left wrist is suddenly giving me such problems. Arthritis runs in my family on both sides, male and female... maybe that's it? Maybe tendonitis? Another cyst? I'm clueless. I don't want to see a doctor... I haven't had good luck with them in the past.

I'm just looking for some treatment advice and input from any TFPers who may have useful info or experience on this topic. Any help is greatly appreciated :)

Has there been any major recent weather changes? You'd be surprised how much they can affect how your body feels. Have you tried slow and gradual stretching to help gain more ROM?

Go to a cyropracter maybe? Im thinking a person who knows more about specific muscels will be able to help.

I understand your reluctance to see a doc because of your prior bad experience. Not all docs are bad.

I would recommend going to see one. One can get tendonitis in a joint which can cause some syptoms similar to what you described. However, this usually happens in only one joint. You've described having problems in at least three joints. The problems in your wrists and ankle may be connected. Although it could be just coincidence and something minor, it could also be something that would require some further work-up and treatment.

Good luck! :)

It might be a good idea to see a doctor. Sudden appearance of joint pain and stiffness can be a sign of Lyme Disease. You need a blood test to diagnose that.