Common causes of wrist pain

Wrist pain is often caused by bruising or injuring your wrist, but there are lots of possible causes.

Do not try to diagnose the cause of the pain yourself.

Types of wrist pain
Symptoms	Possible cause
Sudden, sharp wrist pain, swelling, a popping or snapping sound during the injury	Broken wrist
Pain, swelling and bruising, difficult to move wrist or grip anything	Sprained wrist
Pain, swelling and stiffness at the base of the thumb (near the wrist) that lasts a long time, may be hard to move fingers and thumb, may have a lump	Tendonitis (de Quervain's disease) or arthritis
Aching pain that's worse at night, tingling, numbness or pins and needles in the fingers, hand or arm, a weak thumb or difficulty gripping	Carpal tunnel syndrome
Smooth lump on top of the wrist, may be painful	Ganglion cyst

Important

If you think you might have broken your wrist, do not try to treat it yourself. Contact 111 to find out what to do.

How you can ease wrist pain yourself

If you see a GP about mild pain or stiffness in your wrist, they'll usually suggest you try these things:

Do

rest your wrist when you can
put an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas) in a towel and place it on your wrist for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
keep your hands and wrists moving with gentle exercises to help ease mild pain and stiffness
use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen gel (or ibuprofen tablets if needed)
take off any jewellery if your hand looks swollen
stop or cut down activities that are causing the pain – for example, typing, using vibrating tools for work, or playing an instrument
wear a splint to support your wrist and ease pain, especially at night – you can get these at most pharmacies and supermarkets
think about using gadgets or tools to make difficult or painful tasks easier – for example, to open jars or chop vegetables

Don’t

do not use heat packs or have hot baths for the first 2 to 3 days after an injury
do not lift heavy objects or grip anything too tightly

A pharmacist can help with wrist pain

You can ask a pharmacist for advice about:

the best painkiller to take
the best splint to support your wrist and ease pain – flexible rubber splints are available if you still need to use your wrist
whether you need to see a GP

Find a pharmacy

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

pain in your wrist is stopping you doing normal activities
the pain is getting worse or keeps coming back
the pain has not improved after treating it at home for 2 weeks
you have any tingling or loss of sensation in your hand or wrist
you have diabetes – hand problems can be more serious if you have diabetes
you have wrist pain and also feel unwell with a high temperature
your wrist is painful, warm, swollen and stiff

Urgent advice: Contact NHS 111 if:

you have severe wrist pain
you feel faint, dizzy or sick from the pain, or you feel unwell, hot, cold or shivery
you heard a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of the injury
you are not able to move your wrist or hold things
your wrist has changed shape or colour
you have a lump on your wrist that's very painful, hot or red – redness may be harder to see on brown and black skin
you have lost the feeling in part or all of your hand

These might be signs of a broken wrist or an infection.

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Self-refer for treatment

If you have wrist pain, you might be able to refer yourself directly to services for help with your condition without seeing a GP. These may include physiotherapy and musculoskeletal services.

To find out if there are any self-referral services in your area:

ask the reception staff at your GP surgery
check your GP surgery's website
contact your integrated care board (ICB) – find your local ICB
search online for NHS treatment for wrist pain near you