It is unlikely your healthcare professional will recommend you take time off work. This is because we know you are more likely to recover sooner by keeping moving and using your hand. Sometimes you will need to modify what you do for a short while.

It is unlikely this will improve your recovery as a support will often reduce movement at your joint and make it more prone to pain and stiffness. It can be helpful if it increases your confidence to get back to certain activities but this should only be used for a short period of time and then reduce how much you use the splint or support.

The best way to predict if a bone in the wrist or hand has been fractured (broken) is if you have experienced:

• A trauma to the area
• Immediate pain when you try to move your hand or wrist.
• Immediate pain when you try to touch the area.
• Immediate pain when you try to grip objects.

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Certain people are more at risk of a broken bone (fracture), if you suffer from medical condition such as diabetes or osteoporosis, take certain medications such as steroids or are a smoker.

Tennis Elbow is the common term for lateral epicondylitis. You don’t have to play tennis to get this condition.

Any repetitive wrist extension activities can cause the pain. It occurs when the tendon that produces wrist extension becomes irritated at the point it attaches to your elbow.

The pain from tennis elbow is usually on a very specific spot around the joint.

Golfers Elbow is like tennis elbow but occurs on the opposite side of your elbow. Golfers elbow is the common term for medial epicondylitis. You don’t have to play golf to get this condition.

Any repetitive wrist flexion activities can cause the pain. It occurs when the tendon that produces wrist flexion becomes irritated at the point it attaches to your elbow.

The pain from Golfers elbow is usually on a very specific spot around the joint.

Yes – Please see the type and Self Help section. for further advice and exercises to treat these elbow conditions.

Yes. This is not a common site to get osteoarthritis, but it can happen.

It is usually associated with prolonged and repetitive stressful activities to the elbow or after a bony injury in previous years.

Osteoarthritis of your elbow joint may cause it to ache with some loss of movement too.

Possibly – Olecranon Bursitis is a condition characterized by swelling, redness and pain at the tip of the elbow.

It can occur after a bang to the elbow, repetitive elbow movements or due to infection. It can also sometimes be due to gout or rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment usually involves avoiding further trauma and non steroidal anti-inflammatories. If there are concerns regarding an infection, the fluid should be drained and sent to be tested. If an infection is then found antibiotics may be prescribed by your doctor.

A physiotherapist can advise on modification of your activity, and may also drain the bursa and possibly give a steroid injection to help settle the pain and inflammation.