Arthritis is a common disease and has already affected millions of people in the world. Arthritis is the inflammation of joints of any part of the body. It affects our daily activities because it makes movement of the affected joint very painful and stiff. The usual joints that are affected are the joints that carry the weight of our body like the knees or the hip. But wrist may also be affected and is becoming common nowadays.

There are many types of arthritis but only two are common cause of wrist arthritis. These are the rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis, you usually feel some level of pain and discomfort. Sometimes, pain makes it difficult for you to go on with your usual daily activities. Pain is usually occurs with swelling, and difficulty in range of motions in the affected wrist. Weakness and distortion of the joint may even occur in some cases. The inflammation may also spread out in other joint areas like the elbow, knees and hips after a few days. Unlike in rheumatoid cases, the swelling does not diffuse to different joint areas with osteoarthritis. Joint deformity is also not common. But swelling and limited movements in the wrist is still present. A feeling of weakness in the joint is also experienced.

Acquiring arthritis in the wrist is actually different from person to person and depends on the type of arthritis they have. Our immune system is actually the reason for the inflammation of the joints in rheumatoid arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease where the healthy tissues of the joint are targeted by the immune system and results to the inflammation and degeneration of the tissue. In osteoarthritis, the cause is more of the wear and tear of the tissues. Repetitive injuries from trauma in the wrist lead to the degeneration of the tissue. The cartilage starts to breakdown because of being used too much and repetitively. This ultimately results to the inflammation and then the degeneration occurs.

Treatment of the arthritis in the wrist is based in the type of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis requires non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs and, sometimes, corticosteroids to lessen the inflammation. Immunosuppressants are also necessary to offset the actions of the immune system. Prescription drugs for pain may also be needed to control the pain. For osteoarthritis, prescription drugs are not needed. Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are enough for the reduction of inflammation. Topical pain relievers for pain management are necessary. Self-care measures are also used to relieve discomfort and pain. Ice may be used for inflammation control. Heat pads can relieve pain and may substitute topical pain reliever. Activities that worsen the condition should also be avoided to prevent further inflammation. Exercises can be advised by a physical therapist to strengthen the wrist. This way, the wrist will be able to support the hand and activities may now resume.

If medicines wont do the trick, then an surgery to correct the joint problem may be necessary so that pain may be alleviated.