Hand, wrist and elbow pain physiotherapy in Edmonton

Hand pain physiotherapy in southeast Edmonton starts with one question: nerve or tendon? Numbness in particular fingers, worse at night, is usually the former; a single tender spot that bites when you grip — tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, De Quervain's — is typically the latter.

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What does physiotherapy do for hand, wrist and elbow pain?

The first question is always whether this is a nerve problem or a tissue-loading problem, because they look nothing alike once you know what to ask. Numbness and tingling in particular fingers, worse at night, points at a nerve. Pain that is provoked by gripping and lifting, and located at one tender point, points at a tendon. The treatment for each is different.

Hand, Wrist And Elbow Pain Assessment And Treatment At Vertex Physiotherapy

What we see most

Four presentations cover most of what comes through, and elbow problems are included here because the muscles involved run down into the wrist.

Nerve symptoms worth describing precisely

Which fingers are involved narrows things down faster than anything else, so it is worth being specific at assessment.

  • Thumb, index, middle and half the ring finger, worse at night — median nerve at the wrist
  • Little finger and half the ring finger, worse with the elbow bent — ulnar nerve at the elbow
  • Back of the hand and thumb web — radial nerve
  • The whole hand, or symptoms that start in the neck and travel down — points at the neck
  • Both hands, or accompanied by weakness elsewhere — needs medical assessment

When it needs medical assessment first

  • Visible wasting of the muscle at the base of the thumb
  • Constant numbness rather than intermittent, or hand weakness causing dropped objects
  • A hot, swollen, red joint with fever
  • Inability to move a finger or wrist after an injury, or obvious deformity
  • Multiple painful, swollen joints with prolonged morning stiffness, which may point to inflammatory arthritis

What treatment usually involves

For nerve problems, the early work is usually positional: a night splint that holds the wrist straight is often what shifts carpal tunnel symptoms first, because most of the aggravation happens during sleep. Activity change and nerve mobility work run alongside.

For tendon problems, load management then progressive loading — isometric holds while the tendon is irritable, moving into heavier, slower resistance as it settles. Grip and shoulder strength are usually built alongside.

Elbow tendinopathies are slow. Several months of consistent work is normal, and consistency between appointments is what moves them.

Questions people ask

Not necessarily. Mild and moderate cases often respond to splinting and activity change. Severe cases, or cases with muscle wasting, generally do better with release, and waiting can cost recovery.

Injections reduce pain in the short term, but studies following people out to six and twelve months have found worse outcomes than exercise-based care, including higher recurrence. Worth discussing carefully with your physician rather than treating as the default.

De Quervain’s is common in the postpartum months — the repeated lifting position with thumbs spread, dozens of times a day, with a load that gets heavier every week. It responds well to a thumb splint and a change of lifting technique.

Hands, wrists and elbows are routine at Vertex. Carpal tunnel, tennis and golfer’s elbow, thumb arthritis, De Quervain’s and wrist sprains are all seen regularly, and splinting is fitted in the clinic where needed.

Sometimes, usually for a defined period and often just at night. Splints rest a tendon or nerve while the load changes and exercises do the longer-term work. They are fitted at the appointment rather than sent away for.

Repetitive strain injuries of the hand and wrist are among the more common WCB claims. If your symptoms came on at work, report it to your employer and WCB Alberta, then call (825) 525-2852 so treatment can be billed to the claim from the first visit.

Book a hand, wrist or elbow assessment

Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online.

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Written by Vertex Physiotherapy · Reviewed by Bipin Pokhrel, Provisional Physiotherapist · Last updated September 2026