Q: I am having a strange pain in my left wrist. I don't know what arthritis feels like, but I imagine it is similar to this. I am having a localized pain on the inside joint (the one facing the other arm when I hold my arms out with palms down) between the wrist bone and the lower thumb joint. It is a little swollen - not much - but tender to the touch. It hurts mainly when using it to lift something, but has recently started "catching" where it feels like it gets stuck on something inside there, and I have to sort of move it or wait for it to get unstuck. I don't know if that makes sense. I have 6 month old twins, so I wonder if it is a result of a lot of lifting. Also, I am nursing, so I don't want to take anything that will affect that.
Thank you so much for your thoughts.
A: The first thought that comes to mind is certainly overuse. Many women experience various repetitive injuries after having babies, such as bursitis, mild carpal tunnel and other hand, wrist, arm, back and hip conditions. It's quite a wear carrying around a baby all the time, or holding a baby to nurse, and that's doubled with twins, of course! The hormones of nursing may also contribute to tissue issues.
With the inflammation, I'm inclined to believe that this is responsible for the "catching" sensation. I think that you should first tackle the inflammation and see if this problem eases as a result. If it doesn't, you might consider an X-ray just in case you're having a more serious problem with the bone itself.
My first inclination is to recommend some herbs like white willow bark, but because of the presence of aspirin in these plants, I'd be concerned about combining them with nursing. The next option is feverfew. This herb is wonderful for all kinds of aches and pains. You can take it as a tea or tincture. As a tea, steep 1 t. of the herb in 1 c. hot water and steep it for five minutes. You can sweeten it with honey and try to get in three cups a day. The easiest way to do this is just to make a big batch every day and drink it a few times a day from that big batch. Or you can take a dropperful of tincture in juice or tea up to three times a day. Feverfew doesn't work for everybody so try it for a week or two to see if it works for you. You may combine the tea or tincture with licorice root and/or echinacea for added benefit.
Ginger is also great for reducing inflammation and relieving pain, and it's very safe. You can just take ginger capsules (500-100 mg/day) or you can make a tea from the fresh herb (1 T. grated ginger to 1 c. hot water).
An enzyme called bromelain, which comes from pineapple, is also awesome for inflammation. You can even apply fresh pineapple as a topical treatment! Or you can take bromelain capsules. Studies conducted on patients using bromelain as a result of trauma or swelling from surgery showed that 75% had good to excellent improvement, which was even better than drugs.
Finally, I'd recommend increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. EFA's are extremely important for preventing inflammation responses. You can accomplish this by eating fatty fish such as salmon or mackerel, sprinkling ground flaxseed on your morning cereal or adding it to baked goods, and/or take an oil supplement including borage, evening primrose and/or black currant. This oil has shown excellent results with arthritis sufferers.
For all of these remedies, watch yourself and your baby closely for signs of irritation or sensitivity. For many herbs, little is known about the effect on breastfeeding. I haven't included recommendations for some herbs, such as pau d'arco, which do have powerful effects for relief of inflammation and pain, but also may have strong side effects and may influence your babies through milk. Feverfew, echinacea, licorice root and ginger are all generally safe herbs for breastfeeding, but it's always good to be cautious and aware of any unwanted side effects.
As for topical application, arnica gel or cream is an excellent local treatment for pain. Essential oils of thyme and/or peppermint can be combined with a carrier oil and applied for pain relief. But the most important thing is also, probably, the most difficult thing: rest! Rest it as much as you can; switch hands often when holding your babies for nursing and just try your best to keep weight off of it. Do some gentle exercises at night to stretch the tendons and increase blood flow to the area. I really believe that reducing the inflammation will go a long way toward healing the pain and that catching sensation.
Let me know if you have any other questions or if anything needs to be clarified.
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