Professional Documents
Culture Documents
To cite this article: Alexandra R. Anderson & Craig P. Hensley (2019): Manual therapy for
work-related wrist pain in a manual physical therapist, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, DOI:
10.1080/09593985.2019.1686671
Introduction therapy. Most PTs report using different parts of their body
to administer manual therapy, and 50% warmed up and
Musculoskeletal conditions in health-care providers, parti-
stretched before performing manual therapy as a self-
cularly in the physical therapy profession, are frequently
treatment option (Rozenfeld et al., 2010).
attributed to occupational tasks (Truszczynska, Scherer,
WMSDs in physical therapy have many notable con-
and Drzal-Grabiec, 2016). Estimates suggest that the pre-
sequences, including modifying treatment techniques,
valence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders
taking time off work, decreasing work hours, and most
(WMSDs) in physical therapists (PTs) range from 53-91%
commonly changing practice setting (Vieira et al., 2016).
(Vieira et al., 2016). There are common occupational activ-
Although less common, some PTs actually leave the pro-
ities that put PTs at risk for WMSDs, including patient
fession due to WMSDs (Campo, Weiser, Koenig, and
handling and manual therapy (Campo, Weiser, Koenig,
Nordin, 2008). Occupational demands of PTs make the
and Nordin, 2008; Hignett, 2001). Injury to the wrist is
management of these injuries difficult (Baldwin, Johnson,
reported by 14% of PTs, particularly in those who perform
and Butler, 1996; Jette and Jette, 1996).
manual therapy (Darragh, Huddleston, and King, 2009).
The lunotriquetral (LT) joint sits along the proximal
Manual therapy is responsible for 69.1% of wrist/hand
ulnar side of the wrist. Joint kinematics are dependent on
injuries in all PTs and occupational therapists (Darragh,
joint surface geometry and ligaments given that there are no
Campo, and King, 2012). Repetitive manual therapy, being
dynamic constraints. Stability is provided by both intrinsic
female, and having less than 5 years of experience as a PT
and extrinsic ligaments. The intrinsic LT ligament is
are risk factors for developing wrist/hand pain (Vieira et al.,
C-shaped and composed of three regions; the dorsal and
2016). It has been hypothesized that the repetitive motion,
palmar true ligaments, of which the palmar is the strongest,
force, and/or sustained positions with soft tissue and joint
and a wedge-shaped proximal membrane (Ritt et al., 1998).
mobilization contribute to these WMSDs (Darragh,
Extrinsic ligaments connect the proximal carpus to the
Campo, and King, 2012). There are limited data on treat-
radius, ulna and mid-carpus, and prevent the proximal
ment options for PTs with wrist/hand pain due to manual
row from supinating/pronating beyond the normal range
CONTACT Alexandra R. Anderson aanders523@gmail.com Physical Therapy Department, University of Illinois Health, Chicago, IL, United States
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/iptp.
© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2 A. R. ANDERSON AND C. P. HENSLEY
Case description
Patient history
A 28-year-old, right-hand dominant, orthopedic manual
PT presented to physical therapy with right ulnar-sided
wrist pain (Figure 1). The differential diagnosis for ulnar-
sided wrist pain, along with exam findings supporting/ Figure 1. Body chart. Checkmarks indicate symptom-free areas.
refuting each diagnosis, is outlined in Table 1. The patient Red marked area indicates the region of pain. The patient
described her pain as sharp, dull, and stiff.
had been practicing for 3 years. Her wrist pain began 6
months prior to the initial evaluation. She attributed her
pain to an increase in manual therapy usage. Using the current episode of pain was different than episodes
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) (Ferraz et al., 1990), the in the past. She had attempted to manage her current
patient described pain ranging from 0-7/10. Her main problem with occasional use of NSAIDs and night
complaint was performing posterior to anterior (PA) glides splints without success. She denied previous trauma
on patients’ lumbar and thoracic spines (Figure 2) on more or current pain in the cervical spine, shoulder girdle,
than two patients per day. The pain typically resolved or elbow. No red flags, numbness or tingling, or weak-
immediately when moving the wrist out of the aggravating ness were reported. Patient-informed consent was
position but could linger into the evening if significantly provided. Regarding patient-reported outcomes, she
provoked. Other aggravating factors included falling asleep scored a 6.5/10 on the Patient-Specific Functional
with the wrist flexed, using a hammer, and pulling open Scale (PSFS) (6/10 with PA techniques, 7/10 opening
a heavy door. a door) (Stratford, 1995).
Pertinent past medical history included a right sca-
pholunate injury in high school and undiagnosed
Physical examination
wrist pain with tumbling and handstands in college
gymnastics. She received an occupational therapy The cervical spine, shoulder, elbow, and forearm were
intervention for her scapholunate injury in high screened and cleared. Observation of the wrist/hand was
school but did not seek treatment in college. Her unremarkable for edema, ecchymosis, ulnar prominence,
PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE 3
Table 1. Differential diagnosis, with exam findings in this case, for ulnar-sided wrist pain.
Diagnosis Exam findings
Lunotriquetral pain Likely given pain was provoked with joint mobility testing along with passive range of motion into
flexion, extension, and ulnar deviation.
Osteoarthritis: distal radioulnar joint, intercarpal, Unknown without imaging
or ulnocarpal joints Unlikely given patient’s age and no signs of crepitus with physical examination
Triangular fibrocartilage complex injury Negative on all special tests
Extensor carpi ulnaris tendinopathy/tenosynovitis Unlikely given pain-free manual muscle testing and palpation to tendons
Flexor carpi ulnaris tendinopathy Unlikely given pain-free manual muscle testing and palpation to tendons
Ulnar impaction syndrome Unknown without imaging
Unlikely given no ulnar variance observed and negative ulnocarpal stress test (Nakamura et al., 1997)
Carpal instability (pisotriquetral and Passive accessory joint assessment did not reveal hypermobility
lunotriquetral)
Distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) instability Negative on special tests and joint mobility testing
Keinbock’s disease Unknown without imaging
Unlikely given no severe range of motion limitations, tenderness directly over the lunate, and edema
Pisotriquetral pain Unlikely given negative joint mobility testing
Ulnolunate/ulnotriquetral pain Unlikely given negative joint mobility testing
Lunotriquetral coalition Mobility was noted between lunate and triquetrum
Stress fracture Unknown without imaging
Only known risk factor would be repetitive manual therapy
Ulnar neuritis Unlikely given no paresthesias and neurological findings
Hypothenar myalgia Unlikely given pain-free manual muscle testing and palpation to hypothenar muscles
C8 radiculopathy Unlikely given cervical spine range of motion was deemed normal with active range of motion and
overpressure
No paresthesias and neurological findings
Ulnar artery thrombosis Unlikely given no paresthesias, color/temperature changes
Discussion
Physical therapy is a profession requiring increased
demands on the musculoskeletal system in the amount
of force, movement, and/or postures required for effective
examination and treatment. These requirements can lead
to WMSDs. It is likely that the repetitive stress with
increasing patient loads played a significant role in this
patient’s development of wrist pain (Vieira et al., 2016).
Campo, Weiser, Koenig, and Nordin (2008) found that
Figure 6. Self-mobilization in wrist flexion and ulnar deviation. those PTs who performed joint mobilization on more
The patient performed an anterior to posterior glide of the than 10 patients per day had a 7.95 times higher risk of
triquetrum in wrist flexion and ulnar deviation as a part of developing wrist and/or hand pain compared to those
her home exercise program. who did not perform joint mobilization. As mentioned
earlier, PTs who are of female gender and younger age are
at a higher risk for developing wrist/hand pain.
Interestingly, the average age of PTs who experience
Table 3. Outcome measures. their first major WMSD is 28 years old (West and
1 month follow
up after visit 2
Gardner, 2001), the age of the patient in this case. The
Assessment Evaluation Visit 2 (phone call) patient’s former sport, gymnastics, has been shown to
PSFS (performing non-thrust 6/10 10/10 10/10 increase the prevalence and incidence of wrist pain (Kox
spinal mobilization)
PSFS (pushing heavy door) 7/10 10/10 10/10
et al., 2015). It is likely that the patient’s history of sca-
NPRS 7/10 3/10 0/10 maximum pholunate injury may have increased susceptibility to
maximum maximum
GROC +6 +7
injury at the adjacent LT joint due to changes in joint
Simulated non-thrust 17.5 kg 39.5 kg and ligamentous stability and/or compensatory patterns
mobilization (weight on (2/10 (0/10
scale converted to kgs) pain); pain)
to decrease the load on the scapholunate joint.
Initial pain onset; 31.5 kg Ulnar-sided wrist pain is a common reason for medical
maximum tolerable (6/10 visits. It is often referred to as the low back pain of the
pain)
Abbreviations: PSFS, Patient-Specific Functional Scale; NPRS, Numeric Pain
wrist due to difficulty in identifying the nociceptive driver
Rating Scale; GROC, Global Rating of Change. of pain (Porretto-Loehrke, Schuh, and Szekeres, 2016). In
this case, the LT joint was seemingly the nociceptive
source, as joint mobility testing here provoked the
to have high face validity. The patient scored a + 6 (a great patient’s symptoms. Non-thrust joint mobilizations were
deal better), indicating significant change (Jaeschke, chosen to improve mobility at hypomobile segments,
Singer, and Guyatt, 1989). including the LT joint. Following non-thrust joint mobi-
AP mobility was pain-free at the triquetrum on lizations at the LT joint, the patient was able to tolerate
lunate. Wrist AROM with overpressure was pain-free a considerable increase in weight through the wrist with
in all directions except flexion at a 1/10 pain. No pain her manual therapy techniques. Immediate response to
was present during combined wrist flexion and UD. All manual treatment may be explained by the application of
goniometric measures of AROM were unchanged. The mechanical input to the central nervous system, enabling
PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE 7
augmented analgesic effects or heightening conditioned particularly at the hand/wrist, there is little evidence on
pain modulation, confirmed by reduced deep tissue sen- prevention and treatment allowing for the maintenance of
sitivity to pressure (Courtney et al., 2016). The home job performance and long-term participation. Future
exercise program included self-mobilizing techniques to research should focus on the incidence/prevalence of
normalize joint mobility at the LT and intercarpal joints, ulnar-sided wrist and/or LT pain in those with previous
as well as isometric exercise to induce hypoalgesia. scapholunate injury and in PTs who perform manual
Isometric exercise has been shown to produce significant therapy. Finally, research should look to improve ways
analgesic effects across varying pathologies and treatment to both prevent and treat WMSDs amongst PTs.
protocols (Naugle, Fillingim, and Riley, 2012; Rio et al.,
2015, 2017). Modifications to the patient’s use of manual
therapy likely assisted in maintaining improvement in Declaration of Interest
pain and function. The use of consistent assessment/reas-
sessment during examination/intervention was critical in We have no financial conflicts of interest.
determining the appropriate intervention. In this case, the
use of a scale for objective measurement was used before
and after non-thrust joint mobilizations. References
It should be noted that the patient in this case report
Baldwin ML, Johnson WG, Butler RJ 1996 The error of using
had excellent outcomes following only 1 formal treat- returns-to-work to measure the outcomes of health care.
ment. As a PT, the patient’s knowledge was an advan- American Journal of Industrial Medicine 29: 632–641
tage in improving her ability to apply self-mobilizations Campo M, Weiser S, Koenig KL, Nordin M 2008 Work-
and modify techniques at work, therefore likely contri- related musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapists:
buting to improving outcomes. A prospective cohort study with 1-year follow-up.
Physical Therapy 88: 608–619
Most PTs do not seek formal evaluation and treatment
Courtney CA, Steffen AD, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C, Kim J,
for their own injuries, especially for WMSDs (Campo, Chmell SJ 2016 Joint mobilization enhances mechanisms
Weiser, Koenig, and Nordin, 2008; Vieira et al., 2016). of conditioned pain modulation in individuals with
PTs should consider formal evaluation/treatment to osteoarthritis of the knee. Journal of Orthopaedic and
improve pain in the workplace, work-related function, Sports Physical Therapy 46: 168–176
and occupational longevity. Darragh AR, Campo M, King P 2012 Work-related activities
associated with injury in occupational and physical
therapists. Work 42: 373–384
Limitations Darragh AR, Huddleston W, King P 2009 Work-related
musculoskeletal injuries and disorders among occupational
There were several limitations in this case report. The and physical therapists. American Journal of Occupational
diagnosis, in this case, was inconclusive. No imaging was Therapy 63: 351–362
Ferraz MB, Quaresma MR, Aquino LR, Atra E, Tugwell P,
performed, but it seemed unreasonable to recommend Goldsmith CH 1990 Reliability of pain scales in the assess-
imaging given the patient’s positive response to interven- ment of literate and illiterate patients with rheumatoid
tion. In addition, the reliance on subjective report was used arthritis. Journal of Rheumatology 17: 1022–1024
during assessment/reassessment. No handheld dynam- Hengeveld E, Banks K, Maitland GD 2005 Maitland’s
ometer was available. However, a scale was used to simulate Peripheral Manipulation 4th, Edinburgh, Scotland:
Elsevier/Butterworth Heinemann
patient-specific occupational restrictions. Finally, it is
Hignett S 2001 Manual handling risk assessments in occupa-
impossible to attribute which intervention (manual ther- tional therapy. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 64:
apy, home exercise, and/or activity modification) was most 81–86
responsible for the patient’s successful outcome. It is Jaeschke R, Singer J, Guyatt GH 1989 Measurement of health
believed that the combination of manual therapy, activity status: Ascertaining the minimal clinically important
modification, and adherence with the home program all difference. Controlled Clinical Trials 10: 407–415
Jette DU, Jette AM 1996 Health status assessment in the
assisted in improving function in this case.
occupational health setting. Orthopaedic Clinics of North
America 27: 891–902
Kamper SJ, Maher CG, Mackay G 2009 Global rating of
Conclusion
change scales: A review of strengths and weaknesses and
This case report details the examination, clinical reason- considerations for design. Journal of Manual &
Manipulative Therapy 17: 163–170
ing, and successful treatment (including manual therapy,
Kendall FP, McCreary EK, Provance PG 1993 Muscles:
exercise, and patient education) used for an orthopedic Testing and Function. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins
manual PT with ulnar-sided wrist pain stemming from Kox LS, Kuijer PP, Kerkhoffs GM, Maas M, Frings-Dresen
the LT joint. Although WMSDs are common among PTs, MH 2015 Prevalence, incidence and risk factors for
8 A. R. ANDERSON AND C. P. HENSLEY
overuse injuries of the wrist in young athletes: 2017 Isometric contractions are more analgesic than iso-
A systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine tonic contractions for patellar tendon pain: An in-season
49: 1189–1196 randomized clinical trial. Clinical Journal of Sports
Landel R, Kulig K, Fredericson M, Li B, Powers CM 2008 Medicine 27: 253–259
Intertester reliability and validity of motion assessments Ritt MJ, Linscheid RL, Cooney III WP, Berger RA, An KN
during lumbar spine accessory motion testing. Physical 1998 The lunotriquetral joint: Kinematic effects of sequen-
Therapy 88: 43–49 tial ligament sectioning, ligament repair, and arthrodesis.
Lester B, Halbrecht J, Levy IM, Gaudinez R 1995 “Press test” Journal of Hand Surgery (Am) 23: 432–445
for office diagnosis of triangular fibrocartilage complex Rozenfeld V, Ribak J, Danziger J, Tsamir J, Carmeli E 2010
tears of the wrist. Annals of Plastic Surgery 35: 41–45 Prevalence, risk factors and preventive strategies in
Mastella DJ, Zelouf DF 2004 Anatomy of the lunotriquetral work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Israeli phy-
joint. Atlas of the Hand Clinics 9: 7–15 sical therapists. Physiotherapy Research International 15:
Nakamura R, Horii E, Imaeda T, Nakao E, Kato H, Watanabe K 176–184
1997 The ulnocarpal stress test in the diagnosis of ulnar-sided Snodgrass SJ, Rivett DA, Sterling M, Vicenzino B 2014 Dose
wrist pain. Journal of Hand Surgery (Br) 22: 719–723 optimization for spinal treatment effectiveness:
Naugle KM, Fillingim RB, Riley JL 2012 A meta-analytic A randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of
review of the hypoalgesic effects of exercise. Journal of high and low mobilization forces in patients with neck
Pain 13: 1139–1150 pain. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical
Norkin CC, White JD 2009 Measurement of Joint Motion: Therapy 44: 141–152
A Guide to Goniometry 4th, Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Stratford P 1995 Assessing disability and change on indivi-
Company dual patients: A report of a patient specific measure.
Porretto-Loehrke A, Schuh C, Szekeres M 2016 Clinical Physiotherapy Canada 47: 258–263.
manual assessment of the wrist. Journal of Hand Therapy Truszczynska A, Scherer A, Drzal-Grabiec J 2016 The occur-
29: 123–135 rence of overload at work and musculoskeletal pain in
Porteous R, Harish S, Parasu N 2012 Imaging of ulnar-sided young physiotherapists. Work 54: 609–616
wrist pain. Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal van de Grift TC, Ritt MJ 2016 Management of lunotriquetral
63: 18–29 instability: A review of the literature. Journal of Hand
Ranzenberger LR, Carter KR 2019 Lunotriquetral Instability. Surgery (Eu) 41: 72–85
StatPearls Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing. van Trijffel E, van de Pol RJ, Oostendorp RA, Lucas C 2010
Remvig L, Jensen DV, Ward RC 2007 Are diagnostic criteria for Inter-rater reliability for measurement of passive physio-
general joint hypermobility and benign joint hypermobility logical movements in lower extremity joints is generally
syndrome based on reproducible and valid tests? A review of low: A systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy 56:
the literature. Journal of Rheumatology 34: 798–803 223–235
Rhee PC, Sauvé PS, Lindau T, Shin AY 2014 Examination of Vieira ER, Schneider P, Guidera C, Gadotti IC, Brunt D 2016
the wrist: Ulnar-sided wrist pain due to ligamentous Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among physical
injury. The Journal of Hand Surgery 39: 1859–1862 therapists: A systematic review. Journal of Back and
Rio E, Kidgell D, Purdam C, Gaida J, Moseley GL, Pearce AJ, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 29: 417–428
Cook J 2015 Isometric exercise induces analgesia and West DJ, Gardner D 2001 Occupational injuries of phy-
reduces inhibition in patellar tendinopathy. British siotherapists in north and central Queensland. Australian
Journal of Sports Medicine 49: 1277–1283 Journal of Physiotherapy 47: 179–186
Rio E, van Ark M, Docking S, Moseley GL, Kidgell D, Young D, Papp S, Giachino A 2010 Physical examination of
Gaida JE, van den Akker-scheek I, Zwerver J, Cook J the wrist. Hand Clinics 26: 21–36