Wrists Hurt After Iv...

These are very normal pains. She tried to do the best site for the patient which is radial and then when that failed she went anticubital and that is the easiest place to get regardless of procedure, drawing blood or placing an .I.V.

You should be fine in a day or so, use a little bit of ice or an icy cold gel pack to reduce the swelling if there is any and wait a day or two, the pain will go away.

Don't blame the nurse or tech, it isn't always easy to get a good stick on people and they certianly dont mean to hurt anyone.

Yeah I didn't think she meant to hurt me or anything...It's just that I have no clue about how those things work and what's supposed to feel like what, it's just that i've had iv's before and none looked like the one she did...And i'm pretty much a hyphochondriac and thinking everything could hurt me if not done right. I just find it odd that my wrist would hurt from a stick much higher. It was 3 days ago and it still hurts there. Hopefully it will just go away soon...Thanks for your reply!

No problem. You will do fine and once it stops hurting, you wont remember the stick unless you actully are thinking about it.

Good luck and feel better,
brian

I would also just keep checking the site where the iv was placed. Look for swelling, pain, inflamation as the site could be infected. Ivs are an invasive procedure as they break the skin - so just keep an eye on it.

I have the same problem I think exept I had an IV 3
weeks ago when I gave birth and itjust started
hurting a few days ago. Should I be worried?

I have the same problem I think exept I had an IV 3
weeks ago when I gave birth and itjust started
hurting a few days ago. Should I be worried?

On may 16 i had surgury my veins are small the nurse put in an iv in the vain by my wrist bone ever sence then my wrist has been sore it looks like there is something in it it's1/2 inch long and hard i can move it what could it be?could the plastic part of the iv be left in there?

I was in the hospital 2 days ago and the EMT that placed the IV tried to put it in my wrist (thumb side) by the bone and it didnt work. I dont blame him cause im a hard stick, but my wrist hurts so bad i cant even move my hand or my thumb in that area without something popping and it has a nice little bump by my tendon in that area. He also mentioned, when he first put the needle in that "my skin must be thick cause the needle started to bend" !!!! What the heck happened? I want the use of my hand back!

I am having the same issue a month after giving birth to my daughter! Lots of pain from my thumb to halfway up my forearm, lack of strength in my thumb and wrist and a weird popping feeling...did you ever get an answer on what was wrong with your wrist??

I am having the same issue a month after giving birth to my daughter! Lots of pain from my thumb to halfway up my forearm, lack of strength in my thumb and wrist and a weird popping feeling...did you ever get an answer on what was wrong with your wrist??

sld8,

Sometimes, when an IV is placed in the "intern's vein" (the one on the side of the wrist just up from the thumb), it is possible that the first dorsal extensor compartment gets irritated and inflamed. This is known as DeQuervain's.

It is a tenosynovitis of the tendons and tendon sheath that runs through a tight tunnel (called the extensor retinaculum) in that area.

There are actually six tunnels on the dorsal (back) aspect of the wrist. This broad band of tissue (the retinaculum) hold the tendons in close proximity to the bones, so that the tendons do not bow string with motion.

But, the tunnels (compartments) are very tight. Any little extra edema can cause a lot of pressure on the tendons, causing friction, producing pain. Sometimes the patient will even notice a rubbing sensation, crackling, or popping within the tendon. The area is usually a little swollen and can even be warm.

The discomfort associated with this disorder is made worse when the patient radially moved the wrists. Such as when you pick up a toddler under the arms using both hands. The discomfort can also be made worse with a Finklestein's maneuver. This is where you grasp the thumb with the other fingers, then move the wrist down toward the little finger side. Usually, this makes the pain quite a bit worse.

The tendons that run through this compartment actually start up in the forearm. There muscle bellies are about halfway up the forearm, then they run distally, becoming tendons, go through the compartment, and attach to the base of the thumb.

This condition is very common in new mothers anyways. They usually still have some fluid retention from the pregnancy and then they put a lot of stress on the first compartment, when they are picking up the baby and toddler a lot.


Another problem that can be caused by an IV in this site, is a neuroma of one of the branches of the radial sensory nerve. The radial nerve puts out a bunch of little nerve branchs over the thumb side back of the wrist and hand. If one of these nerves gets irritated, it can produce a little ball of tangled nerve fibers, called a neuroma.

The patient will again, have pain in the area. The pain may be made worse with tapping over a specific spot. If there is a neuroma there, it sometimes makes an electrical tingling type of pain. The patient may also have some numbness and tingling right round the area.

This problem can be caused by direct injury to one of the little nerve from a cut or puncture. Or it can be from outside pressure, such as too tight of a watch or bracelet, or hand-cuffs. It is sometimes referred to as hand-cuff palsy.


These two conditions can coexist. It takes a good exam to figure out exactly what is going on.

If the condition really bothers you, you should see a hand surgeon for a thorough evaluation. These conditions can be treated. Good luck. Have fun with your new baby.

thank you so much for this response. I thought i was going crazy thinking that it's from the IV. I gave birth Aug 5 and started feeling the pain 2 weeks after. 5 months after the pain is excruciating. this doesn't seem normal and i can't even hold my daughter sometimes. I don't have insurance yet, so i am waiting on a response.Is there anything i can do in the mean while? thank you again

ImmYazmin,

As I mentioned in a post to another member, it is possible to develop pain from an IV site.

Around the wrist, the most common place to start an IV is in the vein on the radial side of the wrist, just a little proximal to the thumb. This is a large vein and fairly consistent, so most providers will go for it first.

But, there is a fairly large skin nerve right in that spot that can be injured. The vein also sits right over the first dorsal compartment of the extensor tendons.

So, if the nerve is injured, a neuroma can develop. A neuroma usually causes an electrical shock type of pain when tapped.

If the first dorsal compartment gets irritated or inflamed, it is called a tenosynovitis. In this particular place, it is called DeQuervain's.


But, if the IV was placed somewhere else, such as the back of the hand, on the forearm or in the antecubital fossa (front of elbow), then other structures may have been injured or irritated.


But, if the pain is located on the thumb side of the wrist and it hurts to bend the wrists to the thumb side, then you most likely have DeQuervain's.

This disorder is actually very common in pregnancy and for about 2-3 years after the baby is born. During pregnancy, it is due to the fluid shifts around the body and swelling in the wrists and hands. After delivery, it is usually due to overuse and how infants and toddlers are picked up. Usually, toddlers are picked up with the parents's hands under the child's arms, thumbs pointed up in the air. This causes the tendons that go through the first dorsal compartment to be stressed.

DeQuervain's is usually treated with short term immobilization of the thumb and wrist. New mothers often have trouble wearing the splint, because it can interfere with handling the baby. But, if you can get a thumb spica splint or short opponens splint, the immobilization will help with the discomfort. A regular wrist splint will not work, because it does not stabilize the thumb.

Antiinflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, if you can take it, is often helpful with the inflammation. But, if you are breast feeding, be sure to ask your pediatrician if the medicine in okay.

Ice packs when the discomfort is really bad usually helps. At night, a hot pack is usually more soothing. So, either ice or heat is okay.

But, if these measures do not work, then you may have to see a physician. Sometimes, a hand surgeon will order occupational therapy for the condition, to include iontophoresis or ultrasound over the compartment. But, if this does not work, then an injection of steroids is sometimes used.


Hope your wrist feels better. Have a great time with your new little one.

Good luck.