Written by Mavis Tham, Shamaine Soh and Yuna Zhuang, Principal Hand Occupational Therapists at Phoenix Rehab.Clinically reviewed by Nigel Chua, Principal Hand Occupational Therapist & Director, AHPC A1300362Z.Last reviewed 22 October 2026.
Where your wrist hurts is the best clue to what is causing it. Pain on the little-finger side often points to the TFCC. Thumb-side pain is often De Quervain’s tendinopathy, thumb base arthritis or, after a fall, a scaphoid fracture. Numb fingers point to carpal tunnel. Pain at the back of the wrist when you push up is often load, a sprain or a ganglion.
Key takeaways
- The location of wrist pain is the most useful first clue: little-finger side, thumb side, back of the wrist, or palm side with numb fingers.
- Little-finger-side pain when you turn a door handle or push up from a chair often points to the TFCC.
- Thumb-side pain after a fall needs checking for a scaphoid fracture, which can look normal on the first X-ray.
- Numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worse at night, is the classic pattern of carpal tunnel syndrome.
- At Phoenix, wrist pain is seen by our hand therapists, who work only on the finger, hand, wrist, forearm and elbow.
Where does your wrist hurt?
| Where it hurts | What it often is | Typical clues | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little-finger side | TFCC injury, or the ECU tendon beside it | Worse turning a door handle, pushing up from a chair or carrying a bag; sometimes a click when the forearm rotates | TFCC tear and wrist injury |
| Thumb side, over the tendons | De Quervain’s tendinopathy | Worse lifting a baby, gripping, or moving the thumb; common in new parents | De Quervain’s tenosynovitis |
| Base of the thumb | Thumb base (CMC joint) arthritis | An ache when you pinch, open a jar or turn a key; more common after 50 | Thumb joint pain |
| Thumb side, after a fall | Scaphoid fracture | Tender in the hollow at the base of the thumb; the first X-ray can look normal | Scaphoid Fracture Recovery Program |
| Back of the wrist | Wrist sprain, a ganglion, or pain from loading the wrist bent back | A lump, or pain at the end of the movement in push-ups, planks or yoga | Wrist sprain, wrist ganglion cyst |
| Palm side, with numb fingers | Carpal tunnel syndrome | Numb thumb, index and middle fingers, worse at night; shaking the hand out helps for a while | Carpal tunnel syndrome |
| Across the wrist, after a fall | Wrist fracture | Swollen or out of shape, and hard to use straight after the fall | Wrist Fracture Recovery Program |
| Base of the palm, little-finger side, after a mishit | Hook of hamate fracture | Pain gripping a club, bat or racquet | Hook of hamate fracture |
| Along the tendons, with repetitive use | Wrist tendonitis | Pain that builds through the day with typing, lifting or a repeated task | Wrist tendonitis |
The table is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Two problems can sit in the same spot, and some wrists have more than one.
Wrist pain after a fall
Most falls onto an outstretched hand cause a sprained wrist. Two injuries hide inside that word. A scaphoid fracture can look normal on the first X-ray, and a TFCC tear does not show on an X-ray at all, because it is cartilage and ligament, not bone.
If the hollow at the base of your thumb is tender after a fall, see a doctor the same day. If the wrist is no better two weeks after a fall, or it still clicks and hurts when you turn your forearm, get it assessed.
If it was a fracture, the bone has joined and the wrist is still stiff or weak weeks later, see stiffness after a broken wrist for what usually causes it.
Wrist pain with no injury
Wrist pain that starts without a fall usually follows a change in load. A new baby, a new job, more hours at the keyboard, a new racquet sport or a new gym routine are the common starts. De Quervain’s tendinopathy is common in the months after a baby arrives, from lifting with the thumb spread wide.
A wrist that becomes hot, red and swollen without an injury is different. That needs a doctor the same day, because infection and gout can look like this.
Why do my wrists hurt when I do push-ups or after the gym?
Push-ups, planks, burpees and many yoga poses put your body weight through a wrist bent fully back. If the wrist is not used to that range under load, the back of the wrist pinches at the end of the movement.
Try push-ups on your fists or on handles, which keep the wrist straight, and build the number up over weeks rather than days. If it still hurts at the start of every set after two to three weeks, get it assessed. A ganglion, a ligament sprain and a TFCC injury can all feel like this.
When to see a doctor
- Emergency department now: a wrist that is out of shape after a fall; fingers that are cold, pale or numb after an injury; or a hot, red, swollen wrist with a fever.
- Doctor the same day: tenderness in the hollow at the base of the thumb after a fall; you could not use the hand straight after a fall; or a hot, red, swollen wrist with no injury.
- Doctor soon: numbness that has become constant, or weakness that makes you drop things; or wrist pain with swelling in other joints and morning stiffness lasting more than an hour.
What hand therapy does for wrist pain
At Phoenix, wrist pain is seen by our hand therapists, occupational therapists who work only on the finger, hand, wrist, forearm and elbow.
Your first appointment is an Assessment & Treatment. Finding the real problem is half the battle. Treating it is the other half. Your therapist tests where it hurts and what sets it off: grip strength against the other hand, forearm rotation, and the specific tests for the TFCC, De Quervain’s and carpal tunnel. Most of the 45 minutes is then treatment: hands-on work, exercises you can do at home, and a splint made in the clinic if the wrist needs resting in one position. If what we find needs a scan or a doctor, we tell you, and we write to your doctor.
You leave knowing which stage you are in, what is limiting the wrist, and what it needs before it can take full load again, with a written plan.
$230 per 45-minute appointment, nett, no GST. If you need a custom splint, its price is given before it is made.
Where are you with this right now?
1. It is settling on its own
A wrist sprained in a minor fall, or sore after a weekend of new activity, usually eases over one to three weeks with lighter use. If each week is better than the last, keep going and build back gradually. You do not need us for this, and we would rather say so.
2. It has stopped improving
Six weeks on, you still turn the door handle with the other hand. The kettle goes to the other hand too. You have quietly stopped doing push-ups, and the bag has moved to the other shoulder.
Rest was supposed to settle it. It did settle the ache when you do nothing. It has not changed what happens when you load the wrist, because rest does not train a wrist back to taking weight. The pain at rest has gone. Has anyone measured your grip against the other hand?
The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same hand therapist. The first finds what is limiting the wrist. The next two measure how it responds to load. $690, nett, no GST, which is three appointments at $230.
3. You have had surgery, or you have a date
After a wrist fracture plate, see the Wrist Fracture Recovery Program. After a TFCC repair or wrist arthroscopy, see the TFCC page. After a carpal tunnel release, see carpal tunnel syndrome. Every operation we see is listed on hand therapy after surgery. Your surgeon’s protocol comes first.
Next step
Find out what is causing your wrist pain
One Assessment & Treatment is a single 45-minute appointment with a hand therapist. You leave knowing what is limiting the wrist, which stage you are in, and with a written plan.
Phoebe replies on WhatsApp, 24/7, with a clinic and two times. $230 per 45-minute appointment. Bring any X-ray or scan report. No referral needed.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
Questions
What does pain on the little-finger side of the wrist mean?
It often comes from the TFCC, the cartilage and ligaments on that side of the wrist, or from the ECU tendon beside it. Pain when turning a door handle or pushing up from a chair is typical. A hand therapist can test which structure is involved.
Why does my wrist hurt when I have not injured it?
Most wrist pain without an injury follows a change in load, such as a new baby, more typing, a new sport or a new gym routine, which irritates a tendon or joint. A wrist that is hot, red and swollen without an injury needs a doctor the same day.
Should I wear a wrist brace?
A brace can calm a sore wrist for a few days, or at night for carpal tunnel. Worn all day for weeks, it lets the wrist stiffen and weaken. Use it as a short-term tool, matched to the problem.
When should I see a doctor for wrist pain?
Go to the emergency department if the wrist is out of shape after a fall or the fingers turn cold, pale or numb. See a doctor the same day if the hollow at the base of the thumb is tender after a fall, or the wrist is hot, red and swollen without an injury.
Who treats wrist pain at Phoenix?
Our hand therapists: occupational therapists who work only on the finger, hand, wrist, forearm and elbow, and who make custom splints in the clinic. The first appointment is a 45-minute Assessment & Treatment at $230.
Related reading
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