Hand & Wrist
Wrist pain is often caused by sprains or fractures from sudden injuries. But wrist pain can also result from long-term problems, such as repetitive stress, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Because so many factors can lead to wrist pain, diagnosing the exact cause can be difficult, but an accurate diagnosis is essential for proper treatment and healing.
Did you know that the fingers contain no muscles at all. The fingers consist of long tendons with the muscle belly located in the forearm.
Osteoarthritis of the Wrist
This type of arthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones deteriorates over time. Arthritis can benefit from a specific strengthening program to alleviate the joints or a supportive brace.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is an entrapment neuropathy caused by compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist's carpal tunnel.
It is the most common nerve entrapment neuropathy, accounting for 90% of all neuropathies. Early symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, numbness, and paresthesias.
Symptoms typically present, with some variability, in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and the radial half (thumb side) of the ring finger.
Pain also can radiate up the affected arm. With further progression, hand weakness, decreased fine motor coordination, clumsiness, and thenar atrophy can occur.
Patients can be diagnosed quickly and respond well to treatment but the best means of integrating clinical, functional, and anatomical information for selecting treatment choices have not yet been identified.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
RSI (or Repetitive Strain Injury) is a descriptive term for an overuse injury. Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) is another name used to describe RSI.
Repeated use of the same movements causes inflammation and damage to the soft tissues (muscles, nerves, tendons and tendon sheaths etc.) In particular, RSI attributes to the upper limb and forearm pain.
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) includes many localised injuries such as trigger finger, golfer’s and tennis elbow and carpal tunnel. RSI may describe more diffuse pain syndromes (those spread over the body), diagnosed as cervicobrachial pain syndrome or chronic pain syndrome.
Common Wrist and finger Injuries
