Wrist Strains and Sprains
Soft tissue injuries in which either the ligaments or the tendons in the wrist are stretched or torn. A sprain affects the ligaments, while a strain impacts the tendons. These injuries typically respond well to nonsurgical measures like splinting or physical therapy, which strengthens the wrist’s supporting muscles and improves its range of motion.
Symptoms: Pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness, stiffness, limited range of motion, a popping sensation.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Bracing
- Physical therapy
- Wrist tendon or ligament repair surgery
- Internal Brace Procedures
Finger Strains and Sprains
Soft tissue injuries in which either the ligaments or the tendons in the wrist are stretched or torn. A sprain affects the ligaments, while a strain impacts the tendons. These injuries typically respond well to nonsurgical measures like splinting or physical therapy, which strengthens the wrist’s supporting muscles and improves its range of motion. Sometimes a trauma, such as jamming a finger, can dislocate a bone by moving it out of its normal position in the joint. In addition to other treatments, this may require a doctor to realign the bone.
Symptoms: Pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness, stiffness, limited range of motion.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Bracing
- Hand therapy
- Finger tendon or ligament repair surgery
Broken Wrist (Distal Radius Fracture)
A fracture of the radius, one of the two bones in the forearm, at its distal end – the end near the wrist. The radius connects the wrist to the elbow and comprises about 80% of the joint’s surface area, making it the bone most frequently fractured bone in the arm. A broken wrist is typically caused by direct trauma to the wrist such as falling on an outstretched hand or a forceful blow to the wrist during an accident or a contact sport.
Symptoms: Pain, swelling, tenderness, bruising, mild numbness or tingling, deformity.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- Immobilization with a cast
- Hand therapy
- Wrist fracture repair surgery
Scaphoid or Carpal Bone Fracture
A break in one of the eight small bones that make up the carpal bones of the wrist. One of these bones, the scaphoid, is located below the thumb, putting it at extra risk of fracture from the impact of a fall onto the outstretched hand. Because a fractured scaphoid often causes no visible deformity or difficulty moving, patients often assume it’s a wrist sprain and do not seek treatment, resulting in a more difficult recovery.
Symptoms: Pain, tenderness, swelling or bruising at the thumb side of the wrist, difficulty gripping.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- Immobilization with a cast
- Hand therapy
- Wrist fracture repair surgery
Hand Fracture
A break in either the small bones of the fingers, called the phalanges, or the long bones in the palm, called the metacarpals. They can result from a twisting injury, a fall, a crush injury, or a direct blow. Because the location of a hand fracture and its cause vary, treatment will be unique for each patient.
Symptoms: Pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness, stiffness, numbness, deformity, difficulty or inability to move fingers.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- Immobilization with a cast, splint, or fracture brace
- Hand therapy
- Wrist fracture repair surgery
Inflammatory Arthritis
An attack on the healthy tissues of the hand or wrist by the body’s overactive immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Inflammatory arthritis usually starts in the small joints of the hands and feet, affecting the same joints on both sides of the body.
Symptoms: Joint pain, swelling, redness, stiffness, and loss of function. Flare-ups of inflammatory arthritis can also be accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, and fatigue.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- Rest
- Bracing and splinting
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Wrist fusion surgery
- Wrist arthroplasty
Osteoarthritis
The breakdown of the cartilage that coats the ends of bones and joints in the hand and wrist. Normally, damaged cartilage repairs itself as older cartilage is degraded. When this degradation outpaces repair, cartilage breakdown occurs and damage to bone results. If untreated, the bones in the hand joints can lose their normal shape over time, causing more pain and further limiting motion.
Symptoms: Pain, tenderness, stiffness, decreased flexibility, a grating sensation during movement, the formation of bone spurs around the affected joint.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Bracing and splinting
- Injections
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Wrist fusion surgery
- Wrist arthroplasty
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The carpal tunnel is the space between the carpal ligament and the bones at the base of the hand where tendons and the median nerve pass through. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the painful irritation of the median nerve in the hand and wrist due to repetitive hand motions (such as heavy keyboard usage) that cause swelling and damage to tissue.
Symptoms: Pain, swelling, numbness, tingling in hands and fingers.
Treatment Options:
- Activity modification
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Bracing and splinting
- Corticosteroid injections
- Hand therapy
- Endoscopic surgery
- Mini-open surgery
Cysts of the Hand, Fingers or Wrist (Ganglion Cysts)
Ganglion cysts are fluid-filled sacks that typically form a firm bump under the skin and are most commonly found at the center of the back of the wrist, the palms near the base of the fingers and on the back of the finger near the nail. They are believed to be hereditary or possibly caused by arthritis, joint inflammation or trauma. Not all cysts are painful and require treatment; they may increase or decrease in size, and some may go away over time.
Symptoms: Potential interference with range of motion, and pain if located near a nerve.
Treatment Options:
- Draining the cyst
- Surgical removal of cysts on the palm side of the wrist
Dupuytren’s Contractures
Dupuytren’s is a disease that can cause the contracture of some of the body’s soft tissues, often resulting in the fingers being pulled into a clenched position due to the tightening and thickening of the fascia in the palm and fingers. Mild contractures usually progress slowly and still allow mobility, though in severe cases it may be difficult to straighten the affected finger.
Symptoms: The formation of cords and nodules of tissue in the palm and fingers, stiffness and an inability to straighten the finger.
Treatment Options:
- Collagenase injections
- Surgery (in severe cases)
Trigger Finger
The irritation of a tendon in one or more fingers caused by inflammation, thickening, or nodules on the tissue at the base of the finger, making it difficult for the tendon to move smoothly through a tunnel in the palm and fingers called the tendon sheath. This condition can cause difficulty flexing the finger, and a painful locking or catching sensation when attempting to straighten it out. In severe cases, the finger cannot be straightened, even with help.
Symptoms: Pain when bending or straightening the finger, swelling, stiffness catching or popping sensation in joint, tender lump in your palm.
Treatment Options: For further information, please select the Treatments tab.
- Rest
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Hand therapy
- Corticosteroid injections
- Trigger finger release surgery
Wrist Tendinitis
Painful inflammation in the wrist or one or more of its tendons, the fibrous bands of tissue that connect bone to muscle. Like tennis elbow, wrist tendonitis is a disorder caused uninterrupted repetitive activity, overexertion, incorrect posture, muscle fatigue, or unnatural or awkward motions such as twisting the arm or wrist.
Symptoms: Pain, tingling, numbness, swelling, loss of flexibility or strength. Some patients might see no sign of injury, but still have difficulty performing easy tasks.
Treatment Options: Rest, ice, wrist brace or splint, hand therapy (link), steroid injections, ice and anti-inflammatory medications.
- R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Bracing and splinting
- Injections
- Physical and occupational therapy
