Wrist Pain

Wrist pain, which may result from various causes, including injury and repetitive stress, can significantly impact your daily activities and quality of life. As wrist pain can be a symptom of many health conditions and injuries, diagnosing the root cause of your condition is essential for an accurate and targeted treatment.

At Impact Sports & Spine, we use advanced diagnostic ultrasound to help determine the underlying cause of your wrist pain before designing a personalized treatment plan. Our team focuses on non-surgical and minimally-invasive treatments for optimal healing, ensuring minimum complications and faster recovery.

Understanding Wrist Pain

Your wrist and hand is made up of 27 small bones, muscles, and ligaments, allowing movement and dexterity.

Eight bones, called carpal bones, create the wrist.
Each of your fingers has three bones, and the thumb has two bones called phalanges.
Five bones in the palm of your hand, called metacarpal bones, connect each finger and the thumb with the wrist.

These bones are bound together at joints by ligaments and capsules.

Over 30 muscles are present in your hands, wrists, and forearms to control the movement of your hand and wrist. These muscles are attached to bones by tendons. These tendons and the median nerve pass through a bony, narrow passage in your wrist known as the carpal tunnel.

Any injury to the bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and muscles in your hand can result in discomfort and pain.

Common Causes of Wrist Pain

Wrist pain may result from various conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, and De Quervain's tenosynovitis. These conditions may occur due to overuse from repetitive motion, sprain, fracture, joint dislocation, and compression of the median nerve.

Wrist Arthritis

Wrist arthritis refers to inflammation of the wrist joints, which can lead to pain, swelling, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. The wrist can be prone to post-traumatic arthritis, which is a type of arthritis that develops after an injury, such as a fracture or dislocation.

Thumb Arthritis

Thumb arthritis affects the joint at the base of the thumb, which is crucial for the thumb's wide range of motion and grip strength.

Thumb arthritis hinders the performance of simple everyday tasks, such as turning door knobs and opening jars. It can happen from age-related wear and tear, previous injuries, repetitive stress, and genetic factors.

Scapholunate Ligament Sprains

A scapholunate ligament sprain is an injury to the scapholunate ligament, which connects the carpal bones in the wrist. This ligament is crucial for maintaining wrist stability and proper movement. Sprains can range from mild stretching to complete tears, leading to varying degrees of pain and dysfunction.

TFCC Tears / Degeneration

The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), which is made of ligaments and cartilage, connects the bones in your forearm with the bones in your wrist. It helps stabilize, support, and cushion your wrist. You can perform actions like rotating your wrist and gripping objects tightly because of the TFCC.

TFCC injuries, including tears and degeneration, can cause significant pain, instability, and functional impairment. Repetitive motions, sudden impact, or twisting injury can cause TFCC tears and degeneration.

DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis

DeQuervain's tenosynovitis refers to a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. It involves inflammation of the tendons and their sheaths, causing pain and swelling near the base of the thumb. You may experience pain when you turn your wrist, grasp anything, or make a fist. DeQuervain's tenosynovitis is often associated with repetitive thumb movements or overuse.

Wrist Intersection Syndrome

Wrist intersection syndrome is a condition characterized by pain and inflammation in the forearm where two muscle-tendon units intersect at your wrist. This affects the first and second compartments of the dorsal wrist extensors when the tendons of the first dorsal compartment cross over the second due to repetitive friction at the junction.

This syndrome is commonly seen in athletes and individuals who perform repetitive wrist and thumb movements.

Nerve Entrapments/Impingements (Median Nerve, Radial Nerve, Ulnar Nerve)

Nerve entrapments or impingements involving the median, radial, and ulnar nerves in the hand can lead to wrist pain and impair hand function.

Median Nerve Entrapment / Impingement

The median nerve is a major nerve in the forearm and hand that supplies sensation to the thumb, middle finger, index finger, and half of the ring finger. Compression or entrapment of the median nerve can happen due to carpal tunnel syndrome, compression of muscle in your forearm, and repetitive flexion.

Radial Nerve Entrapment / Impingement

The radial nerve, which runs down the back of your arm, controls movement and sensation in the back of the hand, thumb, and fingers. Compression or entrapment of the radial nerve can happen due to prolonged pressure on the arm, sleeping in an awkward position, fracture, or trauma.

Ulnar Nerve Entrapment / Impingement

The ulnar nerve, which runs from the neck down to the arm, can become entrapped or compressed due to repetitive elbow bending or pressure on the wrist.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to the condition in which the median nerve becomes compressed at the wrist. The carpal tunnel is made of ligament and bones at the wrist, housing the median nerve and tendons.

When this tunnel becomes narrowed or the surrounding tissues swell, it can compress the nerve, leading to pain, weakness, and numbness in the hand and wrist.

Symptoms of Wrist Conditions

Symptoms may vary depending on the underlying condition causing wrist pain. For example, with osteoarthritis, wrist pain is described as similar to a dull toothache, while with carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist pain is more like a pins-and-needles feeling.

Common symptoms of wrist conditions include:

Sharp, dull, or throbbing pain
Swelling
Stiffness
Reduced mobility
Numbness or tingling sensation
Weakness

Diagnosis & Treatment of Wrist Pain

Our doctors ask about your medical history and symptoms to understand the nature, onset, and duration of pain. We also perform physical examinations to assess your range of motion, strength, and areas of tenderness.

A diagnostic ultrasound can help visualize bones and soft tissues and detect any injuries in your wrist and hand. When needed, we may also order additional imaging tests.

Upon identifying the underlying cause of your wrist pain, we recommend appropriate treatment to reduce pain and improve function. Treatment options may include rest and/or activity modification, ice and heat therapy, physical therapy, minimally-invasive non-surgical procedures, and surgical referrals. Our treatments are personalized and tailored to your goals.

Prevention Tips for Wrist Pain

Although it is not possible to stop unforeseen injuries, adopting good habits and ergonomic practices can help minimize strain and avoid injuries.

Here are some effective prevention tips you can follow:

Wear wrist guards for high-risk activities
Build bone strength with calcium-rich foods
Take regular breaks between work that requires repetitive action
Use an ergonomic keyboard to support your wrist
Set up your workstation ergonomically
Perform gentle wrist stretches to improve flexibility
Do muscle-strengthening exercises

Treating Wrist Pain in Rockville, MD

Effective treatment of wrist pain requires an accurate diagnosis of the conditions causing it. Our team provides comprehensive care involving thorough assessments and ultrasound-guided injections.

At Impact Sports & Spine, we focus on providing high-quality non-surgical care for acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries and spinal conditions. Our team focuses on uncovering the root cause of your condition rather than merely treating the symptoms.

To schedule a consultation with our skilled practitioners, call us at 301-363-9693 or request an appointment online.