Hand & Wrist Conditions

The wrist joint is the complex joint formed between the distal ends (furthest from the body) of the Radius and Ulna (two forearm bones) and the 8 carpal bones. It connects the forearm to the hand and allows for a good range of motion.

Held together by muscles and tendons, this intricate structure is mainly susceptible to injuries as a result of repetitive use as well as to fractures and lacerations leading to nerve damage.

Hand & Wrist Conditions

1. Carpal Tunnel

Carpal tunnel is a condition where there is a pinched nerve in the wrist. The median nerve travels from the spinal cord to the finger tips and it is the passage in which the nerve travels through the wrist, the carpal tunnel where pain is felt. The carpal tunnel often becomes crowded and as a result the median nerve may be pinched. Common symptoms include numbness, pain and tingling.

2. Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon. Inflammation usually occurs out of overuse of a certain area of the body and is commonly seen in the shoulder, wrist, knee, shin and heel.

DeQuervain Tenosynovitis is a form of tendonitis that affects the movement of the thumb.

3. Ganglion Cyst

A wrist ganglion cyst is a swelling that usually occurs over the back of the hand or wrist. These are benign, fluid-filled capsules. Ganglion cysts are not cancerous, will not spread, and while they may grow in size, they will not spread to other parts of your body.

Ganglion cysts arise as outpouchings from fluid filled areas such as the fluid within the small joints of the wrist, or fluid within the sheath that surrounds the wrist tendons. When the fluid, called synovial fluid, leaks out from these spaces, it can become a cystic structure.