WRIST
WHAT IS THE WRIST?
The wrist is the flexible and narrower connection between the forearm and the palm. The wrist is essentially a double row of small short bones, called carpals, intertwined to form a malleable hinge. The ligaments around the wrist joint help to stabilize the position of the hand and allow controlled motions. Repetitive motion and injury are the most common causes of damage to your wrist. Everyday activities like typing, racquet sports or sewing can cause wear and tear and the wrist joint and tendons. Wrist injuries such as sprains or fractures are also damaging. When you begin to fall, your natural instinct is to put your hands out to catch or break your fall. In doing so, the wrist is often suddenly, and forcefully, torqued or twisted.
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON WRIST DISORDERS?
Wrist Sprains: Wrist pain with bruising and swelling can be a sign of injury. When the patient sustains a wrist sprain, the ligaments of the wrist are stretched beyond their normal limits resulting in pain, inflammation, and decreased mobility. Treatment typically involves outpatient surgery and physical therapy.
Wrist Fracture: A broken wrist is among the most common broken bones, a wrist fracture generally means the end of the forearm bone has been broken. Most often, broken wrists are treated with a cast. Surgery is not usually needed for a wrist fracture, but it may be considered in some situations, such as fractures that need to be secured with pins, plates or screws to hold the fragments in place. Treatment for these type of fractures typically involves outpatient surgery and physical therapy. Another option is an external fixator, a device that uses pins through the skin and a device outside the skin to pull the fragments into position.
Tendonitis: Performing repetitive finger and wrist motions or using vibrating equipment heightens your risk of developing tendonitis in the wrist. Treatment for tendonitis is the same whether it developed as a repetitive stress injury or accute trauma. Treatments include wrist splints, ultrasound therapy, cortisone injection, physical therapy and surgery. Surgery is usually a last option for treatment of tendonitis in the wrist but is a viable option if an anatomical feature is causing the problem. If the tendon does not have a smooth spot to move over then surgery can smooth it out or realign the tendon.
Arthritis: Wrist arthritis is a problem that can cause pain and difficulty performing normal activities. There are a number of treatments such as wrist splints, heat applications, anti-inflammatory medications and cortisone injections. Surgery is most often not needed in the treatment of wrist arthritis, but is performed when symptoms are severe and other treatments have not provided relief.
Carpal Bossing: Carpal bossing is a condition that causes a lump of bone to form on the back of the wrist. Treatment of a carpal boss requires surgery to remove the bump.