Our hands are made up of many parts, like muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and other structures, which help our hands do a wide range of tasks – as big as holding a large object and as fine as typing.
Problem or injury to any of these parts of the hand can cause hand discomfort and pain which can interfere with activities of daily living. Some of these conditions and injuries can be managed independently at home, while others need medical treatment.
Let’s talk about the most common causes of hand pain and discomfort and where you can go to seek medical care for hand pain in North Dakota.
Arthritis
Arthritis, especially osteoarthritis, which causes gradual wear and tear of cartilage, can develop in multiple areas of your hand and wrist. Arthritis of the hand can develop after a hand injury or due to aging.
Arthritis can cause your hand joints to become painful, swollen, and possibly deformed. Arthritis symptoms can significantly interfere with normal hand function and impact your quality of life.
Medications, splinting, ice and cold therapy, steroidal shots, and surgery are some of the many ways to treat hand arthritis.
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
Carpel tunnel syndrome is a nerve condition commonly caused by repetitive stress, such as using a hammer, typing, gripping things, etc. In carpel tunnel syndrome, your median nerve, which runs from your forearm to your hand palm, gets squeezed or pressed at the wrist, causing discomfort, numbness, tingling, and aching in the fingers and thumb.
The treatment options for carpel tunnel syndrome may include rest, medications, splinting, steroid shots, physical therapy, and surgery.
Trigger Finger
Trigger finger, medically known as stenosing tenosynovitis, is a hand condition that can cause your affected hand finger or thumb to lock in a bent position. Trigger finger or thumb occurs when the flexor tendon, which controls the finger and thumb movements, can’t glide smoothly in the tendon sheath due to swelling of the sheath, causing pain when you bend or straighten your affected finger.
Treatments for hand discomfort due to the trigger finger include:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory injections (NSAIDs)
- Steroid injections
- Surgery (in severe cases to release tendon sheath)
Ganglion Cyst
A ganglion cyst refers to a large mass or lump formed on the front or back of the hand. You experience hand discomfort and pain when a ganglion cyst affects your normal joint and tendon movements.
Often ganglion cysts go away on their own. Splinting and rest can also reduce the size of the ganglion cyst, and it may go away with time.
However, in cases where a ganglion cyst persists and causes significant pain, an orthopedic doctor may drain the fluid from the cyst or remove the cyst entirely.
Hand Injury
Hand injuries are extremely common as our hands are constantly exposed to dangers. There are many muscles in the hands that can be sprained and 27 small bones that can be broken in many ways, causing hand pain and discomfort.
Typically, the treatment of hand injuries, such as sprain and fracture, depends on the type and location of the injury.
Hand Pain in North Dakota
If your hand pain is making your most casual activities challenging, visit us at The Bone & Joint Center. Our team of board-certified and highly trained hand experts is here to give your hand a helping hand. Our hand experts, Dr. Norrie, Dr. Pierce, and Dr. Ackerman are committed to providing you with comprehensive treatment for your hand condition, giving you pain-free, healthy, and functional hands.
To make an appointment with our hand experts, call us today at (800) 424-2663, or fill out our online form to request an appointment.
