Wrist pain can be discomforting at best and debilitating at worst. The wrist pain often goes away on its own, while other times, it persists even after conservative treatments and indicates an underlying problem that requires medical attention.
The underlying cause of wrist pain can range from minor injuries to serious medical conditions. Finding the underlying cause of the wrist pain can be challenging and requires a careful examination and assessment from an orthopedic doctor.
Let’s talk about common causes of wrist pain and where you can go to effectively manage your wrist pain in North Dakota.
Sprains, Strains, and Fractures
Sprains, strains, and fractures are acute wrist injuries when you fall forward onto your outstretched hand. Such injuries can also occur from an activity involving repetitive wrist motions, such as driving cross country, hitting a tennis ball, typing, etc.
Sprains and strains can improve with a combination of self-measures and conservative treatments, while fractures require immediate medical attention from an orthopedic doctor.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
This is one of the most common causes of wrist pain, which is characterized by numbing, tingling, and weakness in the hand and wrist. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the pressure from repetitive movements squeezes the median nerve in the carpal tunnel.
Arthritis
Arthritis, more commonly rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, can afflict the wrist and cause wrist pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the wrist joint, causing painful swelling. In contrast, osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease caused by the cartilage breakdown that covers the wrist joint. It can result from gradual age-related wear and tear of the wrist joint and injuries, resulting in wrist pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Ganglion Cyst
These benign noncancerous lumps on the back of the wrist are often painless. However, if a ganglion cyst puts pressure on a joint or nerve, it can cause pain in the wrist area, numbness, and tingling.
Ganglion cysts are more common in individuals ages 15 to 40 years, gymnasts, and females.
Wrist Tendonitis
Tendons are the soft tissues that allow your wrist and fingers to move. If get irritated and inflamed, these tendons can cause significant pain. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is one of the most common forms of tendonitis that occurs along the thumb side of the wrist and causes severe pain when you make movements with your thumb and wrist combined.
Gout
Gout is an inflammatory arthritis in which uric acid builds up in the joint. Uric acid is a chemical product of organic compounds called purines. Normally, uric acid is dissolved in the blood and is removed from the body;however, in some cases, the body produces too much uric acid, which begins to deposit in joints. The deposition of excess uric acid in the joint results in pain and swelling of the affected joint.
Kienbock’s disease
This rare disease causes one or more small bones in the wrist to slowly degrade or collapse due to poor blood circulation. This can result in painful symptoms like swelling, wrist pain, and decreased strength to grip things.
Wrist Pain in North Dakota
At The Bone & Joint Center, we provide expert treatment for a full range of orthopedic problems and conditions of wrist, knee, shoulder, elbow, and hip joints. Our orthopedic surgeons specialize in treating all manners of joint, bone, muscle, and soft tissue problems.
If you would like to know more about the treatment options we offer for wrist pain or want to make a one-on-one consultation with one of our wrist doctors, please contact our staff today at (800) 424-2663 or fill out our appointment request form online.
