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Why Does My Hand Wrist Hurt
Why Does My Hand Wrist Hurt
Introduction
Wrists and hands are important parts of the body. They allow us to interact and manipulate our
environment. Unfortunately, wrist and hand pain are common complains, and can seriously affect
our way of life.
Because of the complexity of the tasks that can be performed by our wrists and hands, the internal
structure is very complex, with multiple tendons, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, bones
and joints. This means that wrist and hand pain can sometimes be very difficult to diagnose and
treat.
Broadly, hand and wrist pain can stem from injury or non-injury causes. Our hands are frequently
first to encounter the environment, putting them at a higher risk for injury. Injuries to the hand and
wrist include,
A. Falls onto the hand and wrist, which can result in broken bones (fractures)
B. Workplace injuries, which can be penetrating (sharp/piercing) or blunt
C. Motor-vehicular accidents
D. Fights and assaults
Non-injury causes of hand and wrist pain generally stem from overuse, affects mainly tendons and
joints. Overuse results in wearing out of the joints and tendons and can precipitate swelling. This
causes pain, and sometimes the swelling can result in compression of other structures nearby. Some
examples of overuse include,
In addition to pain, patients with problems of the hand and wrist often complain of other symptoms
including,
A. Joint stiffness, and inability to fully move joints. This includes triggering, where the finger or
thumb gets stuck in one position and needs to be pushed, whereby it returns to its original
position with a sudden “triggering” motion
B. Swelling and deformity of the affected part
C. Loss of hand function, which can include manipulating small objects, pinch, grasping and
using items such as chopsticks
D. Numbness of the fingers (can also be related to neck problems)
E. Wasting of hand muscles (muscles becoming smaller)
Your doctor will conduct a medical interview, where he/she will pick up clues to the underlying
condition. He will then perform a focused examination of the affected part and associated areas.
This may often include an examination of the neck as well.
Based on the information gained during this process, the doctor may offer you radiological
investigations such as plain X-rays. These are used mainly to diagnose problems with bones and
joints. An MRI scan may also be necessary if the underlying problem is one of soft tissues such as
tendons, ligaments or nerves.
In general, there are non-surgical and surgical treatment options available for hand and wrist
conditions. These will be carefully curated to treat your underlying problem. Such treatments may
include,