Pain at the wrist

Synonyms

carpal pain, wrist pain

Introduction

Pain at the wrist or pain in the wrist can have various causes. In this article you will find a broad list of the most common causes of wrist pain.

Causal diseases for carpal pain

The most common disease in the area of the wrist is carpal tunnel syndrome. However, the carpal bones are not the cause of this disease. The carpal tunnel syndrome often leads to numbness or tingling in the area of the thumb.

But also index and middle finger can be affected. Pain can also be one of the symptoms. You can find detailed information under Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Due to accidents, the most common disease of the carpus is the scaphoid fracture. The scaphoid fracture is typically caused by a fall on the extended wrist. Symptoms are mainly pain in the scaphoid bone.

The diagnosis of this disease is often difficult and cannot always be made directly with the first X-ray image. The therapy is both conservative and long term (6 – 12 weeks). Scapholunar dissociation

An accidental disease of the carpus that occurs less frequently than scaphoid fracture is scapholunar dissociation (SLD).

This involves a rupture of the ligament structures between the scaphoid bone (Os scaphoideum) and the lunate bone (Os lunatum). Since the exact position of the carpal bones relative to each other is important for optimal function, surgical correction must follow, depending on the extent of scapholunar dissociation. Scapholunar dissociation

An accidental disease of the carpus that occurs less frequently than scaphoid fracture is scapholunar dissociation (SLD).

The most common arthrosis in the carpal area is the arthrosis of the thumb saddle joint (rhizarthrosis). The thumb saddle joint is formed by the large polygon bone (Os tapezium) and the first metacarpal bone. For further information, please refer to our topic: Thumb saddle joint arthrosis In thumb saddle joint arthrosis, the patient experiences stabbing and pulling pain in the area of the thumb saddle joint.

At the beginning of the disease, these pains only occur when the joint is loaded. As the disease progresses, however, less straining movements are also painful and pain at rest can also occur. The mobility of this joint is severely restricted by the pain, since the bones of the joint increasingly rub against each other with every movement.

The lunatum malacia describes a sinking of the lunate bone. It is a small carpal bone that is found on the thumb side directly above the radius next to the scaphoid bone. The bone can perish and slowly decompose itself for various reasons.

Often, injuries or unnoticed permanent stress are behind the clinical picture. Typical patterns of origin are fractures after falls, as well as permanent use of pneumatic hammers. These leave a damage in the blood circulation of the bone, whereby the bone slowly dies.

Initially, the disease is not painful. If pain occurs, lunatum malacia is often already well advanced and easily recognizable on X-ray. In severe cases a loss of strength may develop and the joint must be stiffened.

Tendon sheath inflammation is an inflammation of the tendon sheaths, which in most cases develops without the influence of pathogens due to permanent tendon irritation. Tendinitis of the tendon sheath can occur at the wrist. Rotational movements, strong gripping movements and overloading of the extensor tendons of the hand can cause painful irritation and pain.Tendinitis can spread to the elbow and cause severe pain when moving.

In the case of tendosynovitis, the skin on the back of the wrist is often swollen, reddened and overheated. The patient complains of severe pain, especially when stretching the hand towards the back of the hand. In later stages, pain at rest can also be added.

The most important therapy is to spare the joint for a sufficiently long time and to immobilize it. Nearby Information about tendon sheath inflammation can be found here: In neuralgia, excessive irritation or inflammation causes a permanent irritation of the nerve. The nerve then sends pain signals to the brain continuously, resulting in permanent stabbing pain. This can also lead to numbness or tingling. You can find more information under: Neuralgia

Tendinitis in the hand
Therapy of a tendosynovitis – How to get rid of the pain