The accompanying symptoms
The symptoms, which are mainly caused by a TFCC lesion, are pain and a restriction of movement in the wrist. The pain may occur at rest, but is usually increased when the wrist is moved. Since the TFCC is mainly located between the ulna and the carpal bones, especially the lateral movement of the hand in the direction of the little finger is limited and painful during a lesion.
Due to the positional relationship of the TFCC to the ulna and radius, turning the wrist is usually also painful. In the case of severe degenerative changes, other movements may no longer be possible. Especially in acute traumatic TFCC lesions, there may be additional bleeding into the wrist with corresponding swelling, pain and bruising.
Depending on the cause of the TFCC lesion, other symptoms may also occur. For example, rheumatic changes in the entire wrist, fingers and other joints of the body become noticeable through painful movement restrictions and swelling. In addition, traumatic causes can result in sprained or broken bones, which can lead to malpositioning.
The diagnosis
The diagnosis of a TFCC lesion initially consists of an anamnesis. The physician asks the affected person specific questions to find out the cause of the symptoms. This is followed by an examination of the wrist, in which the range of movement, strength and pressure pain are tested.
In order to rule out concomitant injuries to the wrist, an X-ray of the joint should be taken. Bony structures, in particular, can be assessed well. The TFCC itself is best seen in an MRI image of the wrist.
An MRI is the most suitable imaging technique to assess softer structures such as cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Therefore, an MRI of the wrist is usually required for a good diagnosis of TFCC lesions. Tears, holes and degenerative changes in TFCC can be detected. The localization of the lesion is also usually easy to see in an MRI, since a three-dimensional image of the wrist can be reconstructed from the images.In addition, the cartilage on the carpal and forearm bones can be assessed.
