Injuries to your hand and wrist can make life unbearable. The pain can be debilitating and prevent you from handling your daily tasks. Simply going to work, to school, or doing chores around the house can become almost impossible to complete. The experienced and trusted team from OrthoBethesda in Arlington, VA can help diagnose your hand and wrist issues, offer treatment methods and build a plan for care that helps alleviate your pain.
Hand and Wrist Conditions and Treatments
There are multiple joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles in your hands and wrists. In order to regain mobility and strength, the team at OrthoBethesda can properly diagnose and treat your hand and wrist problems.
Hand Wrist Conditions
Patients can develop many different hand wrist conditions. They range from minor to severe, with the most severe requiring hand surgery in an effort to fix the problem.
Arthritis at the Base of the Thumb
The second most common joint in the hand to develop osteoarthritis is the thumb. It develops when the cartilage between bones wears away due to age or injury, causing the bones to rub together. This hand condition can often be seen in women in their upper extremity over the age of 40. Patients will often experience a deep pain that is present at the base of the thumb.
Treatment for arthritis at the base of the thumb, or basal arthritis, is often conservative and there may be additional options from our sports medicine team at OrthoBethesda in Northern Virginia. These treatments include pain medications, splinting, topical ointments, and corticosteroid injections. Surgical reconstruction could be an option for those who have not responded to conservative treatment methods with a specialist at our surgery center.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs when there is increased pressure at the median nerve of the wrist. A specialist at our hospital center in Northern Virginia can examine and diagnose patients properly so you receive the correct treatment and care.
In the simplest of terms, CTS is a pinched nerve that leads to pain in the arm, hand, and fingers, numbness, and tinging. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by any of the following conditions:
- Swelling of the lining of the flexor tendons
- Joint dislocations
- Fractures
- Arthritis
- Keeping the wrist bent for long periods of time
CTS can be treated more often than not with non-surgical methods, including physical therapy. You will also need to make life changes with how you use your hands and wrists. This could include lessening the use of the impacted wrist, splinting the wrist, and applying ice to reduce swelling. Depending on the severity, CTS can also be rectified using surgical treatments and other care methods.
Trigger Finger
Trigger finger can occur in a finger or a thumb. It is very painful and is often a vicious cycle of pain if orthopedic surgery does not occur to resolve the problem in your hand. This hand wrist condition presents pain in the joints of the finger or thumb that meets the palm of the hand. You might have to wear a splint or take anti-inflammatory medication to help relieve the pain as part of the care provided by our orthopedic surgery team.
Ganglion Cysts
A ganglion cyst is a lump that appears on the hand or wrist near tendons or joints. This is a common orthopedic surgery condition that can be resolved with non-surgical treatment but might require surgery with a surgeon from OrthoBethesda in Virginia if the issue does not resolve itself.
The most common locations for a ganglion cyst to develop include the following:
- Top of the wrist
- The palm side of the wrist
- The base of the finger on the palm side
- The top of the end joint of the finger
Schedule an Appointment with OrthoBethesda Today
When you are suffering pain in your wrist, hand, or lower arm, it’s important that you have it examined by a trusted specialist at OrthoBethesda as soon as possible. A surgeon in Arlington can help rectify your injury so that you can get back to living a pain-free life. If surgery is necessary, we will review your options and outline a plan for care. These conditions do not have to define you. Call us today at (301) 530-1010 to schedule an appointment for hand wrist problems at our hospital center for orthopedic hand surgery in Virginia.