Hand and Wrist Pain Treatment in Dublin, Cork, Cavan

Arthritis involves inflammation of one or more of your joints. Pain and stiffness are common symptoms of arthritis, and when these occur in your wrist, simple daily activities can become more difficult.

Although there are many types of arthritis, the three that most commonly affect the wrist are:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Posttraumatic arthritis

Symptoms of arthritis may include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Reduced range of motion or stiffness
• Weakness in the joint

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. The median nerve runs from your forearm through a passageway in your wrist (carpal tunnel) to your hand. It provides sensation to the palm side of your thumb and fingers, except the little finger. It also provides nerve signals to move the muscles around the base of your thumb (motor function).

Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms usually start gradually and include:

• Tingling or numbness.You may notice tingling and numbness in your fingers or hand. Usually the thumb and index, middle or ring fingers are affected, but not your little finger. You might feel a sensation like an electric shock in these fingers. These symptoms often occur while holding a steering wheel, phone or newspaper, or may wake you from sleep. The numb feeling may become constant over time.

• Weakness in your hand and drop objects. This may be due to the numbness in your hand or weakness of the thumb’s pinching muscles, which are also controlled by the median nerve.

Quervain’s tenosynovitis is a common and painful condition that affects the tendons (tissue that connects muscles to bones) of the wrist. Tendons are rope-like structures that attach muscle to bone. When you grip, grasp, clench, pinch or wring anything in your hand, two tendons in your wrist and lower thumb normally glide smoothly through the small tunnel that connects them to the base of the thumb. Repeating a particular motion day after day may irritate the sheath around the two tendons, causing thickening and swelling that restricts their movement.

Symptoms of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis include:

• Pain near the base of your thumb. 
• Swelling near the base of your thumb. 
• Difficulty moving your thumb and wrist when you’re doing something that involves grasping or pinching. 
• A “sticking” or “stop-and-go” sensation in your thumb when moving it.

Some causes of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis include: 

• Strain or injury to the wrist area.
• Overusing your wrist with repetitive movements, such as: 
  • Typing, 
  • Knitting, 
  • Using a hammer, 
  • Holding an infant for a long time, 
  • Carrying heavy grocery bags.

Ganglion cysts are the most common mass or lump in the hand. They are most common in younger people between the ages of 15 and 40 years, and women are more likely to be affected than men. These cysts are also common among gymnasts, who repeatedly apply stress to the wrist.

Small ganglion cysts can be pea-sized, while larger ones can be around an inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter. Ganglion cysts can be painful if they press on a nearby nerve. Their location can sometimes interfere with joint movement.

Trigger finger is a condition in which one of your fingers gets stuck in a bent position. Your finger may bend or straighten with a snap like a trigger being pulled and released.

Trigger finger is also known as stenosing tenosynovitis. It occurs when inflammation narrows the space within the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger. If trigger finger is severe, your finger may become locked in a bent position.

Trigger finger occurs when the affected finger’s tendon sheath becomes irritated and inflamed. This interferes with the normal gliding motion of the tendon through the sheath.

Prolonged irritation of the tendon sheath can produce scarring, thickening and the formation of bumps (nodules) in the tendon that impede the tendon’s motion even more. 

Signs and symptoms of trigger finger may progress from mild to severe and include:

• Finger stiffness, particularly in the morning
• A popping or clicking sensation as you move your finger
• Tenderness or a bump (nodule) in the palm at the base of the affected finger
• Finger catching or locking in a bent position, which suddenly pops straight
• Finger locked in a bent position, which you are unable to straighten