Common Hand Conditions & Treatment
Arthritis: Base of the Thumb
The most common symptom of thumb basal joint arthritis is a deep, aching pain at the base of the thumb. The pain is often worsened with activities that involve pinch, including opening jars, turning door knobs or keys, and writing.
Arthritis: Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease in which the cushioning cartilage that covers the bone surfaces at the joints begins to wear out.
Broken Arm
Most broken arms are caused by trauma to that extremity. This can be a low-energy mechanism like a fall or a high-energy injury like a motor vehicle crash. Sporting injuries are also common causes for a broken arm.
Dupuytren’s Disease
Dupuytren’s disease is an abnormal thickening of the fascia (the tissue just beneath the skin of the palm). It often starts with firm lumps in the palm.
Extensor Tendon Injuries
Extensor tendons, located on the back of the hand and fingers, allow you to straighten your fingers and thumb.
Flexor Tendon Injuries
The muscles that bend or flex the fingers are called flexor muscles. These flexor muscles move the fingers through cord-like extensions called tendons, which connect the muscles to bone.
Hand and Wrist Tumors
Any abnormal lump or bump is considered a tumor. A tumor can also be referred to as a “mass.” The term “tumor” does not necessarily mean it is malignant or it is a cancer.
Hand Fractures
A fracture occurs when enough force is applied to a bone to break it. When this happens, there is pain, swelling, and decreased use of the injured part. Many people think that a fracture is different from a break, but they are the same.
Hand Therapy
Hand Therapy is a type of rehabilitation performed by an occupational or physical therapist on patients with conditions affecting the hands and upper extremities.
Mallet Finger (Baseball Finger)
A mallet finger is a deformity of the finger caused when the tendon that straightens your finger (extensor tendon) is damaged.
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Common Wrist Conditions
Arthritis: Base of the Thumb
The most common symptom of thumb basal joint arthritis is a deep, aching pain at the base of the thumb. The pain is often worsened with activities that involve pinch, including opening jars, turning door knobs or keys, and writing.
Broken Arm
Most broken arms are caused by trauma to that extremity. This can be a low-energy mechanism like a fall or a high-energy injury like a motor vehicle crash. Sporting injuries are also common causes for a broken arm.
Scaphoid Fractures
Fracture of the scaphoid bone occurs most frequently from a fall onto the outstretched hand. Typically there is pain initially, but the pain may decrease after days or weeks.
Steroid Injections
Steroid injections are commonly used to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions of the upper extremity. Examples of these include trigger fingers, De Quervain’s tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tennis elbow, and rotator cuff tendonitis
Tendon Transfer Surgery
Tendon transfer surgery is a type of hand surgery that is performed in order to improve lost hand function.
Wrist Arthroscopy
Wrist arthroscopy allows the surgeon to diagnose and treat many problems of the wrist through a series of very small incisions. In the last five years, the wrist has become the third most common joint to undergo arthroscopy.
Wrist Fractures
The most commonly broken bone of the wrist is the radius. Many people think that a fracture is different from a break, but they are the same.
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Common Elbow Conditions
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Cubital tunnel syndrome is a condition brought on by increased pressure on the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as cubicle tunnel syndrome.
Elbow Arthroscopy
There are a variety of conditions for which elbow arthroscopy can be useful in diagnosis as well as treatment, including arthritis, loose bodies in the joint, tennis elbow, stiffness and fractures.
Elbow Fractures
Elbow fractures may result from falling onto an outstretched arm, a direct impact to the elbow, or a twisting injury. Sprains, strains, or dislocations may occur at the same time as a fracture.
Golf Injuries to the Hand, Wrist or Elbow
For most golfers, the hand and/or wrist is the third most common body region injured, after the back and elbow. The wrist is injured 3 times more frequently than the hand.
Olecranon Bursitis
The olecranon (oh-LEH-cruh-nahn) is the “pointy” bone at the tip of the elbow. A “bursa”—a small sac of fluid—covers the tip of this bone, allowing soft tissues such as the skin to slide over the bone.
Tennis Elbow/Lateral Epicondylitis
Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, is a painful condition involving the tendons that attach to the bone on the outside (lateral) part of the elbow.
