Understanding the Reasons for Your Hand and Wrist Pain

Your hands and wrists go through a great deal of wear-and-tear throughout your life, as you use them almost constantly every single day. Repetitive activity can result in damage to your joints, causing hand arthritis, which affects your hands and wrists.

At Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute in Plainsboro and Manalapan Township, New Jersey, Dr. Ronak Patel and our team have the expertise to understand the source of your hand and wrist pain and treat you effectively. 

Understanding the root cause of your pain

Hand and wrist pain can occur for various reasons. Common causes include:

Osteoarthritis

This type of arthritis occurs when you have a breakdown of cartilage, which is a sponge-like material that softens the friction in your joints. This condition usually affects the joints near your fingertips first and can also involve your thumb. It has also been found that women are more susceptible to developing osteoarthritis at a younger age compared to men.

Inflammatory arthritis

This type of arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks your joints, which is called an autoimmune disease. It can stem from genetics and cause significant deformity in your joints.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

This condition is a nerve disorder that occurs in your hand when there is pressure on your median nerve. It can be caused by a job that requires repetitive use of your hands and wrists, such as a hairstylist, assembly line worker, or musician.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can cause pain in your forearm, wrist, palm, and some of your fingers. You might also feel sensations of tingling, numbness, and weakness, and your pain can be more intense at night.

Injury

If you fracture or break a bone in your hand, it can result in stiffness, immobility, and swelling. Depending on the type of break you have, treatment options include casts, splints, pins, plates, and wires. We may need to perform surgery if your bone needs to be reset.

De Quervain’s disease

This condition develops slowly from repetitive movements or the overuse of your hands and wrists. It causes pain to travel down the length of your thumb and up into your forearm, making it difficult to grasp objects, make a fist, or turn your wrist. The pain comes from inflammation or irritation in your wrist tendons at the base of your thumb.

Treatments for your hand and wrist pain

Dr. Patel and our team offer numerous treatment options to help manage your pain. We provide regenerative medicine therapy that uses your very own cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissues. 

We also offer cortisone injections to treat inflammation and pain, and hyaluronic injections to add lubrication between your joints. In addition, we provide physiotherapy and bracing.

If you suffer from hand and wrist pain, reach out to our team for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. Call or book your appointment online today.