Wrist pain. What disease might this symptom indicate?

Read in the article:

• Features of the carpal area
• What is the wrist made of?
• Characteristic pains
• Injuries
• Inflammation process
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Degenerative processes

For household chores and physical work at an enterprise, how mobile the hand is is of great importance. It is important that her movements are full, so that she can have no restrictions in performing any activity. Otherwise, this leads to the following consequences:

• working ability decreases;
• it is difficult for a person to adapt to society;
• self-esteem decreases;
• emotional state worsens.

Features of the carpal area

What is the carpal area? It contains 8 bones that connect the hand and forearm. This promotes stable functionality of the hand, which will be able to deal with heavy objects - holding them and lifting them. At the same time, the proximal side serves to form a joint that is movable - this is the wrist joint. This is also the carpal area. If pathological processes occur in the joint, they are diagnosed as wrist diseases.

The hand can rotate, bend and extend thanks to the joint. Without these functions, it is difficult to imagine full-fledged work in everyday life, because for it you need to straighten and bend your arm. Therefore, if there is pain in the wrist when bending, then for a person to perform any activity. With such pain , grasping any object with your fingers becomes a real problem, and it is especially difficult to hold it.

Along with pain, concomitant pathological signs arise, due to which the patient’s capabilities are noticeably reduced. There may be tingling and numbness in the hands, as well as swelling, which makes movement difficult and the wrist area deformed. So, let's look at 4 main points:

• why there is pain in the wrist of the right hand when bending;
• what is the danger of such situations;
• diagnostic methods;
• possible therapy.

Indications and contraindications for MRI of the wrist joint

Magnetic resonance imaging of the wrist joint is indicated in the presence of the following complaints:

• pain;
• limited mobility, inability to bend or straighten the hand;
• swelling, redness of the skin in the wrist area;
• deformity of the wrist joint;
• nodes, swelling, tumor-like formations in the area of ​​the wrist joint.

MR imaging of the wrist joint is contraindicated:

• children under 5 years of age (the study is carried out only in departments specially created for this, since MRI in children under 5 years of age requires sedation and medicated sleep due to the inability of small patients to remain still during the examination);
• patients with defibrillators, pacemakers, neurostimulators, cochlear implants and other electronic devices implanted into the body (magnetic fields disable implants);
• patients with metal foreign bodies (bullets, shot, shrapnel, metal shavings in the eyes) or medical devices (vascular clips, stents, prostheses) in the body (risk of injury or bleeding due to the displacement of a metal object under the influence of a magnetic field);
• patients with excess body weight, weighing more than 130 kg and torso girth more than 150 cm (physically do not fit into the tomograph);
• pregnant women during the 1st trimester (in the 2nd and 3rd trimester without restrictions).

What is the wrist made of?

The carpal zone (not counting the 8 bones) includes a joint called the radiocarpal. The bony structures that make it up contain hyaline cartilage that covers the bones that move. A durable capsule envelops this joint, and a special fluid (necessary for the bone structures to slide freely) is produced by the synovial membrane.

The wrist has important structures on the inside that play a big role in the mobility of the hand. Transverse ligaments secure and protect blood vessels. The formations also include nerve trunks and flexor muscles. Fatty tissue and skin cover the wrist area.

Why do we need information about these anatomical structures? The fact is that some of them become sources of pain when pathologies arise. Of course, each of them can get sick. Because of this, some diseases are formed. Negative processes can be:

• inflammatory;
• degenerative;
• allergic;
• autoimmune.

Injuries can destroy any of the elements, be it nerve trunks or bone structures. It all depends on the situation.

Due to a weak immune system, allergens and infectious agents, inflammatory reactions may occur. Mostly middle-aged people and especially the elderly suffer from degenerative processes. Due to the fact that the metabolism is disturbed or the circulatory system suffers from pathologies, dystrophic manifestations may appear. Bones and cartilage do not receive proper nutrition.

Characteristic pains

When the wrist area becomes ill, several pathological processes occur at once. For example, inflammation is characterized by changes in blood supply, increased pain, activation of the immune system and tissue destruction. The cartilage layer is deformed and bone tissue grows when age-related changes occur in the joint. Fibrosis begins to stand out faster, which affects the deterioration of microcirculation.

Nerve endings are the first to respond to the occurrence of pathological processes in the carpal area. Every part of the body, except bones, has pain receptors. Therefore, if destructive processes occur, pain in the wrist may begin when bending. It all depends on what type of disease the patient suffers from. However, the pain may not be as pronounced at an early stage. If we are talking, for example, about arthrosis, then the pathological processes are almost painless.

There are several groups of diseases that cause wrist pain. Here are the main ones:

• traumatic injuries;
• inflammation process;
• degenerative and dystrophic manifestations.

Each pathology has its own characteristic pain. Certain situations can strengthen or weaken it. It may either spread or not. In addition to it, other symptoms appear that can be identified clinically or laboratory. methods are also used for this . Thanks to this, it is possible to accurately diagnose the disease and provide appropriate medical care.

Injuries

Pain in the left wrist when bending is often due to injury . For example, while trying to hold something, a person twists his arm sharply. Pain also occurs when you actively or passively straighten your arm. In addition to pain, there are other signs of injury. We are talking about hematomas, swelling, deformities, lack of mobility, and also when the subcutaneous fatty tissue is damaged.

Among the mildest types of injuries are bruises, in which there are no special deformations. Swelling may occur if a person has sprained or broken their wrist.

How is traumatic injury diagnosed? First of all, this issue needs to be approached seriously, because each situation has its own nuances. Take advantage of radiography, which is basically available to everyone. Some experts recommend undergoing CT, MRI and ultrasound. Thanks to this approach, the diagnosis will be made most accurately.

If we are talking about dislocations, fractures or sprains, then their treatment is quite long. Sometimes it will be necessary to go to a surgeon. Once the bones have healed, it is important to undergo appropriate rehabilitation to restore mobility to the joint.

Treatment of styloiditis of the wrist joint

If the patient presents with the disease at an initial or middle stage, he is prescribed therapeutic treatment, including:

• Temporary immobilization of the joint;
• Anti-inflammatory drugs;
• Drugs that activate blood flow.

Of the physiotherapeutic procedures, ultrasound, electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, and ozokerite have proven their effectiveness.

In an advanced stage, the disease requires surgical intervention - an experienced surgeon will remove deformed tissues, excise calcifications and degenerative bone growths, thereby ensuring decompression of the neurovascular bundle and muscles.

Inflammation process

Pain in the left wrist when bending often occurs due to the process of inflammation. He can be:

• infectious;
• allergic;
• autoimmune.

When does this happen? Mainly for injuries when the skin is damaged. Then bacterial infections enter the body.

If the body is hypersensitive to certain substances, an allergic inflammatory process may occur. It is rare to encounter autoimmune inflammation. This is caused by metabolic disorders, such as gout.

Regardless of the essence of the inflammatory process, it has one name - arthritis of the wrist joint . His clinical picture is clearly expressed. If the disease is not properly diagnosed and treated, it can become chronic, causing serious damage to the functionality of the hand.

Arthritis has a clear sign – pain. It first appears during hand movements, and then becomes strong even when the person does not move. At the same time, it is difficult to bend, straighten and rotate the hand. As a result, she becomes completely motionless. If arthritis is infectious, then this leads to intoxication syndrome, when a person suffers from severe weakness and headache.

Using laboratory tests, you can determine the type of arthritis. The patient will need to undergo a clinical and biochemical blood test. This can be used to determine where exactly the inflammation occurs.

It is quite difficult to treat such pathologies. Doctors usually use hormonal and non-steroidal medications for inflammation, as well as painkillers and multivitamins. If the arthritis is infectious, then the use of antibacterial agents will be required.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

This condition, which causes pain in the wrist when bending the thumb, is diagnosed quite often. Another name for it is tunnel syndrome. Its roots are traumatic and inflammatory.

If the patient is right-handed, then with this disease he will have severe pain in the wrist of his right hand. The pain is especially intensified at night, which is why the person does not get enough sleep. Sometimes the hand and fingers may become numb, and “goose bumps” and tingling sensations may appear. In addition to pain, swelling also occurs, as well as difficulty bending. The skin becomes pale or bluish in color. This occurs due to the fact that microcirculation is impaired.

If the syndrome is identified at an early stage, then it is generally recommended to use therapeutic orthoses and change the type of activity. Thanks to this, the wrist can be relieved. It will not do without painkillers and those that restore nerve tissue. Sometimes surgery may also be required.

Degenerative processes

We are talking about age-related processes, so older people suffer from them. This leads to the development of arthrosis of the joints. However, people, young and middle-aged, can also suffer from this pathology, which has recently happened quite often.

When a person suffers from arthrosis, problems first arise in the articular hyaline cartilage. It has no nerve endings and therefore does not cause pain. The patient feels stiffness in the joints and swelling. And with physical activity, pain occurs, which disappears at rest.

To treat arthrosis, complex therapy is used for several years . A person must actively engage in physical therapy, massage, and therapeutic exercises .

Causes of arthrosis of the hand joint

This disease appears for the following reasons:

• joint injuries (fractures, dislocations, etc.);
• strong and prolonged loads on the joint;
• microtrauma of connective tissue;
• systemic connective tissue diseases;
• inflammatory processes;
• hereditary predisposition.

Improper, unbalanced nutrition, abuse of highly salty, spicy and fatty foods also have a detrimental effect on the condition of the joints.

In most cases, deforming arthrosis of the wrist joint occurs in people whose activities involve constant stress on this area - builders, painters, general workers. This disease often manifests itself in athletes.