What is hand pain?
Hand pain is a feeling of discomfort in your hand, wrist, or fingers. The hand consists of numerous bones, muscles, ligaments, and sheaths. Pain might result from an injury, disease, or degeneration over time.
If your hand pain doesn’t subside on its own or is severe, visit Western Orthopaedics, P.C., for an evaluation and treatment.
What are the symptoms of hand pain?
Hand pain might be mild or severe, short-lived, or long-lasting. It can present as dull, aching pain, sharp pain, numbness, burning, or tingling. You may experience redness, swelling, stiffness, and reduced range of motion in the joints of your hand or wrist.
What causes hand pain?
Hand pain might result from one or more of the following musculoskeletal conditions:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Fractures
- Ganglion cyst
- Sprains
- Strains
- Ligament injuries
- Tendon issues
- Trigger finger
Your risk of developing hand or wrist pain increases with age, playing sports, or completing repetitive motions like typing.
How is hand pain diagnosed?
To diagnose the root cause of hand pain, your orthopaedic specialist asks about your medical history and symptoms and examines your hand, fingers, and wrist. They may complete blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, or other imaging tests to determine the type and severity of your condition and develop a treatment plan.
How is hand pain treated?
Western Orthopaedics, P.C., offers the following treatments for hand pain relief:
Home care
Sometimes, simple at-home solutions can reduce hand pain, stimulate healing, diminish inflammation, and prevent re-injury. Examples include ice, heat, braces, and splints.
Fracture care
Your orthopaedics specialist can treat hand fractures using casts, braces, traction, external fixation, or surgery in severe cases.
Medication
Anti-inflammatory medication helps reduce inflammation and pain while a hand injury heals. Some medications alleviate pain associated with arthritis or delay disease progression.
Injections
Steroid, hyaluronic acid, and pain-relieving injections, as well as regenerative medicine, can alleviate hand pain and optimize healing. Western Orthopaedics, P.C., offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections to stimulate cell regeneration and healing naturally.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy exercises with a specialist can strengthen tissues in your hand, increase joint range of motion, stimulate healing, and help prevent re-injury.
Surgery
If you have a cyst, other mass, or a severe hand injury that doesn’t heal with conservative methods, your provider might recommend surgery to fully restore hand structure and function. The Western Orthopaedics, P.C., providers specialize in arthroscopic/minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Don’t let hand pain diminish your quality of life when numerous treatments can offer relief. Schedule an appointment with the experts at Western Orthopaedics, P.C., by phone or request one online today.