Understanding Your Hand & Wrist Pain
The hand and wrist contain 27 bones, numerous tendons, and intricate nerve pathways that enable fine motor function. Conditions affecting the hand and wrist require specialized expertise. At Precision Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, our fellowship-trained hand and upper extremity specialists serve patients across Maryland and the DC Metro Area, offering both non-operative and surgical care for the full spectrum of hand and wrist conditions.
Common Symptoms, Conditions & Treatment Options for Hand & Wrist Pain
Symptoms
- Pain, numbness, or tingling in the hand or wrist
- Weakness when gripping or pinching
- Finger stiffness or catching and locking
- Swelling around joints or tendons
- Wrist tenderness or limited range of motion
- Thumb pain with pinching or grasping
Conditions
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis)
- De Quervain's tenosynovitis
- Dupuytren's contracture
- Wrist and hand fractures
- Ganglion cysts
- Thumb and finger ligament injuries
Treatment Options
- Splinting and activity modification
- Corticosteroid injections
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Carpal tunnel release
- Trigger finger release
- Dupuytren's release and fasciectomy
- Fracture fixation
- Tendon repair
Frequently Asked Questions
See a hand specialist if you have persistent numbness or tingling, a finger that locks or catches, wrist pain that limits daily activities, a visible deformity after injury, or a wound on the hand that limits finger movement.
Common symptoms include numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, especially at night. Patients may also experience hand weakness, difficulty gripping objects, and pain that radiates up the forearm.
Surgery is recommended when symptoms persist despite splinting, injections, and activity modification, or when nerve testing shows significant compression. Carpal tunnel release is a brief outpatient procedure with high success rates.
Trigger finger occurs when the tendon sheath in a finger becomes inflamed, causing the finger to catch or lock in a bent position. Treatment ranges from splinting and injections to a minor outpatient release procedure.
- Carpal Tunnel Release: Light use in 2 to 4 weeks; full strength at 6 to 8 weeks.
- Trigger Finger Release: Finger use within days; full recovery 2 to 4 weeks.
- Wrist Fracture Fixation: Cast or splint for 4 to 6 weeks; full recovery 3 months.
- Tendon Repair: Up to 3 months of supervised rehabilitation.