The Most Common Syndromes Involving the Hand, Arm and Wrist

There are several kinds of problems that cause pain in the hand, arm, wrist and fingers. Of the lot, carpal tunnel syndrome, pronator syndrome and ulnar tunnel syndrome are quite significant. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that involves tingling, numbness etc. of the hand and arm. It is usually caused due to a pinched nerve in the wrist. Several factors contribute to this syndrome including a few underlying health issues, different patterns of hand use and the anatomy of the wrist. Luckily, proper treatment relieves the numbness and tingling, eventually restoring hand and wrist function. 

Pronator syndrome is a nervous system disorder that causes weakness, pain and numbness in the elbow, upper arm and hand. The syndrome is normally caused due to the compression of the median nerve by either muscles or ligament-like structures present in the forearm. Well, if treated appropriately, the symptoms of this particular syndrome generally resolve. In rare cases, surgery may be necessary. However, these days, there are several non-invasive surgeries performed by expert orthopedic specialists. 

Ulnar tunnel syndrome is another condition involving the hand. It occurs owing to the compression of the ulnar nerve at the wrist. Generally, the ring and small fingers become numb. Symptoms are quite similar to cubital tunnel syndrome symptoms because the same ulnar nerve is involved; however, ulnar tunnel syndrome seems to be less common. Ulnar tunnel syndrome is probably caused by a mass like a ganglion cyst or due to the fracture of an adjacent wrist bone. Nevertheless, by resorting to a reliable medical facility, the symptoms can be treated successfully.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome- A Painful Condition of Hand Caused By A Strained Nerve

Hand and arm suffer various conditions due to different reasons and one of such condition is Carpal tunnel syndrome. It is a condition that causes symptoms like numbness, tingling and pain in hand or arm. A strained nerve in the wrist mainly causes it. You may suffer from this condition due to various factors such as the structure of your wrist, a few basic health problems and probably patterns of hand use. Carpal tunnel is located on the palm side of the wrist and protects a primary nerve of our hand along with nine other tendons that facilitate fingers to bend. Firmness of the nerve leads to deadness, itchiness and, ultimately, we suffer from hand weakness; and this is what is characterised as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Another condition that our hands suffer is termed as Pronator syndrome. It is a disorder of the nervous system that creates pain, weakness, and insensitivity in the upper arm, elbow, and hand. The main nerve (median nerve) at times is compressed by the muscles and/or ligament-like structures in the forearm and thus causes this condition. The pressure on the median nerve lessens its function causing pain and other symptoms. The compression of the nerve may be cause by swollen or scarred tissue, or soreness of the nerve due to infection. The initial treatment to get rid of this condition engages keeping your arm or hand in rest from doing any activity that aggravates the symptoms. 

Ulnar tunnel syndrome is another painful condition that we suffer in our hand or wrist. It is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve at the wrist. This nerve is found on the pinkie-finger side of the wrist. You may suffer from symptoms like weakness, deadness and tingling, and pain in the ring finger, pinkie finger, or both. You should avoid activities that cause these symptoms. Applying ice and wearing a splint may relieve you from the pain.

Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome - A Painful Condition Leading To Trigger Finger

Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome is a painful condition of your hand and is caused when the median nerve that extends down the arm, across the elbow, and into the hand gets compressed. Median nerve is one of the main nerves branching from the brachial plexus. Injury to the hand such as joint dislocation or fracture can tear or inflame the ulnar nerve making it swollen and thus gets trapped causing pain. Injuries to your hand can cause due to accidents, falling etc and further cause the condition called ulnar nerve entrapment. The symptoms of this condition include: 

• softness along the inside of the elbow 
• tingling and deadness in little and ring fingers 
• difficulty hand movements. 
• lack of griping power, muscle weakness 
• pain within the border of the shoulder blade

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should immediately contact a physician. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential to control the pain and fast recovery. Though mostly the problem is in the elbow area, people experience pain in the hand and fingers because ulnar nerve controls movement and sensation there. Both sensory and motor skills are affected causing Trigger finger, a painful condition related with a clicking sensation during finger extension, or locking in a closed position during gripping activities.

The index, middle and ring fingers are common to this condition and the clicking is clearly heard upon while bending the fingers to make a firm grip. Suffering from this condition cannot make firm grips while holding something as he finds it difficult to stretch or bend his fingers properly. Trying to stretch or hold something will cause pain leading the patient to the doctor. The popping or the clicking of the finger is the characteristic of trigger thumb and it worsens in the morning upon waking up. With passive stretching of hand and fingers, we can avoid this condition. 

Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome and Its Remedy

Have you ever faced pain in your wrist? Have you seen your doctor? You might be facing ulnar tunnel syndrome. This syndrome is caused by pressure on the ulnar nerve at the wrist. It is found on the outer side of the wrist.

This syndrome happens when one overuse or repetitive use their hands. Swelling or thickening of the tissue close to the ulnar nerve is caused from a ganglion. It is commonly seen is bicycle riders as they hold on to the handlebars for longer period. The symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling in the ring finger and pinkie finger.

Trigger finger and trigger thumb are also common. It happens due to space problem, which bends the finger, or thumb that gets compressed. Sometimes the tendons shrink due to various problems such as diabetes, thyroid, etc. It swells and thickens the lining of the tendon. People often face pain in the fingers and bending towards the palm. 

Fortunately, this syndrome is curable. It is a simple surgery, which is 100% successful and permanently cures the problem. You can visit an orthopedic surgeon and had a surgery. After surgery, one needs to keep the hand clean and away from water for 3 days. Showering is not recommended though one can bathe after wrapping the hand with plastic cover. 

After 3 days one can shower easily, however, one can avoid submerging their hand inside the water for atleast 10 days. One does not have to visit the doctor to remove the stitches, it will get merged. It is recommended to avoid heavy activities such as lifting heavy objects. 

So, if you are feeling the pain in your wrist or fingers, then you can contact an orthopedic surgeon and get surgery done as fast as possible. It will help in curing the pain and make sure that one does not feel the pain again and again.

Trigger Finger Tends To Be A Part Of Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome

Ulnar nerve is a major peripheral nerve of the upper limb that gives us feeling in our little finger and half of the ring finger. This nerve basically controls the muscles of the hand that facilitates you to pick things up and do various other movements. It also controls other bigger muscles of the forearm that allow us to hold or grip things. Using our hands or wrist repetitively may cause swelling or thickening of the tissues situated closer to the ulnar nerve. It can further affect the ulnar nerve making us suffer from Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome.

This Syndrome is mainly caused when the ulnar nerve at the wrist is compressed. Activities like bicycle ride may develop this syndrome because of the holding on to the handlebars. Increased pressure on this nerve may lead to numbness, tingling, pain and weakness of the affected arm and hand. The pain in hand may further lead to trigger finger. It is a medical condition in which you suffer from reduced mobility in the fingers. It often results in the stiffness, locking and chronic pain in our fingers.

Pain in your thumb or any other finger may be a part of Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome; however, it can also be the result because of the trigger points in your muscles. The trigger points in our muscles are hyper-irritable sending pain to other parts of our body. If you experience chronic pain in your thumb then it might result in trigger thumb. In this situation, the trigger point that causes the pain is in the lower arm.

You may treat mild pains just by resting and anti-inflammatory medication. There are injections called hydrocortisone and lignocaine, that are recommended to treat trigger fingers when the condition is chronic. However, these injections are tend to be not so useful for the patients who have other medical conditions such as diabetes etc.

Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome

Ulnar tunnel syndrome is when the ulnar nerve gets compressed at the wrist. The small and ring fingers go numb. The symptoms are very similar to those of cubital tunnel syndrome, but ulnar tunnel syndrome is much less common. These two nerve compression syndromes are therefore often confused.

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