How to Diagnose Wrist Pain

The human wrist is composed of eight carpal bones and a complex web of ligaments and nerves. These eight carpal bones support the area called the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel contains the median nerve and tendons. The wrist is one of the most common sites of injury. The wrist is used in typing and certain occupations. It is also used in numerous sporting activities, such as tennis, boxing and football. This repetitive movement of certain activities makes some people more prone to wrist pain. It is possible to effectively diagnose wrist pain.

Instructions

• 1

  Look for any changes in shape of the wrist bones. If you find out upon inspection that there is a change in shape, there may be a wrist fracture. An x-ray of the affected hand will give you results. If the x-ray shows no fracture, then the wrist may have been sprained.

• 2

  If the pain came from a repeated motion or if it was made worse by a sport or job, then it may be wrist tendonitis.

• 3

  If experiencing numbness in the fingers or pain in the wrist, hand or arm, especially when flexing the wrist, then it may be compression of the medial nerve, called carpal tunnel syndrome.

• 4

  If experiencing pain when gripping a handle, it may be from tennis elbow.

• 5

  If their is a lump or swelling on the back of the wrist, it could be a ganglion cyst, a common tendon cyst.

• 6

  If their is swelling, discoloration or pain in the skin, or a red streak up the arm accompanied by a fever, then it may be an infection in the wrist, hand or arm.

• 7

  Look at the joints and determine if they are swollen and tender. If yes, then it may have wrist arthritis or gout.