Hand & Wrist Conditions
Explore orthopedic conditions affecting the hand & wrist — from common injuries to specialized conditions.
Animal and Human Bites to the Hand
Puncture, laceration, or crush wounds from animal or human teeth that carry a high risk of deep hand infection.
Carpal Boss
A firm bony bump at the back of the wrist that is occasionally painful and often confused with a ganglion cyst.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Nerve compression at the wrist causing hand numbness and tingling.
CommonDe Quervain's Tenosynovitis
Tendon inflammation on the thumb side of the wrist from repetitive gripping.
CommonDigital Nerve Injuries
Damage to a finger's sensory nerve, usually from a laceration, causing numbness distal to the injury.
Dupuytren's Contracture
Palm tissue thickening that slowly pulls fingers into a bent position.
CommonExtensor Tendon Rupture
Torn tendon on the back of the hand preventing finger straightening.
Forearm Fractures
Broken forearm bones, usually from falling on an outstretched arm.
CommonForeign Bodies in the Hand
Wood, glass, metal, or other material lodged in the hand's soft tissue after a puncture or crush injury, evaluated for removal based on material and location.
Ganglion Cyst
A benign fluid-filled lump on the wrist or hand, along a joint.
CommonGout and Pseudogout of the Hand and Wrist
Crystal-induced arthritis of the hand and wrist, caused by urate crystals (gout) or calcium pyrophosphate crystals (pseudogout).
Hand & Wrist Arthritis
Joint breakdown in the hand and wrist, common after age 50.
CommonHand & Wrist Fractures
Broken bones in the hand or wrist from a fall or blow.
CommonHand & Wrist Tendonitis
Tendon inflammation in the hand or wrist from repetitive use.
CommonJoint Dislocations in the Hand
A finger or hand joint forced out of place by injury.
CommonKienböck's Disease
Loss of blood supply to the lunate wrist bone, causing pain, stiffness, and progressive bone collapse if untreated.
Mallet Finger
Drooping fingertip caused by a torn tendon, often from a ball impact.
CommonMucous Cyst
A small fluid-filled cyst near a finger's end joint, linked to arthritis.
Nailbed Injuries
Damage to the tissue beneath the fingernail from crush, laceration, or door injuries, often with an underlying fingertip fracture.
Painful Hardware After Hand, Wrist, or Elbow Fracture Surgery
Pain or irritation from a healed fracture's plate, screw, or wire, most common at the elbow and wrist.
Paronychia and Felon
Two related but distinct finger infections: paronychia affects the nail fold, felon affects the fingertip pulp.
Scaphoid Fracture
A wrist bone fracture from falling on an outstretched hand, often missed.
CommonSkier's Thumb (UCL Injury of the Thumb)
Torn thumb ligament at the base, often from a ski pole fall.
Swan Neck and Boutonnière Finger Deformities
Opposite finger joint deformities from extensor tendon imbalance, caused by trauma or inflammatory arthritis, treated with splinting or reconstructive surgery.
TFCC Injury (Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex)
Cartilage and ligament tear on the pinky side of the wrist.
Tendon Laceration
A cut tendon in the hand or finger from a sharp wound.
Traumatic Finger and Digit Amputation
Complete or partial loss of a finger or thumb from trauma, treated by replantation or revision amputation.
Trigger Finger
Inflamed tendon that causes a finger to lock or catch when bending.
CommonUlnar Impaction Syndrome
Chronic ulnar-sided wrist pain from excess load between the ulna and the wrist's cartilage cushion and carpal bones.
Wrist Hypermobility and Midcarpal Instability
Excessive, often painful motion between wrist bones, commonly linked to generalized joint laxity or connective tissue disorders.
Wrist Ligament Injuries (Scapholunate / SLAC Wrist)
Ligament sprains or tears connecting the small wrist bones, from falls.