Hand and Wrist Pain Q & A What is hand and wrist pain?

Your hands and wrists are vital to navigating the world, making hand and wrist pain a serious disruption to your daily activities. Thankfully, Bart Rask, MD, can help. Dr. Rask is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon providing excellent treatments for hand and wrist pain at HIllsboro Orthopedic Group. in Hillsboro, Oregon. Schedule a visit to the state-of-the-art clinic by calling the office and find relief from your hand and wrist pain today.

Hand and wrist pain can present in a variety of ways. Some conditions can create pain in your hand and wrist that’s dull, like a toothache, while other conditions can leave your hand with sharp, sudden pains, or a tingling, pins-and-needles sensation.

You can develop hand and wrist pain regardless of your lifestyle, but some factors that can increase your risk of developing pain include:

• Participating in sports involving repetitive stress on your wrists
• Engaging in repetitive work or tasks that involve your hands and wrists
• Certain medical conditions like diabetes and obesity

Being pregnant also puts you at a higher risk of developing hand and wrist pain.

Hand and wrist pain can have many causes, including:

• Sprains, strains, or sudden impacts
• Fracture in your hand or wrist
• Inflammation and stress fractures caused by repetitive motions
• Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Ganglion cysts
• Kienbock’s disease
• Diabetes
• Peripheral neuropathy
• DeQuervain’s disease

Since proper diagnosis is essential to effective treatment, working with a highly skilled expert like Dr. Rask can make all the difference in finding relief from your hand and wrist pain. 

In some cases, you don’t need to see a doctor for hand and wrist pain. If you’re dealing with a minor strain or sprain, you might be able to alleviate your pain with ice, over-the-counter pain medications, and rest.

If your pain continues to worsen, though, or lasts longer than a few days, you should schedule a visit with Dr. Rask. The longer you wait to get treatment, the more difficult it can be to heal from whatever is causing your hand and wrist pain. This can, in turn, lead to long-term disability and impaired range of motion.

Treatment for hand and wrist pain depends largely on the condition causing the pain, in addition to your age and overall health. In diagnosing your condition, Dr. Rask might perform or order any of the following:

• Physical exam
• X-rays
• CT scan
• MRI Ultrasound
• Arthroscopy
• Electromyogram (EMG) or nerve tests

Once he’s accurately diagnosed the source of your hand and wrist pain, Dr. Rask creates a treatment plan that properly addresses your needs. He’s highly skilled in both nonsurgical and surgical treatments.

Schedule your visit with Dr. Rask by calling Hillsboro Orthopedic Group.