Your wrist has several small joints, 2 large bones and 8 small ones. Ligaments and tendons in your wrist also connect muscles and bones. Many things can go wrong inside this complex system that helps you grab, push, pull and lift.

Some sports put you at risk for wrist injuries, especially contact sports like football and basketball. We also see a lot of injuries in sports where you may fall on an outstretched hand, like skating or snowboarding.

Repetitive motions can inflame your wrist. For example, working on a keyboard or using power tools all day can lead to wrist injuries.

You can have radial wrist pain, which is pain on the thumb-side of your wrist. Or you can have pain on the outside of your wrist, called ulnar wrist pain.

The conditions that most commonly cause wrist pain are:

• Arthritis: Arthritis attacks the cartilage in your wrist joints. Osteoarthritis, or “wear and tear” arthritis, is the most common. But rheumatoid arthritis and gout can also cause pain in your wrist joints.
• Breaks and dislocations: Falls onto an outstretched hand are the top reason for broken wrists. You can also dislocate your wrist bone if you fall or hit your wrist hard against something. Bad sprains can mimic breaks, so you’ll need imaging to know the difference.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome: Structures in your wrist swell and compress the main wrist nerve, causing pain, numbness and weakness. Carpal tunnel can make it hard to work or do daily tasks.
• Ganglion cyst: These are noncancerous lumps that can form in your wrist tendons or wrist joints. If they bother you or cause symptoms, we can treat them.
• Sprains and strains: A sprain is a ligament injury, and a strain is a tendon or muscle injury. Minor sprains and strains can heal on their own, but if you have severe pain, see a doctor.
• Tendonitis: Also called tenosynovitis, it means your wrist tendons are inflamed. You may have swelling, pain and trouble lifting or squeezing objects. One of the most common types is de Quervain’s tendonitis, which affects the tendons at the base of the thumb.

Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms

Carpal tunnel is one of the most common wrist conditions we treat at Carilion. Your carpal tunnel is a passageway in the bones of your wrist. The median nerve, which connects your forearm to your palm, runs through this tunnel.  

Moving your wrist in the same way over and over can irritate these tiny structures. Irritation leads to swelling, which can compress the nerve and pushes it against the tunnel.  

This causes symptoms like: 

• A numbness or tingling in your palm, wrist, thumb or first 4 fingers that happens at rest or when holding an object
• Feeling of weakness in your thumb, making it hard to pinch or grasp objects
• Pain in your wrist or hand, sometimes radiating up the forearm 

These symptoms usually start slowly and worsen with time. Our hand, wrist and upper extremity surgeons offer a range of carpal tunnel treatments, including carpal tunnel surgery. 

When you come to see us, we’ll discuss your symptoms and perform a medical exam. We have simple, noninvasive ways to check the health of nerves and tendons. We may also order imaging to help us determine what’s going on.

Non-surgical treatments for wrist pain

Mild wrist sprains or tendonitis can improve with rest and home care. Ice the area to reduce swelling and take ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve). For acute injuries or pain that doesn’t improve with home care, schedule a visit with a Carilion orthopaedic doctor.

Depending on your diagnosis, we may prescribe:

• Ergonomic changes: For conditions like carpal tunnel, you may need to redo your workspace. Your keyboard should be low enough that you don’t have to bend your wrist upwards to type. You may need to take more breaks and even pay attention to how you sleep (not curling your hands under).
• Medicine: For tendonitis or joint pain from arthritis, we may prescribe stronger anti-inflammatories or other medicines that help manage pain.
• Pain injections: Steroid injections can help with pain from arthritis and carpal tunnel.
• Physical therapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT): PT can help stretch and strengthen the wrist muscles, which stabilize joints. OT is especially helpful for carpal tunnel, because the therapist helps with modifications to daily movements.
• Splinting: Wearing a splint for carpal tunnel helps to hold your wrist in the correct position. This takes pressure off your median nerve. Splints can also help heal wrist sprains and strains.

Carpal tunnel surgery

If you’ve tried other treatments and your condition isn’t improving, carpal tunnel release surgery can help.

With carpal tunnel release surgery, the surgeon cuts into the ligament pressing against the nerve. This creates more space for the nerve inside your wrist. We do this as an outpatient surgery, meaning you don’t need to spend the night in the hospital. We do this as an outpatient procedure under local anesthetic.

Other wrist surgeries

Carilion hand and upper extremity surgeons do the full range of surgeries, including:

• Tendon or ligament repair surgery
• Surgery to set a broken wrist
• Surgery to remove ganglion cysts
• Trigger finger release surgery

Learn more about ​wrist surgery at Carilion.