Determining the Cause of Your Hand and Wrist Pain

The 2 most common classes of hand and wrist pain are either sudden or chronic pain. Sudden pain occurs immediately, as in a traumatic event in which a bone is broken. Chronic pain occurs over a period of time, as is associated with Arthritis or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). CTS is the most common cause of chronic pain in the hands and wrists.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Los Angeles patients often don’t know that the pain they are experiencing is in fact CTS. Often the symptoms aren’t just pain, but tingling, or loss of feeling or grip in the hands and wrists. This occurs when there is too much pressure put on the median nerve, which is a thick ligamentous band that stretches over the tendons which move the fingers. The carpal tunnel is a closed space or "tunnel" located in the middle of the mid palm side of the wrist. When too much pressure builds up within the small space affecting the median nerve - pressure on the median nerve at the wrist manifests as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Further repetitive movement, exercising and certain activities are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, but no specific time frame or repetitive movement has been documented to cause the problem.

Not everyone has all the classic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms Los Angeles, but will have some variation or combination of them. For example, some people may only experience numbness in one or two finger, and some people may feel painful or electric shock-like sensations radiating into the hand or back up the forearm.

Those with arthritis, hypothyroidism and pregnancy have a greater incidence of CTS which can be confirmed by a Los Angeles hand surgeon or regular physician either through an electric diagnostic study or (EMG) or an MRI.

Los Angeles Carpal Tunnel Syndrome treatment is available in many different forms. Some treatments include splinting, oral anti-inflammatory medications, ergonomic work and activity changes, and therapy. If these modalities don’t work, surgical decompression is available. This procedure can be done under regional anesthesia (just the arm is “asleep” for the surgery), in a day surgery setting. This unique minimally invasive technique does not require general anesthesia, and enables patients to use their hand immediately. Most people are able to return to routine activities within 1-2 weeks.

About The Author-- Dr. Younai is a Board-Certified Hand, Plastic & Reconstructive surgeon who received his medical degree at UCLA. He then trained in general surgery at UC Davis. He followed this with specialty training in Hand and Microsurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, MA. for more detail please visit http://californiahandcenter.com/

Article Source: Articles island - Free article submission and free reprint articles