Hand and Wrist Injuries

Because the human hand has so many bones, ligaments, tendons and joints, hand and wrist injuries are some of the most common problems we face—whether we’re an athlete or just going about our daily life.

So you’ll be glad to know that Adventist Health Orthopedic Clinic is home to a team of experts who specialize in diagnosing and treating a wide array of hand and wrist injuries, and who have demonstrated excellent outcomes.

Types of hand and wrist injuries

Hand and wrist injuries can occur from everyday wear and tear (especially as we age), from overuse, or as a result of a fall, sports activities, work-related tasks or accidents around the house (especially when using machinery such as hand tools, snow blowers or lawn mowers). The types of injuries include:

• Pulled muscles (strains)
• Joint injuries (sprains)
• Broken bones (fractures)
• Dislocations (when a bone is pushed or pulled out of place)
• Injuries to tendons or ligaments (such as skier’s thumb or mallet finger)
• Crush injury, which can lead to compartment syndrome (a painful condition that develops when swelling occurs inside a confined body space or “compartment”)
• Overuse injuries that result from overdoing or repeating an activity, which places too much stress on a joint or other tissue. These can include:
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome (pressure on the median nerve in the wrist)
  • Tendon pain (a symptom of tendinosis, a series of micro-tears in in the tissue in or around the tendon)
  • De Quervain’s disease (when tendons and the sheath covering them on the thumb side of the wrist swell and become inflamed)
• Arthritis, which also can cause painful, swollen joints

How are hand and wrist injuries treated?

While treatment depends on what caused your hand or wrist injury, today there is an array of both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options, including:

• Specialized hand therapy provided by physical therapists with advanced training in this area
• Design and fabrication of splints to protect or rehabilitate and injured finger, hand or wrist
• Minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery
• Joint replacement for degenerative conditions such as arthritis
• Endoscopic and minimal-incision open carpal tunnel release surgery

Want to learn more about treatments for hand and wrist injuries at Adventist Health Orthopedic Clinic?

Simply call us to schedule an appointment at the location that’s most convenient for you at Portland: (503) 261-6961.