Ulnar Sided Wrist Pain
Ulnar side ( the side of the wrist in line with the little finger ) is a common site of wrist pain. It is often due to repetitive trauma or a forceful acute injury.
A Luno Triquetral Ligament (Ltq) Injury Can Result From Several Causes, Including Sports-related Injuries, Falls, And Motor Vehicle Accidents. It Is Typical Of People To Dismiss The Accident At First, Believing It To Be A Minor “Sprain.”The Injury Becomes Permanent If Weeks Or Months Pass Without A Diagnosis. Some People Experience Decreased Range Of Motion And/Or Pain In The Wrist During Strenuous Exercises Like Push-ups And Weight Lifting, Even Though They Can’t Remember A Particular Injury.
Most common reasons are
- TFCC injury : Diagnosed by clinical examination and MRI. Treatment often consists of rest, activity modification or plaster application. Severe injuries may require arthroscopic repair.
- Ulnar impaction syndrome : It is a degenerative process often due to repeated
compressive loading. Treated often successfully with rest, activity
modification. Intra articular steroid injections may be suggested in patients
who may not respond well .. When these modalities fail to provide relief,
surgery is indicated. Two commonly done procedures are
A) Partial distal ulna resection ( Wafer’s procedure)
B) Ulnar shortening osteotomy - ECU tenosynovitis and subluxation : ECU is a muscle tendon unit which crosses the wrist on its ulnar side. It is a commonly affected structure in ulnar sided wrist pain. Your doctor will diagnose it by examining your hand. Diagnosis can be confirmed with X ray and MRI. Most of the time the problem settles with adequate splinting of hand and activity modification. Refractory cases are managed with corticosteroid injections. Failure to respond to all the measures may demand surgery to improve the patient's pain.