A consultation is an excellent way of getting help for a hand or wrist problem. When you first meet with your Consultant, they will take a medical history and discuss your symptoms with you. They may ask you questions like:
- What symptoms have you been experiencing?
- How long have you had the symptoms for?
- Have they been getting worse over time?
- If you have pain, is it sharp or dull?
- Is the pain in one area only (localised) or is it more of a generalised pain?
They will carry out a clinical examination of your hand, wrist and arm, assessing strength, mobility and flexibility. They may ask you to perform some simple tasks to demonstrate your symptoms.
Sometimes, additional tests or investigations may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis. This is usually an X-ray of your hand and wrist, as this can help to either demonstrate or rule out involvement of the bony structures. If no bone abnormalities are seen on the X-ray, other diagnostic scans like ultrasound or MRI may be done to look at the tendons, ligaments, muscles and nerves. Any of these diagnostic tests can be easily carried out for you on-site at The Blackheath Hospital.
Once a diagnosis has been made, your Consultant will be able to discuss treatment options with you. These may include physiotherapy, steroid injections or, if necessary, an operation.
It may be that a diagnosis is still not possible. In these situations, your Consultant may advise having an arthroscopy, which is a form of keyhole surgery. This involves passing a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and light attached to it through a small cut in your wrist. This transmits a live feed to a screen, giving your Consultant a clear view inside the joint. This is done as a day case procedure, so you won’t need to stay in hospital overnight.
Most hand and wrist problems can be well managed without the need for surgery. For example, for a severe sprain our physiotherapy team may structure a personalised rehabilitation plan for you. This would aim to help safely optimise the strength and range of movement in your hand and wrist during your recovery period.