Patient Education > FAQ > Wrist Patient Education Topics: Wrist | Recent News: Wrist Frequently Asked Questions: Wrist I broke a small bone in my wrist a few weeks ago. The doctor said it was the scaphoid bone near the base of my thumb. She gave me a choice between having a cast or surgery, and I chose the cast. Now I'm hearing about the stiffness and muscular problems people have after their casts come off. Did I make the wrong choice?   I fractured the scaphoid bone near the base of my thumb and need to get back to work right away. My doctor says I can either have surgery or a cast. What's my best bet?   I fractured the scaphoid bone near the base of my thumb, and the doctor wants to put a cast on it. Meanwhile, I'm having flashbacks to the cast I seemed to have worn forever in the second grade. Is there anything faster than this prehistoric treatment?   In order to get relief from the severe pain in my wrist, my doctor says I need to have surgery to shorten the ulna bone near my wrist. The doctor says my smoking will prevent the surgery from doing any good. I think he's just trying to get me to quit. Will smoking make the surgery worthless?   I've heard that smoking makes it harder to heal from certain types of surgery, such as spine surgery. Does smoking also affect wrist surgery?   Some of my snowboarding magazines say that using wrist braces lowers the chance of a wrist injury. Is this true?   Will wearing a wrist brace when I snowboard keep me from spraining my wrist?   A snowboarding magazine had an article stating that wrist braces lower the chances of wrist injury. Would a hard brace work better than a soft one?   The idea of snowboarding intrigues me, but I've heard wrist injuries are common. As I get started, what should I know to avoid injuring my wrists?   I get hand and shoulder pain that becomes so intense that even heavy painkillers don't seem to help. About every three weeks, the pain changes to a dull ache with numbness and tingling. Then the intense pain returns. Could this problem be from carpal tunnel syndrome?   How does the scaphoid bone of the wrist usually get broken?   What treatments can help me avoid surgery for my wrist arthritis?   What problems does arthritis of the wrist cause?   How did I develop arthritis in my wrist?   I'm still having a lot of pain after spraining the ligaments in my wrist. Why?   How do injuries to the wrist ligaments occur?   Ever since I severely sprained my wrist, I've been worried about the long term consequences to my wrist joint. Should I be?   What is Kienbock's disease?   The pain in my wrist was recently diagnosed as Kienbock's disease. What caused my problem?   The excruciating pain in my wrist was just diagnosed as intersection syndrome. What is it, and what is it that intersects to cause such pain?   What does intersection syndrome feel like?   After downhill skiing over the weekend, I've started feeling pain on the back of my forearm, close to the wrist. What could this be, and what could have caused it?   Recently diagnosed with intersection syndrome, I'm wondering what could have caused my problem?   The bump on my wrist was diagnosed as a ganglion cyst. What is a ganglion cyst?   My doctor and I have been keeping a close eye on my wrist ganglion. It looks like the ganglion is getting bigger. What's the next step to get rid of this thing?   What symptoms are caused by a wrist ganglion?   Some treatment! My doctor said the best "treatment" for my wrist ganglion is to simply keep an eye on it. What are the chances this approach will work?   The ganglion cyst on my wrist is unsightly, to say the least. Why do I have this problem?   Working in the warehouse requires heavy use of my arms and hands. The doctor wants to do fusion surgery for my wrist arthritis. Won't a surgery like this make my wrist and hand too weak to do my heavy job?   What can I expect after my wrist fusion surgery?   What are the main differences between intersection syndrome and de Quervain's tenosynovitis?   The pain on the inside edge of my wrist was recently diagnosed as de Quervain's tenosynovitis. What is this problem, and what can be done for it?   What are the symptoms of de Quervain's tenosynovitis?   How did I end up with de Quervain's tenosynovitis?   Why would my doctor recommend joint replacement surgery to fix my problems with wrist arthritis?   Why is my doctor recommending replacing my arthritic wrist joint? Wouldn't it be faster and easier to simply fuse the bones together?   Both my wrists are affected by rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor feels I should only have replacement surgery for one wrist. Why not both?   What can I expect after my wrist replacement surgery?   The fracture in my wrist bone, the scaphoid, has still not healed after 12 weeks in a cast. What's next?   Can a fracture in the scaphoid bone of the wrist heal without surgery?   How will I know if the scaphoid bone in my wrist is broken?   What does Kienbock's disease feel like?   After three months wearing a cast for treatment of Kienbock's disease, my doctor told me the bone in my wrist still hasn't healed. What's next?   What is the difference between Guyon's canal syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome?   What does Guyon's canal syndrome feel like?   I broke a small bone in my wrist when I accidently clubbed the ground instead of my golf ball. Now I'm having weakness in my hand and thumb. How does my fracture relate to the symptoms I'm feeling now?   I injured the ulnar nerve from a bad wrist injury. Tests now show I've got a blood clot in the artery that runs next to the ulnar nerve. Are the feelings of numbness and weakness in my hand from problems with the nerve or the blood clot?   I had an arthrogram for my sore wrist, and it came out normal. Does this mean there's nothing wrong with the wrist? Why do I still have pain?   I've had wrist pain for almost two years now. The arthrogram and X-rays have all come back normal. No one can tell me what's wrong with the wrist. My doctor thinks it will probably get better without surgery. How likely is it that the pain will go away? Are my chances of recovery worse because I've been in pain so long?   After falling on the ice and hurting my wrist, the doctor X-rayed my hand. The wrist was not broken but the bone in the middle was damaged. My arm was held still in a splint for six weeks but the bone has not healed. What’s the next step?   Last month I was told I have Kienbock's disease. What is this, and what causes it?   The weakness in my left hand has gotten worse. My doctor says this is because a nerve is being squeezed by a ganglion in the palm of my hand. Will surgery to get pressure off the nerve help?   My eight-year old daughter has a ganglion cyst on the front of her wrist. She says it doesn't hurt, but it's a bit unsightly. The doctor says we should watch and wait, but wouldn't it be quicker and easier to do surgery to remove the cyst?   My six-year-old daughter has had a ganglion cyst on her wrist for at least a year now. Since the cyst didn't seem to be painful, I've put off taking her to the doctor. Now I'm wondering if it's too late, or if there's something the doctor can do.   Years ago, my college professor smacked the ganglion cyst on the back of my hand with a bible. It actually made the cyst go away. Could this treatment help my nine year old daughter who has a cyst on the back of her wrist?   Sometimes I wake up at night and my hands have both gone numb. When I get up and walk around, it goes away. I read a magazine article that said this could be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. How can I tell for sure?   I had surgery for arthritis on the thumb-side of my wrist. Surgery helped with the pain, but now I can hardly move my hand. Is this normal? What causes it?   I have arthritis on the thumb-side of my wrist, and my doctor is planning to operate. He said one of the side effects of the surgery is that I won't be able to move my hand as much afterward. Are there any medical developments that can help?   I am having surgery to get rid of the arthritis pain in my wrist. In addition to fixing the wrist joint in place, my doctor wants to take out a piece of the scaphoid bone in my wrist. He says this will help my recovery. Is this a good idea?   I am having surgery to fix a broken bone in my wrist. My surgeon says he is going to use a bone substitute to join the bones together. Wouldn't it make more sense to use actual bone?   I have a fracture on the thumb-side of my forearm, right near the wrist. My surgeon's going to implant a bone-like substance to heal the break. I'm 60, and I've heard that older bones don't heal as well. Is my age going to work against me in recovery?   What are the different ways to treat a fracture on the thumb side of the wrist? Is it enough to "fix" the bones from the outside?   What's the usual surgical treatment for Kienbock's disease?   I have Kienbock's disease. My doctor wants me to undergo a surgery designed to improve the blood flow near the ends of my forearm bones. Will surgery help with the pain? And how about restoring wrist movement?   Who first discovered Kienbock's disease, and what causes it?   My sister gave birth to twin girls. One has permanent paralysis of her forearm from the way she was positioned at birth. She can’t turn her hand over enough to pick up small items. When she picks up larger things, she can’t keep the object in her hand. The family has exercises to do with my niece but she is not very willing to do these. Is there anything else that can be done?   I had an X-ray taken of my wrist last week. The X-ray technician forgot to put my shoulder and elbow in a certain position, so the X-ray had to be taken over. Isn't it dangerous for me to be exposed to extra radiation?   A heavy tool from my work area fell off the wall and hit my wrist. When I went to the hospital, they X-rayed my arm. After three X-rays, the technician came back for one more X-ray. By that time, my arm was in extreme pain from the change in positions. Is it really necessary to make sure my wrist is in one exact position and not rotated?   I hurt my wrist while traveling. I went to the emergency room and had X-rays taken. The X-rays were normal, and no treatment was recommended. I took the X-rays home for my regular doctor to see. My doctor insisted on doing one more X-ray. Why was this necessary?   My eight-year-old daughter is involved in gymnastics at a competitive level. She hurt her wrist and continues to complain of pain, especially during floor exercises. The X-rays were normal, and she has full motion at the wrist. Can she safely continue to practice?   I have had wrist pain of unknown cause for six months. I didn't injure the wrist in any way I know of. I can point right to the spot that hurts, but the doctor can't find anything wrong. How can that be?   I am having surgery to repair a torn ligament in my wrist. The doctor is going to put my whole arm in a cast for six weeks. Is this really necessary for a small tear in the wrist?   I hurt my wrist playing football. The doctor told me I have a "Class 1B TFCC." What does this mean?   What is the "Finkelstein's test"?   What is "washerwoman's sprain"?   Recently, I started getting a sharp pain in my wrist at the base of my thumb. I am a full-time piano teacher, and the pain is affecting my work tremendously. What could be causing it? How is this problem treated?   I fell on the ice and hurt my wrist. An X-ray showed that the wrist was not broken, but the bone in the middle was damaged. I wore an arm splint for six weeks. However, the bone hasn't healed. What’s the next step?   I broke my wrist when I fell off a ladder painting my house. The doctor put a device on it called a fixator. This is supposed to allow the bone to heal while still letting me move the wrist. Now I have constant numbness and tingling in my thumb and first two fingers, and problems with swelling, pain, and hand sweating. Wouldn't it be better to put the arm in a cast?   My mother-in-law broke her wrist this winter when she fell on the ice. She was told she had a Colles fracture. What is this?   I injured my forearm in a work-related accident six months ago. I'm not having any pain, but I still can't get a good grip with that hand. What's the hold up?   I cut the tendons in my wrist when a window broke at work. I’m anxious to return to work as soon as possible. I was wondering if people with a Type A personality return to work sooner than those who are more relaxed.   I work in a factory that makes window frames. I lift 20 to 30-pound frames at least 100 times each day. Four months ago, I had a work-related arm injury. How will I know when it’s safe to return to work?   I was recently diagnosed with Kienbock's disease of the wrist. This surprises me because I don't work at a desk or computer. I'm a stay-at-home mother with three children. Who gets this disease?   I play the piano in a professional jazz band. What's the fastest way to recover from surgery for Kienbock's disease? With no sick leave or vacation time, I'll need to get back to work as soon as possible.   There's a lump on the back of my wrist that seems to come and go. I looked on-line and found it could be a ganglion cyst. Is there anything else this lump could be?   What's the best treatment for a ganglion cyst in the wrist? I've had one for six months, and it doesn't seem to bother me.   I had a ganglion cyst in my wrist removed, and now it's come back. How often does this happen? After the first operation I was stiff for several months. Will the same thing happen this time?   I was recently diagnosed with Kienbock's disease in an advanced stage. I’ve had very little pain or problems. Why weren't there any symptoms before this?   Three months ago I started having severe wrist pain and couldn't put any pressure on my wrist. The doctor put me in a cast and I was off work for a month. When this didn't change my pain, a bone scan and an MRI were done. This is how they found out I have Kienbock's. After another four weeks in a cast and then surgery, I'm still off work. Wouldn't it be better to just start with the surgery?   My husband is 35 years old and works on road construction crews. He was recently diagnosed with Kienböck’s disease. What causes this?   I am a baggage handler for a large airport. I'm going to have surgery to repair a bone in my wrist damaged from Kienbock's disease. Will I get my full grip strength back after the operation?   I'm going to have surgery to repair a problem in my thumb called de Quervain disease. What do they do exactly?   My son is on a volleyball team in California. He's starting to get a neuropathy of his right thumb. We're concerned because his father and I both have diabetes and mild neuropathies. Could this problem be the first sign of diabetes for him?   My 16-year old son spends hours on the computer between schoolwork, instant messaging, and video games. He's starting to complain about pain in his thumbs. Is there a special keyboard he can use to solve this problem?   My doctor wants to inject my wrist with steroids for carpal tunnel syndrome. I've heard so many negative things about steroids. Should I do it?   Is there any way to tell if surgery will help with carpal tunnel syndrome?   I'm going to see a physical therapist for a Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test. What is this?   I've been having wrist pain for weeks now. The doctor did an X-ray and said I have arthritis of the pisiform bone in the wrist. How is it possible to have arthritis of one tiny bone?   I have wrist arthritis that has caused one of my bones to form calcium deposits. The doctor has suggested removing the painful bone (the pisiform). What will happen if a bone is just taken out of the wrist?   I was in a fight and smashed my hand up pretty bad. I ended up having several bones removed. Now it looks like I need a wrist fusion. I work in heavy construction. Will I be able to go back to my old job?   Years ago my wrist and hand were smashed in a work accident. I have had lots of rehab and several surgeries. My wrist hurts constantly. I am thinking about having it fused. What do other patients say about the results of this operation?   I am 33 years old and have severe rheumatoid arthritis in my wrist. The doctor says it's posttraumatic arthritis. I broke my wrist ice-skating years ago. I'm still too young for a wrist replacement. What are my other options?   I had a few beers too many and got in a fist fight two days ago. The doctor says I have a broken wrist. I can either wear a cast for six weeks or have surgery to pin the bone together. Which one is better?   I broke the bone at the base of my thumb. I'm probably going to need a cast. The problem is my job requires the use of my hands to pull sheets of taffy off a machine. Will I be able to still do this with the cast on?   I fell off my horse and broke a bone (the scaphoid) in my left wrist. I had surgery to pin the bone but the bone broke again during the operation. Now I have a wire holding the pieces together AND I'm wearing a cast. Is it safe to go horseback riding again since the wrist is in a cast?   After a bad crush injury of my right wrist I had three operations. I'm still left with severe pain. The doctor has suggested a wrist fusion. Do they ever do a partial fusion? I'd like to keep some of my motion.   I'm planning to have my left wrist fused next month. Are there any studies to show how patients come out years later? Am I just getting a quick fix? Or will the results last a lifetime?   Can you explain something to me? I have carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive motion at work. But my unemployed sister who stays at home also has carpal tunnel. Is there some genetic link?   I broke my wrist and it's healing with a hump. It makes my wrist and hand look like a humpback whale. Besides looking funny is there any real reason I should have it operated on?   I fell last spring and sprained my wrist badly. I didn't see a doctor then but now I'm wondering if I should go. The wrist doesn't move quite right, and there's an odd bump on the thumb side of my wrist. It's almost as big as the bump that's normally on the right side. Would seeing a doctor make any difference at this point?   Two months ago I broke my wrist but the injury was diagnosed as a "sprain". I even had an X-ray and it was considered "normal". After being in a splint it just didn't get better so I had a CT scan. The scaphoid bone was broken and twisted. How come it didn't show up on an X-ray?   My grandma has pretty bad rheumatoid arthritis with big bumps on the little finger side of her wrist. What are those?   I'm having quite a bit of trouble with wrist pain and loss of motion from rheumatoid arthritis. Most days I just want the whole hand cut off. The doctor has suggested a fusion but then I can't ever use the wrist. Aren't there any other options?   I work as a bricklayer for a large construction company. A pallet of bricks fell on me and I injured my wrist. Tests show I have a torn interosseous ligament between two bones in the wrist. My surgeon has suggested doing an operation right away. What happens if I wait and see if it heals on its own?   I had a Grade III scapholunate tear that was repaired surgically. The operation didn't work and I have constant pain. I can't use that hand for hardly anything. Can anything be done to help me?   What is Preiser's disease and what causes it?   My adult daughter has developed a problem called avascular necrosis of the wrist. No one seems to know what caused it in her case. What usually causes this condition?   I'm 18-years old and need some advice. I have a broken bone in my wrist (scaphoid) that isn't healing. On the advice of a surgeon, my parents want me to have an operation to repair the bone. I'm young and active. I think I should be able to just wear a cast and it will heal on its own. What should I do?   I'm going to have surgery on my wrist to fix a broken bone that hasn't healed. This may sound silly, but I don't want to have a scar across my wrist that looks like I slashed my wrist. Is there any way to avoid this?   My nephew was diagnosed with Kienbock's disease and has a lot of trouble with his wrist. I've never heard of it. What causes it and how is it diagnosed and treated?   My doctor has suggested it might be time to think about having surgery on my left wrist. I have arthritis that's gotten worse with more joint damage. I can barely use that hand for anything. My choices are a wrist replacement or a joint fusion. Which is better?   I am a piano major at the University and just found out I have a scaphoid wrist fracture. I'm looking everything up I can find about this problem before seeing the surgeon tomorrow. Can I avoid surgery? I have concerts, recitals, and outside music gigs I can't afford to miss.   My 18-year-old son broke his wrist skateboarding. When I went with him to the emergency room, there was an orthopedic surgeon on-call, so I thought we were in the hands of the right expert. Even so, it seemed to me like they took way too many X-rays. And then they did a CT scan on top of it. They finally said it was a broken scaphoid bone and surgery was needed. Was this really all necessary? Should I question the bill when I get it?   My doctor wants to inject my wrist to find out if I have carpal tunnel syndrome. This is supposed to be a diagnostic test and the treatment. How does it work?   Our 16-year old daughter was just diagnosed with a wrist impingement problem. When she does the horse and floor activities, there's excruciating pain along the back of her wrist. So long as she doesn't bend her wrist back all the way, she's okay. But she can't compete at her best without full wrist motion. What's a good treatment for this problem?   My son participates in track and field events at the college level. His best event is the shot put. Lately he's been complaining of pain across the back of his wrist. It seems to bother him the most when the shot put is in his hand and he's just ready to throw it. The coach doesn't know what could be causing the problem. What should we do?   I was at a play group for mothers with infants and young children. Everyone seemed to be complaining about wrist and thumb pain, myself included. What causes this?   What's de Quervain's disease? My aunt called me and asked me to find out about it. I thought you might be able to give me the basics so I can understand them.   My husband has been diagnosed with Kienbock's disease after have a sore wrist for a while. He thought he had sprained it but after it didn't get better, he went to the doctor. How common is the disease and how could we have known earlier that it wasn't a sprain?   Why is Kienbock's disease named by stage?   I had an arthroscopic test done on my wrist. It showed a torn dorsal radial ligament. What happens to these if they aren't repaired surgically?   Have you ever heard of a problem in the wrist called carpal boss? My son has this and it's very painful. What can be done about it?   I have a bone cyst on top of a bony bump they call carpal boss. I don't want to have surgery. I once had my shoulder injected and it worked great. Would an injection be of any help for this problem?   My daughter is in gymnastics and one of her team mates had to stop because she hurt her wrist. Her doctor said it was a "gymnasts wrist." Is there a way to prevent that?   I've had Kienböck's disease of the wrist for three years now. It's gradually getting worse. I know I'll need surgery eventually. But how can I tell when the time is right?   Ten years ago, I had surgery for Kienböck's disease. The surgeon took a row of bones out of my left wrist. It seems to be holding up pretty well. There's a few things I have to be careful about like lifting. Otherwise, I'm pleased. How long will I still have good function in that hand after a surgery like this? Should I expect to get arthritis in that wrist?   I am a painter by trade and by profession. My primary medium is oil paint but I dabble with watercolor, too. As I get older, I'm experiencing more and more painful wrist arthritis. My rheumatologist has suggested a wrist fusion on the right side. I know it might help my pain but will I still be able to paint as effectively?   I've been trying out a wrist splint to find out if a fusion surgery might help me. The splint really irritates my wrist, so maybe I should just go for the surgery and skip this step. What do you think?   I found out the funny bump on the back of my wrist is a ganglion. The doctor told me it's a benign tumor that doesn't have to be removed. Is this good advice?   I had a ganglion removed from my wrist last year. The surgeon did it arthroscopically (instead of making an open incision). Now the darn thing has grown back. Was I wrong not to have the full, open surgery?   When my daughter was five, she fell off the monkey bars in the playground and broke her forearm just above the wrist. At first, the doctor in emergency said that my daughter was fine and didn't need an x-ray. It was only when I insisted that they did the x-ray and found she had broken both bones just above the wrist. Why do you think they didn't believe us?   My sister's daughter had broken her scaphoid bone after falling during a soccer game. It didn't look broken and she didn't look as if she was in a lot of pain so my sister didn't get it checked. It was only a day later that my niece went to a doctor and she was told her hand was broken. What signs should we have watched out for?   My husband's Workers' Compensation case manager insists he is ready to return-to-work. He bases this claim on the fact that my husband can ride a bike and go golfing with the kids. The problem is that his job doesn't require biking and golfing. He's supposed to lift 50 to 70 pound packages while twisting and turning. How can we get this point across to the case reviewer?   Our 16-year-old daugher has injured her wrists in two separate accidents. Both occurred while she was skateboarding. The first one seemed to heal up just fine. But something just isn't right about this new injury on the other side. What should we do?   I had a lot of pain in my wrist for quite a while. I was bowling a couple of times a week in a league so I thought I just over did it. When I went to the doctor, he said I had Kienbock disease where the bones in my wrist were dying. Can this spread? What is going on? He said the only way to deal with it was to do a surgery that would cut out part of the bone.   How do doctors diagnose Kienbock disease?   My daughter is a gymnast and has hurt her hand twice doing floor exercises. She's been diagnosed with dorsal wrist impingement and responded well to injections the first time. This time it's not working. The doctor is now talking about surgery. What is involved? How long will she have to stay away from gymnastics?   How is dorsal wrist impingement diagnosed? I can't seem to find any tests for it.   Why do wrist replacements not seem to work as well as hip or knee replacements?   My mother is going to have her bones fused in her left wrist where her arthritis is just horrible. Does this mean her hand will be straight all the time now?   I've had carpal tunnel syndrome for about six weeks now. I'm finding the worst thing is that I can't button my buttons. But I'm not sure exactly why I can't do this anymore. What's happening to me?   My husband was recently diagnosed with Kienböck's disease. He makes a living as a piano professor at our local university. What will happen to his wrist with this disease?   I raise bees for their honey to support myself and my family. It's a small operation, so we do a lot of the honey harvesting by hand. I was recently diagnosed with Kienböck's disease. This is a big problem when it comes time to use the hot honey knife to cut open the honeycombs. I'm going to have surgery soon. Will I get enough motion back to get back to work?   My father has had to have surgery on his left wrist because the doctor said that part of the bone died. He's fine now, although he can't move his wrist like before. How does part of a bone just die?   If someone has osteonecrosis in the hand or wrist, do they have to worry about it coming back somewhere else?   What type of joint is the wrist?   My mother had a fusion of her wrist because of arthritis. Will she ever get flexibility back?   My wife fell off some temporary scaffolding we had from the front door of our house to the garage. She broke her wrist, but the surgeon said it was a good break. I was never really sure what she meant by that. What is a good break?   My father developed a problem in his wrist after he injured it a few years ago. His wrist began to bend forward and now he can't straighten it out. His doctor is talking about using some sort of splint that he has to fix every day to help stretch his hand out. Wouldn't surgery do the trick?   Why would my father's wrist get tight and pull in after he broke it a while ago?   I'm thinking about going for a wrist joint replacement for my terrible, terrible arthritis. I'd like to know what different surgeons have to say about this without getting three or four opinions. Is there any information like that available?   Are there a lot of things that can go wrong with the wrist, other than breaking it or something like that?   Is carpal tunnel syndrome the same as other problems like Kienbock's disease?   Does Keinbock's disease run in families? Both my brother and his daughter, who is only 13 years old, had it.   What exactly is de Quervain's tendonitis and why is it called that?   My husband tells me I can hurt my wrist by my hobby, which I'm turning into a business: cake decorating. Is he right?   What exactly is a carpal boss? My doctor said I have this on my right hand. Should I get it removed?   Do you think it would hurt to speed up my rehab program for a repair of the TFC in the wrist? The surgeon says no sports for at least 4 months. I'm not having any pain. I have full motion. And I feel strong enough to get back in the game. It's been about six weeks since the surgery. Isn't that long enough?   I play tennis competitively at the collegiate level but I'm off the court with a wrist injury. Looks like I tore the triangular cartilage on the outside of my wrist. What are my chances for recovery without having surgery? The surgeon didn't seem very optimistic.   I've had gout for about 10 years now. Usually, it's pretty well controlled with diet and drugs. Last week, I started getting some wrist pain. My regular doctor was out of town, so I went to the local walk-in clinic. They didn't think the wrist pain was coming from the gout. But they didn't know what was causing it. (I haven't hurt myself that I know of). Is it possible they are wrong?   What is pseudogout? My twin brother was just diagnosed with this, so I'm wondering if I'm next. What should I watch out for?   I have had some ganglion cysts on my wrist for a while and they're looking really ugly. What types of treatments are available other than surgery?   Next week I'm heading in to surgery for a wrist fracture that didn't heal. There's a bone called the scaphoid that lost its blood supply and has started to die. The surgeon is going to take a tiny branch of a blood vessel in the wrist and divert it to the broken bone. What kind of results can I expect from this kind of surgery? Will I be able to use my wrist and hand again normally?   I fell off a ladder and broke the scaphoid bone in my right wrist. I'm extremely right-handed, so this is causing quite a problem for me. I've had the wrist in a cast for quite a while, but it doesn't seem to be healing. They are talking about doing surgery next. Do you think the fact that I'm not moving it is why it isn't healing?   Both my children broke the bone in their wrist, right next to their thumb (at different times). Is that a particularly easy bone to break? If so, why?   What is better (cast or surgery) if you break the bone at the bottom of the thumb, by the wrist? I know someone who had surgery and someone else who had a cast.   My elderly parents live in a very small town in Wyoming. We are concerned that if either one of them develops a health problem, they may not get the care they need. Last year, Mother fell and broke her wrist. She never has gotten her full motion back from that. We can't help but wonder if the care she received would have been better here where we live (close to Chicago). Is there any data on this sort of thing?   I feel like I'm in a grade B horror film. In one year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, had chemotherapy, and then developed a staph infection from cellulitis. They think I got the cellulitis from the intravenous catheter used to give me a blood transfusion after surgery for the cancer. Now I've developed septic arthritis of the wrist from the staph infection. What's the prognosis for that?   My husband is in the hospital for septic arthritis of the wrist. He has surgery this morning to irrigate the joint and clean out any debris that has accumulated in there. The hope is that he will recover quickly and come home without any complications. How likely is that and how soon might I expect them to release him? They were very closed-mouth at the hospital about answering either question.   My 84-year-old mother broke her wrist over the weekend. The surgeon is planning to put some kind of new fangled plate inside her arm, which, of course means surgery. I can't see doing surgery on someone this old who is already fragile enough to break her arm. Am I wrong in my thinking about this?   What can you tell me about the volar plate system for wrist fractures? Our surgeon is recommending this treatment for Dad to stabilize his wrist fracture. We just don't know anything about it to make an informed decision.   Our son is on the local high school golf team hoping to get spotted and picked up for a college team. Last season, he had a wrist injury that is still bothering him. The doctor has told us he needs surgery but he insists on putting this off until after the college scouts are gone. Should we intervene and insist on treatment now?   I am on the women's tennis team at my college. Lately, I've been having quite a bit of wrist pain, especially when I move my hand toward the pinkie side. Would a different racquet help? What type would you recommend?   I followed my doctor's advice and took some extra vitamin C after breaking my wrist this winter. Not only did my wrist heal in record time (I was out of the cast in a month), but I never got a single cold or the flu. How does that work? Was it just because I thought I was doing myself some good taking it?   I heard adults should bump up their vitamin C if they break a bone. How much should I take for a wrist fracture that happened about two weeks ago?   My husband has just been diagnosed with Kiebbock's disease after several months of pain in his wrist. At first he thought he had sprained it but he had no idea how. What causes it?   My cousin had Kienbock's disease in the left wrist and had surgery. She said that she had a bone shortened in her wrist. I know the disease means that the bone dies for some reason, but how would shortening help it?   I broke my arm (forearm) last spring and had to have surgery to put a plate in to hold it together. Evidently, it's all healed now, so should I ask the surgeon to take the plate back out? It doesn't really bother me but I worry that it will poison my blood or cause some kind of problems when I'm older. What do you think I should do?   I'm going with my brother to the surgeon tomorrow to discuss the type of surgery he's going to have for an infected wrist joint. He is HIV positive and an alcoholic, so as a family we are concerned he gets the right care. He doesn't seem able to make decisions for himself based on sound logic and reason right now. What should I be prepared to ask the surgeon if anything?   No one knows how she did it but Mother left her assisted living unit, went outside, fell, and hurt her wrist. She developed septic arthritis (she already had arthritis in that hand) and now she's having emergency surgery. We just got the call from the director of the center. There were no details given. My husband is back on the phone trying to find out what's going on. I'm checking the Internet to find out how these kind of problems are handled. What can you tell me?   Dad has Alzheimer's but still lives at home with Mother. Two months ago he got out of a cast for a broken wrist. He fell down without any warning and landed on his left hand. He has exercises to do in order to get his wrist motion and hand strength back. But with the dementia, he never does these unless we do them with him. How important is it that we go over there three to four times a week to supervise the rehab program?   I am typing this with one hand because I still can't use my right hand very well. It's been a year since I broke that wrist. I can't lift a heavy pot or swing a hammer. Is this normal?   I've been doing research on Kienbock's disease because my sister has it. Is there one type of surgery that is better than another? The studies don't seem to be very definite.   I read there are several types of surgeries that a surgeon may do on Kiebock's disease. If this is true, which doctors do which procedures and how do you know which one you surgeon may use?   I had a lump removed from my hand that turned out to be an angiomyoma. The surgeon's report listed it as a discrepant diagnosis. What does that mean?   I went in to have a ganglion cyst removed from my wrist that I knew was a ganglion. I had one in the same place five years ago. The surgeon still insisted on sending the tissue for lab testing. It cost me an extra $250.00 to tell me what I already knew -- it was a ganglion cyst. Are these lab tests really needed?   Back to Top The information contained within these pages is the property of the Medical Multimedia Group L.L.C. and we retain all rights regarding its content. Alteration of these documents in any way is a violation of the copyright. Dr. Joseph Bosco is a board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, knee, shoulder and elbow surgery, including skiing injuries, elbow reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, shoulder arthroscopy, knee arthroscopy and elbow arthroscopy. His primary practice is located at The New York University Medical Center in New York City. He also maintains an office in Queens, New York.

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Joseph Bosco, M.D. - New York University Medical Center, New York, New York