Pain from Sports Injuries

Yes, playing sports is fun and good for you. Sports injuries, however, abound. An article in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery discusses causes, prevention, and treatment tips for the debilitating wrist and hand pain that may come with playing sports that utilize racquets/sticks, such as golf, tennis, and hockey. Highlights from the article:

• Ulnar wrist pain is common, can be debilitating, and is complex, making evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment difficult
• Injury avoidance: use the correct equipment matched to an athlete’s size; learn proper techniques by taking lessons
• RICE—rest, ice, compression, elevation—is recommended as a first line of treatment, followed by seeing a specialist for PT, injections, splints, and potential surgery
• Triangular fibrocartilage complex injury is the most common cause of ulnar-sided wrist pain
• Repair via arthroscopy is effective for ulnotriquetral ligament and triangular fibrocartilage complex injury

Coauthor of the study, Sanjeev Kakar, MD, commented, "Ulnar-sided wrist pain can be a challenge to evaluate and treat because there may be several causes, especially among high-performing athletes.” Dr. Kakar is a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and hand/wrist specialist.

 

Access the journal article.

Read the press release.

Other Categories:

• orthopedics

• pain management

• physical therapy