Elbow,hand and wrist pain treatment in Hyderabad, without surgery

What is elbow, hand and wrist pain?

Elbow, hand and wrist pain covers a group of problems in the forearm and hand, most of them from tendons that have been overloaded by repeated gripping and twisting, or from a nerve squeezed as it passes through a narrow space.

The three seen most often at Halcyon are tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome and de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. They can make ordinary tasks — lifting a cup, typing, opening a jar, holding a phone — surprisingly painful.

Common causes of elbow, hand and wrist pain

Repetitive use is the common thread. The main conditions are:

• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) — overload and small tears in the forearm tendons where they attach to the outer elbow
• Golfer’s elbow — the same process on the inner side of the elbow
• Carpal tunnel syndrome — the median nerve compressed as it passes through the wrist
• De Quervain’s tenosynovitis — irritation of the tendons at the base of the thumb, common in new parents and heavy phone or keyboard users
• Pain referred from the neck, which should be ruled out when there is tingling in the hand

Symptoms of elbow, hand and wrist pain

Tennis elbow causes pain on the outer elbow that can spread into the forearm, worse with gripping, shaking hands or turning a bottle cap. De Quervain’s causes pain on the thumb side of the wrist, especially when gripping or lifting with the thumb.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is different: numbness, tingling or burning in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often worse at night or on waking, with clumsiness or a weaker grip as it progresses.

How Halcyon finds the cause

The consultant examines the elbow, wrist and hand, and checks the neck if there is tingling, because a nerve root irritated in the neck can mimic a problem at the wrist. The tendon or nerve is then scanned with diagnostic ultrasound in the same room.

Ultrasound shows a thickened or torn tendon, fluid around a tendon sheath, or a swollen median nerve at the wrist. The same scan then guides the needle, so the treatment reaches the structure that is actually causing the pain.

Non-surgical treatment options at Halcyon

Elbow, hand and wrist pain at Halcyon is usually treated with nerve hydrodissection or a regenerative injection, chosen by what the scan shows. The aim is to free a trapped nerve or help a worn tendon repair, rather than release it surgically.

• Nerve hydrodissection — for a trapped nerve such as in carpal tunnel syndrome. Fluid is placed under ultrasound to separate the nerve from the tissue pressing on it. Relief often begins on the table, and the nerve itself is left intact.
• Regenerative injection — for a worn or partly torn tendon, such as in tennis elbow. A growth factor concentrate made from a small sample of your own blood is placed under ultrasound where the tendon has worn.
• Nerve block — used where needed to quieten a nerve that is firing, or to confirm where the pain is coming from.

What to expect on the day and after

The examination, scan and procedure can all happen in one appointment at the Kukatpally centre. You stay awake under local anaesthetic, with no admission, and most people are home within about two hours.

You will leave with aftercare instructions, advice on which activities to ease off for a while, and a review date. Costs are explained at the consultation, before anything is booked.

When to see a doctor

Book an assessment if pain or tingling lasts more than a few weeks, wakes you at night, or you start dropping things. Some symptoms need urgent care instead of a clinic visit.

• A fall onto the hand or elbow followed by swelling, deformity or inability to move it — possible fracture
• A hot, red, swollen joint or finger, especially with fever — possible infection
• Sudden weakness of the hand or arm, or weakness with facial drooping or slurred speech — go to an emergency department now
• Numbness that is getting steadily worse, or wasting of the muscles at the base of the thumb