Wrist pain diagnosis is very important in determining the causes of the disturbing wrist pain that you might be experiencing. Many people like you have suffered from this condition for a long time, especially if they are doing the same hand activities every single day. This is where wrist pain diagnosis plays a big role. The wrist is a complex bone structure with eight smaller bones connected together by the ligaments. There are also a number of tendons connecting these to the muscles of the wrist. So, if these bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles take in a lot of pressure, naturally, there will be a bout of wrist pains to bother you. When this happens, you need to get a proper wrist pain diagnosis.
In your medical checkup, the symptoms of the pain are the first few factors to be checked for wrist pain diagnosis. If your wrist pain is accompanied by inflammation, you may have sprained your wrist. Wrist bone fracture, on the other hand, will give you a lot of difficulty in moving your wrists together with swelling and a discolored skin. Wrist pain diagnosis can also determine noticeable deformities if you have totally broken your wrist. Arthritis also causes wrist pain and it will give you a constant dull pain in the area. Tendonitis is also a big factor that emits the sharp pain and swollen tendons. A wrist pain diagnosis will also determine consistent numbness and pain in the wrist that extends up to your fingers can be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome.
Wrist pain diagnosis is always possible through a thorough physical examination of the area and providing the doctor a detailed report of your medical history. However, in order to be more accurate, certain tests will also be conducted. These include x-rays, CT scans, bone scans, MRIs, nerve tests or EMGs and arthroscopy. An x-ray is the first test to determine wrist injury. If you have a fracture, it is a must to undergo this test for a proper wrist pain diagnosis. In CT scans, various x-ray angles of the wrist are taken and combined to create a clear image that will provide more information about the injury. Bone scans will also be conducted for wrist pain diagnosis where the use of radioactive materials will be introduced to the bloodstream to highlight the fractures. MRIs are good for wrist sprains because it provides detailed images of bones and ligaments. Another wrist pain diagnosis test is the electromyogram or nerve test. This is done for carpal tunnel to record the electrical impulses from the wrist muscles.