Upper Limb Injuries

The ligaments in the wrist joint can be sprained quite easily with a fall onto an outstretched hand, in more severe falls the bones in the forearm or wrist can break. Sometimes a fracture to the scaphoid bone at the base of thumb can be missed on x-ray. If left undiagnosed the bone may not heal properly and cause long term problems. Injuries to the fingers and thumb joint ligaments typically occur as a result of sudden over stretching, one example is skiers thumb. This occurs when the skier falls and the thumb is bent backwards by the pole strap. The tendons that pass across the wrist into the hand on route to the fingers and thumbs can be subject to stress too. In some instances the sheath in which the tendon runs through may become inflamed, this is referred to tenosynovitis.

Treatment of these conditions includes manual therapy (hands on techniques), specific exercises, ultrasound, and modification to sporting or working technique. Injection therapy and surgery are other options.