HAND CONDITIONS

HAND CONDITIONS2019-08-20T12:18:36+00:00
COMMON CONDITIONS OF THE HAND

The information outlined below on common conditions and treatments of the hand is provided as a guide only and it is not intended to be comprehensive. Discussion with a member of our surgical team is important to answer any questions that you may have.

For information about any additional conditions not featured within the site, please contact us for more information.

Mucus cysts are small, fluid-filled sacs that form on the fingers. They are associated with osteoarthritis (OA) and usually develop in patients 50 to 70 years old. These cysts appear between the last joint of the finger and the bottom of the fingernail. Unless a mucus cyst is painful or in danger of rupturing, it can be left alone without causing harm to the patient. But even surgically removing a mucus cyst may not alleviate pain if the underlying cause of the pain is old age.

Read More About the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mucus Cysts here.

Ganglion cysts are the commonest type of swelling the hand. They contain a thick clear liquid called synovial fluid, which is the body’s lubricant in joints and in the tunnels through which some tendons run. Although ganglion cysts can arise from any joint or tendon tunnel, there are four common locations in the hand and wrist – in the middle of the back of the wrist, on the front of the wrist at the base of the thumb, at the base of a finger on the palmar side, and on the back of an end joint of a finger.

Read More About the Diagnosis and Treatment of Ganglia here.

Trigger finger is a painful condition in which a finger or thumb clicks or locks as it is bent towards the palm. Thickening of the mouth of a tendon tunnel leads to roughness of the tendon surface, and the tendon then catches in the tunnel mouth. People with insulin-dependent diabetes are especially prone to triggering, but most trigger digits occur in people without diabetes. Triggering occasionally appears to start after an injury such as a knock on the hand.

Read More About the Diagnosis and Treatment of Trigger Finger here.

Dupuytren’s contracture (also referred to as Dupuytren’s disease) is a common condition that usually arises in middle age or later and is more common in men than women. Firm nodules appear in the ligaments just beneath the skin of the palm of the hand, and in some cases they extend to form cords that can prevent the finger straightening completely. The nodules and cords may be associated with small pits in the skin. Nodules over the back of the finger knuckles (Garrod’s knuckle pads) and lumps on the soles of the feet are seen in some people with Dupuytren’s disease.

Read More About the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dupuytren’s Contracture here.

The terminal joint of the finger is called the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) (see diagram). Osteoarthritis often affects these joints, and can also affect the joint at the base of the thumb (Basal thumb arthritis). Osteoarthritis is loss of the smooth cartilage surface covering the ends of the bones in the joints. The cartilage becomes thin and rough, and the bone ends can rub together. Osteoarthritis can develop at any age, but usually appears after the age of 45. It may run in families.

Read More About the Diagnosis and Treatment of Finger Arthritis here.

The universal joint at the base of the thumb, between the metacarpal and trapezium bones, often becomes arthritic as people get older. It is osteoarthritis, which is loss of the smooth cartilage surface covering the ends of the bones in the joints. The cartilage becomes thin and rough, and the bone ends can rub together. Osteoarthritis can develop at any age, but usually appears after the age of 45. It may run in families, and it sometimes follows a fracture involving the joint many years before.

Read More About the Diagnosis and Treatment of Thumb Arthritis here.

Discussion with a member of our surgical team is important to answer any questions that you may have. For information about any additional conditions not featured within the site, please contact us for more information.

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