top of page
Welcome To Our Health Hub
Welcome to the Health Hub, your resource for expert guidance on hand, wrist and elbow health. Browse the categories below to explore helpful articles on common conditions, injuries, treatment options, recovery and everyday ways to support your joint health.
Search


Managing hand and wrist arthritis
Our hands are involved in almost every single action we take during the day, from making a cup of tea to typing and doing up buttons. When arthritis affects the intricate joints of the hand and wrist, it can make these everyday moments painful and frustrating. Arthritis is a general term for the inflammation, stiffness, and pain that occurs when the protective cartilage cushioning your joints wears away. Without this smooth barrier, bone rubs against bone, causing friction, s


Is it more than a sprain: Why a fall on an outstretched hand needs attention
It is instinct to put your hands out to break your fall when you trip. While you might walk away thinking you’ve just suffered a minor wrist sprain, persistent pain at the base of your thumb could indicate something much more specific, such as a fracture of the scaphoid bone. The scaphoid is a small bone located on the thumb side of your wrist. Despite its small size, it plays a massive role in wrist stability and movement. Unfortunately, it is also notorious in the medical w


Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? When to seek expert advice.
We’ve all had moments where we accidentally drop a mug or struggle to open a jar. However, if you notice that you are increasingly dropping items, losing your grip strength, or waking up in the middle of the night to shake out numbness in your fingers, it might not be clumsiness. You could be experiencing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common condition that occurs when the median nerve becomes compressed. This nerve travels from your forearm to your hand


Carpal Tunnel vs. Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: Why Your Hand is Tingling
Many patients visit our Solihull and Birmingham clinics complaining of "pins and needles" in their hands. While Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a household name, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is equally common but affects the hand differently. Understanding which nerve is compressed is the first step toward effective treatment. 1. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Median Nerve) This occurs when the median nerve is compressed at the wrist. Symptoms: Numbness and tingling primarily in the thumb, ind


Recognising Scaphoid Injury Signs
A scaphoid fracture is one of the most common wrist injuries among active individuals and athletes. This type of injury often goes unnoticed initially, leading to prolonged pain and complications if left untreated. Understanding the symptoms is crucial for early diagnosis and effective treatment. In this post, we will explore scaphoid injury signs and how to recognise them promptly. Scaphoid Injury Signs The scaphoid bone is located in the wrist, just below the base of the th


5 Signs You May Have Trigger Finger: What to Look For
Trigger finger is a condition that affects the fingers and can be quite painful. It is where the flexor tendons in the finger become inflamed, leading to pain, stiffness, and difficulty in moving the affected digit. Top 5 symptoms of trigger finger: If you have trigger finger, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms: 1. Finger stiffness: The affected finger may feel stiff and be difficult to bend or straighten. 2. Pain: Pain or tenderness may occur at the base of


How prevalent is Dupuytren's contracture in the UK?
Dupuytren's disease, also known as Dupuytren's contracture, is a condition that affects the connective tissue in the hand, causing the fingers to bend inwards towards the palm. The condition is most commonly found in individuals of Northern European descent and is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Prevalence of Dupuytren's contracture in the UK There are several theories as to why Dupuytren's contracture occurs, including inflammatio


The Ultimate Guide to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that can cause pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands and arms. It occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm to the palm of the hand, becomes compressed. Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome The most common symptom of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a sensation of tingling, numbness, or weakness in the fingers, hand, or wrist. This often occurs in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, but can also spread to the forearm an


How long does cubital tunnel syndrome last for?
The ulnar nerve runs along your arm down to your hand and when it becomes blocked it causes cubital tunnel syndrome. What are the symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome? - Tingling or pins and needles in your little and ring finger - You feel your hand is weak with sharp shooting pains coming up the arm What investigations or tests would I need to diagnose cubital tunnel syndrome? Nerve testing is used to diagnose cubital tunnel so we can see where in the nerve the blockage is.


What does Dupuytren's Disease look like?
Dupuytren's Disease is when the skin in your palm thickens and causes a nodule which can lead to a finger contracting down. What are the symptoms of Dupuytren’s Disease? You may have a finger that has contracted down or a thickening in your palm. You can get it in any of your fingers and also your thumb, although it commonly affects the ring and little finger. Generally you will have normal function and not be in any particular pain but may you find that the contracted finger


Is Dupuytren's Disease hereditary?
Dupuytren's contracture is when the skin in your palm thickens and causes a nodule which can lead to a finger contracting down. What are the symptoms of Dupuytren's Disease? You may have a finger that has started to contract down You may have thickening in your palm It commonly affects the ring and little finger, but you can get it in any of your fingers and also your thumb Generally you will have normal function and not be in any particular pain but may you find that the con


Why is carpal tunnel syndrome worse at night?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a nerve in the carpal tunnel that controls sensation and hand movement becomes compressed. What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome? Tingling and numbness in the thumb Index and middle finger Occasional thumb muscle wasting Pain that is worse at night or wakes you from your sleep Why does pain worsen at night? You may be wake from your sleep with numbness, tingling and pain in your hand, wrist and fingers as lying still during the nig


Can you spot these hand conditions?
Whether it’s difficulty doing your buttons up, opening jars or planting bulbs in your garden, it can be upsetting when we experience pain and discomfort in our hands. Can you spot the symptoms of these hand conditions? Carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel is when pressure on the nerve causes discomfort. There is more risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome if you are diabetic, pregnant or have a job or hobby that uses your hands repetitively. The symptoms to look out for are:


Will Carpal Tunnel go away on its own?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is fairly common and caused by a pressure on a nerve in your wrist. It causes pain and numbness in your hand and fingers, which often feels worse during the night. It is caused by repetitive movements and overuse of the wrist, and may be more prevalent in pregnant people and people who are overweight. It can get better with the use of non-invasive treatments such using splints to support the wrist and relieve pressure as well as taking over the counter


Hand and wrist pain at night
Hand and wrist pain can be caused by many conditions such as dupuytren's disease, trigger finger or arthritis to name a few. However, carpal tunnel syndrome can often cause you difficulty sleeping. What causes hand and wrist pain at night? As mentioned above, carpal tunnel syndrome often cause pins and needles and discomfort at night which can disturb your sleep. Other symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are loosing sensation in your fingers, radiating pain, and weakness in th


All about lumps and bumps
The most common hand and wrist lump is a ganglion which is a swelling of the soft tissue that happens when the joint fluid breaks through and forms a lump. You can get ganglions on the wrist and around the finger joints, in fact any joint can form a ganglion. Other common places are at the base of the fingers on the palm where a little pearl like ganglion can form. They are benign and are inclined to come and go so we tend not to treat them, however if pain and functional pro


Signs and symptoms of the most common hand conditions
Our hands are vital to our everyday life. Pretty much everything we do involves them so it can be disconcerting to experience pain and discomfort which may indicate there is something wrong. The most common conditions are Carpal tunnel syndrome, Trigger finger, and Dupuytren’s disease. Carpal Tunnel Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition which usually presents when pressure on a nerve in your wrist causes pain and numbness in your hand and fingers. You may experience tingling


Do I have Carpal Tunnel?
The nerve that supplies sensation to the thumb and fingers comes from the neck and runs through a tunnel called the carpal tunnel which when under pressure can cause pain. What are the symptoms? You may experience pins and needles, tingling, waking from sleep in pain and occasionally you can lose sensation in your fingers as well as having pain radiating up your arm and weakness, for example, you may struggle to do up buttons. Generally, carpal tunnel can cause any radiated p


Could I have Cubital Tunnel?
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is pressure or blocking of the ulnar nerve (also known as the funny bone nerve), which runs along your arm to your fingers. What are the symptoms? You may have tingling or pins and needles in your little and ring finger, or you feel your hand is weak with sharp shooting pains coming up the arm. What investigations or tests would I need? We tend to use nerve testing to diagnose cubital tunnel so we can see where in the nerve the blockage is. We tend to


All about Dupuytren's Contracture
Dupuytren's contracture (also called Dupuytren's disease) is when the skin in your palm thickens and causes a nodule which can lead to a finger contracting down. What are the symptoms of Dupuytren’s contracture? As mentioned above, you may have a finger that has started to contract down or a thickening in your palm. It commonly affects the ring and little finger, but you can get it in any of your fingers and also your thumb. Generally you will have normal function and not be
bottom of page
