Cartilage Tears

Your wrist is made up of eight small bones, arranged in two rows of four, with complex cartilage and ligaments connecting the forearm bones. Thanks to these strong and smooth parts, you are able to rotate and move your wrist with ease. However, tears in this cartilage and wrist sprains are quite a common sight for our Ogden hand doctors. If you live near Ogden and have a sprained wrist or cartilage tear you should contact Dr. Richards to find out how he can help.

Much of the time, a tear occurs on the pinky side of the wrist, between where the arm bones and the wrist bones meet. The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) is an important structure in this region, because it helps the arm bones and wrist bones work together for actions like grasping an object or turning the wrist. The TFCC can become torn in one of two ways:

• Sudden impact, such as falling onto an outstretched arm (type 1 or traumatic tear)
• Gradual, degenerative tearing due to inflammatory processes and/or overuse (type 2 or chronic tear)

Anyone of any age or gender can tear their TFCC, although athletes and people over the age of 50 experience sprained wrist injuries more often. Symptoms of a TFCC tear include:

• Swelling in the wrist
• Clicking noise when the wrist is rotated
• Loss of grip strength
• Pain on the base of the pinky side of the wrist, which worsens when the wrist is rotated from side to side

Depending on the type and severity of your TFCC tear, there are several treatment options available to you for a cartilage tear or sprained wrist here in Ogden. If you suspect that you have a cartilage tear, it’s important to see a qualified Utah hand doctor right away, as these injuries can lead to chronic pain if left untreated. Reach out to our clinic today to schedule your visit with Ogden’s sprained and torn wrist expert, Dr. Richards!