Hygroma of the wrist is considered a kind of occupational disease, as it develops due to the excessive load exerted on the wrist joint due to constantly repetitive movements. Such a load is usually received by the hand of a pianist, a cook, a programmer working with a “mouse”, a tennis player and representatives of some other professions. However, hygroma of the wrist can occur for no apparent reason. Usually, the hygroma of the wrist develops gradually, and the patient may not be aware of it for quite some time until this tumor-like formation begins to hurt. But sometimes the hygroma swells on the arm suddenly, in a couple of days, which scares the patients very much.
Causes of carpal hygroma and main symptoms
The wrist joint is one of the most complex in the human body, since small bones of the wrist, metacarpus, and radius are combined here. All this is held together by ligaments that allow the hand to move in all directions, and these ligaments together form a kind of capsule around the wrist joint.
The joint can easily move due to the synovial fluid contained in the joint bag. When there is constant physical tension or pressure in the same place of the wrist joint, the wall of the capsule becomes thinner, and the joint fluid begins to squeeze out the weakened layer.
The thin wall of the capsule swells, rounds, and the resulting spherical formation filled with synovial fluid begins to push the tissues apart, gradually increasing in size. Usually, the hygroma of the wrist protrudes from the back of the hand, but sometimes it can form in the place where the pulse is usually checked; most often worried as a cosmetic problem, but sometimes it hurts quite a lot. With a decrease in the load on the wrist joint, the hygroma of the wrist may decrease in size, even cases of its complete disappearance when the load is stopped are described.
Most often, wrist hygroma occurs due to the following reasons:
- wrist injury;
- increased and constant stress on the hand and on the wrist joint;
- complications after operations on the hand;
- repeated wrist injuries (such as those sustained while playing tennis or golf).
Treatment of carpal hygroma and causes of possible complications
Hygroma is not prone to malignant transformations and manifests itself only as external unaesthetic or pain in the surrounding tissues. Hygroma of the wrist is diagnosed quite easily by a dermatologist or orthopedist.
Surgical removal of the carpal hygroma seems to be the most effective treatment, since conservative methods of therapy preserve the capsular wall, which means that there is a high risk of new accumulation of fluid and recurrence of the disease.
As a rule, the removal is carried out using a laser – a skin incision occurs, and through a small incision, the surrounding tissues are carefully separated, the hygroma is excised, and the outlet is stitched so that the synovial fluid does not leave the joint. Next, stitches and a sterile bandage are applied to the wound, and the wrist joint is fixed with an orthosis.
If the operation is performed by a specialist who is well versed in hand surgery, and all the conditions of the postoperative period are met, the risk of complications in the form of re-development of hand hygroma is minimal.
You may also be interested in the video:
Share:
Add a comment