Preventing and Treating Ulnar Impingement Syndrome: A Guide for Wrist Pain Relief in Sports

2023-10-18 00:04:00

[현대건강신문] After work, Taerin Kim (pseudonym, 32, female) alternates between playing tennis and pilates, which are popular these days, every day, and uploads a photo proving ‘Owunwan (exercise completed today)’ on her personal SNS. Mr. Kim endured the pain in his wrist while playing tennis and pilates, but recently the pain became so severe that he went to the hospital to see a doctor and was diagnosed with an unfamiliar diagnosis called ‘ulnar impingement syndrome.’

As the number of people enjoying sports such as tennis, yoga, pilates, and golf is increasing, especially among the younger generation of the MZ generation, many people are visiting hospitals due to wrist pain, and it is often diagnosed as ‘ulnar impingement syndrome’, which is caused by worn out wrist cartilage.

Professor Lee Jae-seong of the Department of Orthopedics at Chung-Ang University Hospital said, “Una impingement syndrome is a degenerative joint disease that usually occurs when the ulna, one of the two bones that make up the forearm, is longer than the radius. It occurs when dynamic movements using the wrist are repeated. “Recently, the prevalence of patients in their 20s and 30s is also increasing as the number of young people enjoying sports such as tennis, yoga, pilates, golf, and table tennis, which frequently involve twisting their wrists, is increasing.”

Professor Lee Jae-seong continued, “Recently, among patients who come to the hospital for treatment and complain of chronic ulnar wrist pain without any special trauma, more than 50% are being diagnosed with ‘ulnar impingement syndrome.’”

Ulnar impingement syndrome is a representative degenerative disease in which wrist pain occurs due to wear and tear of the ulnar head, the bone inside the forearm, the carpal bone, which consists of the palm and wrist bones, and the triangular fibrocartilage between them, due to continuous and repetitive overload of the wrist joint. When turning a doorknob or using a mop, ulnar impingement syndrome is a representative degenerative disease. Wrist pain occurs when squeezing or typing.

Professor Lee Jae-seong of the Department of Orthopedics at Chung-Ang University Hospital said, “The bone that protrudes from the wrist on the little finger side is the ulna. The ulna is cushioned by a complex of ligaments and cartilage tissue and does not collide with the wrist bone. However, if the wrist is frequently twisted, the ulna head “Ulnar impingement syndrome occurs when the triangular fibrocartilage complex cartilage between the carpal bone and the ulnar carpal bone wears away, causing pain,” he said.

Since many structures on the ulnar side of the wrist function in detail, ‘ulnar impingement syndrome’ must be diagnosed differently from other structural abnormalities.

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Ulnar impingement syndrome may be painful due to wear or tear of the cartilage. If pain occurs when the wrist is bent toward the ulna towards the little finger, or when pain is felt when pressing the concave area between the wrist bones on the little finger side, it may be suspected. In hospitals, diagnosis can be made through physical examination, such as palpation, and imaging tests.

If diagnosed at a relatively early stage, ulnar impingement syndrome can be treated through medications, injections, and rehabilitation, but the most important thing is to make efforts to reduce the load on the ulnar side of the wrist. Rotating movements should be avoided with the wrist bent toward the ulnar side, and elbow and wrist You should consistently exercise your forearm, which is the part between your muscles.

If left untreated for a long time, the pain becomes so severe that the wrist cannot be moved, making surgical treatment unavoidable.

Professor Lee Jae-seong said, “We often see cases where the pain gets worse while playing sports using the wrist, such as tennis or yoga, and the patient visits the hospital late. However, if the joint is relatively healthy, this condition can be treated with ulnar shortening surgery. “If left untreated, the cartilage may be completely damaged and surgery to fix the joint itself may be necessary. In this case, the joint cannot move normally,” he said.

Professor Lee Jae-seong continued, “Therefore, if the ulnar wrist continues to hurt when rotating the wrist or doing push-ups without any particular injury, it is important to quickly visit a hospital, diagnose accurately, and treat appropriately at an early stage.”

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