title: [Examination of the painful wrist].
abstract: The anatomy of the wrist is complex. Mechanical, neurological or systemic causes are responsible for a painful wrist. In many cases a specific diagnosis can already be made by taking a precise medical history. Physical examination includes inspection, palpation of landmarks and a dynamic examination in regard to joint regions. Plane X-Ray examinations are the basic tools in diagnostic imaging. Additional radiographic adjustments, ultrasound-, MRI- and CT-examinations may lead to more detailed information in special cases. A diagnostic arthroscopy is accomplished, if a pathological cause for wrist-pain with non-invasive methods cannot be found.
authors.affiliation: Orthopädische Klinik der Universität Regensburg, Asklepios Klinikum, Bad Abbach, Deutschland. f.winkler@asklepios.com
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heers
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hartung
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grifka
mesh_terms: D018771:Arthralgia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*