We use our hands and wrists for everything — tousling a child’s hair, lacing our sneakers, lifting a glass of water, writing our names, pressing elevator buttons. We don’t often think about using our hands and wrists to do these things until we can’t do them anymore. Whether your hand or wrist problem stems from illness or injury, you can find help at Einstein Center for Orthopaedic Sciences. Our expert, board-certified hand specialists heal people of all ages using the most current treatments and latest surgical techniques. From common problems such as tendonitis to complex cases (such as those involving nerve injury), our skilled doctors can relieve your wrist and hand pain and help you take your life back into your hands.

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Hands and wrists are pretty complex structures. They rely on an intricate system of bones, tendons, muscles, nerves, joints and ligaments to provide the sensation and movement we need to touch, grasp, hold, pinch, press and so much more. You have 27 bones in one hand (eight carpals in the wrist, and five metacarpals though your palm, and 14 phalanges in your fingers and thumb). The two lower armbones (the ulna and radius) meet at the beginning of your wrist where they are hinged to the other wrist bones. More than 60 different muscles coordinate the movement of these bones. Two large nerves run the length of your arm to send information to your brain and to create movement and sensation.

Reviewed for clinical accuracy by James S. Raphael, M.D..

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