Wrist and hand assessment at Elevate Health Care covers the wrist and hand themselves, the forearm and elbow that load them, and the neck — because nerve symptoms in the hand can originate well above the wrist. Conditions commonly assessed include carpal tunnel syndrome, De Quervain's tenosynovitis, thumb base arthritis and trigger finger. Treatment combines Fascial Manipulation by Stecco with movement rehabilitation.
Which fingers are numb?
It's the single most useful question in a numb hand, and it's often the one nobody asks.
The median nerve, compressed at the wrist in carpal tunnel syndrome, supplies the thumb, index, middle and half the ring finger. It does not supply the little finger. So numbness that includes the little finger is pointing somewhere else — usually the ulnar nerve, and usually compressed at the elbow rather than the wrist.
Symptoms across the whole hand, or that change when you move your neck, raise a third possibility: that the source is further up the limb — the cervical spine, or the space between the collarbone, first rib and pectoral muscles where the nerves and vessels to the arm pass through — and the wrist is simply where it's being felt.
Getting this right is what decides whether a wrist splint is the answer, an elbow is the answer, or whether the problem sits somewhere else entirely.
→ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome — the full picture, including when surgery is the right call
→ Cubital Tunnel Syndrome — if the little and ring fingers are the affected ones
→ Thoracic Outlet Syndrome — if the whole arm is involved, or symptoms worsen with the arm overhead
→ Cervical Radiculopathy — if the symptoms change with neck position
Where is your wrist or hand pain?
- Numbness or tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worst at night, relieved by shaking the hand. This points to carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Pain on the thumb side of the wrist, worse lifting with the thumb out or turning the wrist — common with a baby on the hip. This points to De Quervain's tenosynovitis.
- Pain at the base of the thumb where it meets the wrist, worse with pinching, opening jars and turning keys. This points to thumb base arthritis.
- A finger that catches, clicks or locks as you bend or straighten it, often with a tender nodule in the palm. This points to trigger finger.
The thumb-side presentations in particular are frequently confused with each other, and they're managed differently — which is the main reason a proper assessment is worth more than a label.
What we assess
- The wrist and hand — where it is tender, grip and pinch strength, and which movements provoke it
- Nerve involvement — which fingers are affected, and whether strength or sensation is changing
- The forearm and elbow — where the ulnar nerve is most often compressed, and where grip load is generated
- The neck — because hand symptoms can originate at the cervical spine
- The fascial system — densification through the forearm and hand, using Fascial Manipulation by Stecco
- Your load — work tasks, keyboard and mouse setup, tools, lifting a baby, training, and what changed before it started
Wrist & Hand conditions we commonly assess and treat
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Median nerve compression at the wrist — night numbness, and when conservative care is enough.
Learn more →De Quervain's Tenosynovitis
Thumb-side wrist pain, common in new parents and repetitive gripping.
Learn more →Thumb CMC Osteoarthritis
Thumb base arthritis — pinching, jars and keys, and what conservative management can do.
Learn more →Trigger Finger
A finger that catches or locks — the pulley, the tendon, and the early options.
Learn more →Related: elbow
Tennis elbow, golfer's elbow and cubital tunnel syndrome have their own section — and cubital tunnel is the one to check if the numbness is in your little and ring fingers.
When wrist or hand symptoms need a different kind of assessment
Most wrist and hand problems are load-related and respond to conservative care. A few need prompt medical or surgical assessment.
Seek urgent medical care if you have:
- Visible wasting of the muscle at the base of the thumb, or weakness gripping and dropping things — long-standing nerve compression needs prompt review, as recovery becomes less complete the longer it persists
- A hot, swollen, very painful joint with fever or feeling unwell
- Inability to move a finger or the wrist after an injury, or obvious deformity
- Rapidly spreading redness, or a wound that isn't healing, particularly after a bite or puncture
- Numbness in both hands, or symptoms with neck pain, clumsiness or changes in walking
If you're unsure, call your GP or present to an emergency department. This page is general information, not advice about your situation.
Your first visit
A 60-minute initial consultation: history, physical assessment of the wrist, hand, forearm, elbow and neck, a neurological screen where your symptoms call for it, an explanation of what we've found, and treatment starting the same visit where appropriate.
No referral is required. If imaging is needed, we'll arrange it. If someone else is better placed to help, we'll say so.
Not ready to book? Start with the free course
Understand what a sedentary working day actually does to your body — and the small, evidence-backed changes that make the biggest difference.
It isn't a wrist or hand programme and it won't assess your symptoms. It's here because desk setup and sustained posture are the most common load drivers behind the wrist and hand complaints we see.
- What Sitting Does to Your Body
- The Research Most People Haven't Seen
- The Musculoskeletal Consequence
- What Actually Works
- The Long Game
Frequently Asked Questions
Please note: The information on this page describes our general clinical approach and is intended for educational purposes only. Individual presentations vary, and your assessment and management will be tailored specifically to you. Nothing on this page constitutes clinical advice for your individual situation. Please consult a registered health practitioner for advice about your specific condition.