Are there long term effects of Wrist Drop?

The prognosis for wrist drop depends on the severity and type of nerve damage. In some cases, no treatment is needed and the condition may improve on its own. However, in other cases, surgery may be required to repair the damaged nerve.

How do you get Wrist Drop?

Wrist drop can be caused by various factors such as deep cuts that damage the radial nerve, fractures of the upper arm bone, repetitive strain on the radial nerve, physical abnormalities of the radial nerve, certain health issues like lead poisoning or beriberi, systemic nerve and muscle disorders, loss of blood supply to the upper arm, and injecting too much muscle-building oil.

What are signs and symptoms of Wrist Drop?

Signs and symptoms of Wrist Drop include: - Weakness in the wrist and fingers after consuming a large amount of alcohol - Pain starting from the upper arm, going down to the outer part of the forearm and then to the back of the left hand - Numbness in the back of the first three and a half fingers - Weakness when trying to extend the wrist and fingers during a physical check-up - Numbness in the forearm and hand if the damage to the radial nerve is high above the elbow joint - Inability to move the hand from a position with the forearm parallel to the floor, back of the hand facing the ceiling, and fingers pointing downwards (known as "wrist-drop" deformity) - Diminished elbow extension reflex, as the radial nerve also helps extend the elbow.

What kinds of test are needed for Wrist Drop?

The types of tests that may be needed for Wrist Drop include: - Nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography to identify nerve impingement and damage to the radial nerve. - Plain x-rays to look for signs of bone break or bone spurs. - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to detect nerve compression or damage in the brachial plexus area. - High-resolution ultrasound to detect specific types of nerve damage. - Surgical exploration of the radial nerve may be necessary in certain cases.

What else can Wrist Drop be?

The doctor needs to rule out the following conditions when diagnosing Wrist Drop: - Central Nervous System (CNS) - C7 root - Posterior Interosseous Nerve (PIN) - Posterior interosseous neuropathy - Posterior cord - Radial Nerve in the spiral groove - Radial Nerve in the axilla - Radial neuropathy at the spiral groove

What are the side effects when treating Wrist Drop?

When treating wrist drop, there may be side effects associated with the treatment methods. However, the given text does not mention any specific side effects related to the treatment of wrist drop.

How is Wrist Drop treated?

Wrist drop is typically treated with a wrist splint and physical therapy. In some cases, surgery may be needed if the wrist drop is caused by bone spurs or pressure on the nerve. However, for wrist drop caused by an arm bone fracture, doctors may prefer to wait a few months to see if recovery happens naturally before considering surgery. About 70% of cases of wrist drop recover with non-surgical treatment.

Wrist drop is a condition that occurs when the radial nerve is damaged, causing the inability to straighten the wrist and fingers.

Wrist Drop

What is Wrist Drop?

Wrist drop is a condition that happens due to damage to the radial nerve. This nerve helps the muscles in your wrist and fingers to extend. So when this nerve doesn’t work well, you won’t be able to straighten your wrist and fingers on your own. This means when you try to lift your arm, your hand might hang limply or bent downwards instead of aligning with your arm. Wrist drop can happen due to many reasons including injuries that pierce the skin, prolonged pressure on the nerve (like during a deep sleep with an awkward arm position, also known as Saturday night palsy) or deficiencies in certain nutrients in your body. Depending on the severity and type of nerve damage, sometimes no treatment is needed, or in other cases, surgery might be required.

What Causes Wrist Drop?

“Wrist drop” is a condition where it becomes difficult or impossible to lift your hand at the wrist. This can happen for various reasons.

For example, if you receive a deep cut below your collarbone, such as from a knife, it could possibly cut across a nerve known as the radial nerve. This nerve controls the movement of your wrist and hand, and if it is damaged, it could lead to wrist drop.

Similarly, if your upper arm bone, also known as humerus, gets fractured, it might injure the radial nerve. This is because this nerve runs along a groove on this bone.

Wrist drop can also occur due to repetitive strain on the radial nerve. For example, using crutches for a long period, or leaning a lot on your elbow, can constantly press on this nerve and eventually lead to wrist drop.

Sometimes physical abnormalities of the radial nerve, such as swelling or knotting, can also result in wrist drop.

Certain health issues like lead poisoning or beriberi, which is a symptom of severe vitamin B1 deficiency, can also cause wrist drop.

Sometimes, wrist drop could be a symptom of larger, more systemic nerve and muscle disorders, such as a condition called “limb-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”.

Few unusual causes, like loss of blood supply to your upper arm or injecting too much muscle-building oil can also cause damage to the radial nerve and result in wrist drop.

Risk Factors and Frequency for Wrist Drop

Wrist drop is a condition that happens fairly often. It is also known as “Saturday night palsy,” which occurs when a nerve in the arm, specifically the radial nerve, gets heavily squeezed at a certain point (the spiral groove). The chance of experiencing this condition (radial neuropathy) is reported to be slightly higher in men than in women, particularly in the age group of 75 to 84. In the UK, the cases reported are about 2.97 out of every 100,000 men and 1.42 out of every 100,000 women in this age range.

Signs and Symptoms of Wrist Drop

A person might start experiencing certain symptoms after drinking a lot of alcohol at a party, possibly passing out with their weight resting on their left arm. A few days might pass before their fingers and wrist start to feel weak. They could also feel a trail of pain starting from the back or side of their upper arm, going down to the outer part of the forearm and then to the back of the left hand. The feeling of numbness can also affect the back of the first three and a half fingers.

During a physical check-up, the person might show weakness when trying to extend the wrist and fingers. If the damage to the radial nerve (the nerve that provides sensation to the skin on the back of the hand and forearm) is high above the elbow joint, the person might also report numbness in the forearm and hand.

One way to check for “wrist-drop” deformity is asking the individual to hold their arm out with their forearm parallel to the floor, back of the hand facing the ceiling and fingers pointing downwards. Someone with wrist drop won’t be able to move their hand from this position to a straight one. They may also have a diminished elbow extension reflex, as the radial nerve also helps extend the elbow.

Testing for Wrist Drop

If you’re experiencing issues that suggest a problem with your nerves, doctors might perform nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography. These tests are used to identify where exactly a nerve is being squished or “impinged”, and to ensure that this issue isn’t part of a larger, systemic disorder. Nerve conduction studies, in particular, can detect damage to the radial nerve, a major nerve in the arm.

Doctors may also use plain x-rays to look for signs of a bone break or bone spurs – tiny, sharp growths of bone. This also helps locate any potential sources of nerve impingement.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) might be used too if the bones appear normal on an x-ray. An MRI uses a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to take pictures of your insides and helps doctors see nerve compression or damage in the brachial plexus area – a network of nerves that sends signals from your spine to your arm.

High-resolution ultrasound is another valuable tool in these cases. An ultrasound creates images of the inside of your body using safe high-frequency sound waves. It can detect specific types of nerve damage, such as enlargement, constriction, torsion, or “fascicular entwinement” where the small structures in the nerve are tangled. This information can be crucial when planning surgeries to fix nerve problems.

Treatment Options for Wrist Drop

Wrist drop is typically treated with a wrist splint and physical therapy. However, sometimes, the wrist drop may be due to small bone growths known as bone spurs or pressure on the nerve causing the issue. In such cases, surgery may be needed to fix the problem. With wrist drop caused by a fracture in the arm bone, the decision on when to perform surgery isn’t always clear. Some doctors prefer to wait a few months to see if recovery happens naturally before considering surgery.

In the initial stages of an arm bone fracture, it’s crucial to keep the wrist still and in the right position. This can be achieved with a special type of brace known as a modified coaptation splint. If the wrist drop starts during the use of this splint and doesn’t get better once the splint is removed, then surgical exploration of the radial nerve, which controls movement and sensation in the wrist and hand, might be necessary.

About 70% of cases of wrist drop recover with non-surgical treatment. For wrist drop caused by an immune system reaction, as seen in a condition called mixed cryoglobulinemia, certain drugs such as rituximab may help speed up recovery.

The following are different medical conditions and areas that could be affected in certain neurological cases: