Possible TFCC Tear? (Chronic triangular fibrocartilage complex)

[webbyt]

About a week before christmas last year I started getting pains around the wrist on the ulna side. Thought it was a minor sprain and wore some wrist supports for a couple of weeks. Then in mid January the pain got a lot worse. It was all around the wrist joint mainly on the outer side and I had some weakness in it and it was starting to click when I moved my hand up and down and rotated it. By this time I had bought a wrist support with a metal splint. I saw my GP early February and he said it was inflamation of the tendons and perscribed Naproxen which I took for a month with no success.

Currently my wrist cracks a lot more and louder while rotating or moving it up and down. The wrist bone seems slightly raised and swollen compared to the other wrist and I can't bend my wrist back 90 degrees. I still continue to get dull aches on a regular basis with some quick sharp pains when pull or pushing heavy objects every now and again. There is tendorness mainly around inside of the wrist bone. Weakness is still there. E.g. when lifting my laptop I put my 4 fingers underneath and my thumb over the top so it rests between thumb and index finger (Palm facing up). I can lift it ok with my left hand but it takes some real effort to lift it with my injured side but without any pain. I'm right handed by the way.

I work in a supermarket warehouse so I'm pushing and pulling cages and pallets of stock 5 days a week and I also play football for 30 mins a week as a goalkeeper. This injury has not disabled me or stopped me from doing my job but after 8 months it's really concerning as I don't want it to cause problems in later life. I've read about TFCC and the problems others have had seem very similar to me. Is it possible it could be this? and what action should I take?

Thanks in advance for anyone who comments and gives me advice.

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[physiobob]

I was going to ask what the mechanism of injury was and then read you're a goalie on football (soccer). Might you suggest that you've taken your share of falls onto the wrist in saving goals? My advice would be to go and see a hand specialist as the forum can't really diagnose such a complicated set of structures such as those in the wrist.

[webbyt]

It all seemed to start at work rather than football. I have to pull cages from lorries that can weigh up to 500kg. Some pallets even weigh 1000kg. There are often 55-70 cages on a lorry so my wrist would be subject to a lot of force. Just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced similar symptoms and to have a general idea on what it could be. Cheers

[physiobob]

You are probably right then with that type of load. I'd suggest getting a wrist wrap of sorts like a weight lifter might use and have that as part of your work uniform to assist stability in the wrist.

[webbyt]

Seeing a doctor again next week. Was having a bad day at work with it yesterday. The strength in my hand felt really weak and it was aching most of the time around the top of the unla. Did wear a wrist splint for a couple of months earlier in the year until it ripped apart. It had a metal splint down the palm to keep it steady but didn't really notice any improvements with it and it kind of got in the way because I couldn't grab cages properly. Will look into something a bit different. Thanks

[webbyt]

My doctor is fully booked for 3 weeks so seeing her on the 15th. Done a bit more research and the snapping sound seems to be coming from my ecu tendon. But there is also a clicking with a crunching sound occasionally from the middle of my wrist and the pain I still get is on the inside of my unla and what seems to around where the lunate bone is. Can a tfcc tear cause the ecu tendon to so called dislocate and cause this snapping I have?