Diagnostic Tests for Hand pain

Diagnostic Test list for Hand pain:

The list of diagnostic tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Hand pain includes:

• General appearance
  • Looking for bruising, deformity of hand or fingers, swelling of the hand or fingers, abnormal posture of body, muscle wasting, abnormal arm movements
  • Physical examination
  • May be necessary to examine a variety of joints including the cervical spine, shoulder, elbow , wrists and the various joints of the hand
  • Test muscle tone, power, reflexes and co-ordination of upper limbs
  • Test sensation of upper limbs ( including pain , touch , temperature and vibration sensation)
  • Examine each nerve of the upper limb (including radial, median, ulnar nerve and also brachial plexus
  • Examine for signs of acute arterial occlusion of major peripheral artery -e.g. arm and hand pallor, lack of sensation to light touch, motor paralysis, gangrene
  • Presence of a cervical rib (extra upper rib) that can cause subclavian artery compression, aneurysm and peripheral microemboli to small arteries
  • Examine for signs of peripheral microemboli to the small arteries - e.g. sudden pain, blueness of skin, coldness and numbness of a finger. Pulses are palpable.
  • Examine for any signs of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, polyarteritis nodosa, Buerger's disease, polycythaemia, leukemia, polymyositis, dermatomyositis that may cause Raynaud's phenomenon
• Blood tests
  • Full blood count, ESR, Electrolytes
  • Arthritis screen (e.g. Rheumatoid factor, ENA and ANA autoantibodies)
  • Blood sugar to detect diabetes which can cause painful peripheral neuropathy, peripheral nerve lesions and erythermalgia
  • Thyroid function tests to diagnose hypothyroidism ( can cause carpal tunnel syndrome)
• Radiology investigations
  • Neck X-ray (look for cervical rib which may cause thoracic outlet syndrome
  • Wrist and Hand X-Ray ( may need to X-ray both sides to compare, especially in children)
  • CT Scan or MRI of Cervical spine - can detect nerve root entrapment in the intervertebral foramina of the cervical spine or a disc prolapse.
  • Ultrasound scan - modern sophisticated ultrasound examination is becoming a vital diagnostic modality for soft tissue disorders.
• Nerve Conduction studies
• Electromyography - to diagnose entrapment syndromes of peripheral nerves.

Home Diagnostic Testing

These home medical tests may be relevant to Hand pain causes:

• Nerve Neuropathy: Related Home Testing:
  • Home Diabetes Test Kits
  • Home Blood Glucose Testing Kits

 » Next page: Glossary

Rate This Website

What do you think about the features of this website? Take our user survey and have your say:

Website User Survey

Medical Tools & Articles:

Next articles:

• Glossary
• Surveys
• Join in at the forums

Tools & Services:

• Bookmark this page
• Take a survey relating to Hand pain
• Symptom Search
• Symptom Checker
• Medical Dictionary
• Give your feedback

Medical Articles:

• Disease & Treatments Search
• Misdiagnosis Center
• Full list of interesting articles

Forums & Message Boards

• Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
• I cannot get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for my condition?
• See all the Boards.

Enter your search terms Submit search form
Search The Web Search wrongdiagnosis.com

Common Health Mistakes

Symptom
Checker

Search Specialists by State and City