Carpal bossing can affect anyone, but is it well known as one of the most debilitating hand-related boxing injuries. Carpal bossing is a condition in which a hard, bony lump appears on the back of the hand or wrist, right where the long hand bones and the small wrist bones meet.
Carpal bossing occurs when the cartilage lining thins out and encourages new bone to be produces in that area, which causes the bony lump you can see.
Causes
Carpal bossing is usually caused by:
- Repeated or direct trauma to the wrist
- Repeated mechanical stress on the wrist
Symptoms
The main symptom is a hard and firm mass of bone on the back of the hand or wrist.
Prevention
The main way to prevent carpal bossing is by taking care of not hitting or straining your wrists. For boxers, this means wearing the correct equipment, like hand wraps, and using proper technique.
Allowing the wrists to rest and applying ice to an injury right after it happened will also help.
Treatment
Treatment should always start with a visit to a hand specialist to get a proper diagnosis.
According to what the hand specialist recommends, there are surgical and non-surgical treatments for carpal bossing. The non-surgical treatments can include a wrist brace or steroid injections. The carpal bossing surgery has a good success rate and it is usually done with local anesthesia.
The surgeons at Hand Surgery Specialists of Texas are experienced in treating ailments of the hand, like carpal bossing, with minimally invasive techniques.
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