The normal shoulder joint can be thought of as a golf ball balancing on a tee. If a large enough force in the right direction is applied to the arm, the ball will dislocate from the socket, resulting in a dislocated shoulder.

Patients with de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis have painful tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. Tendons are the rope-like structures that the muscle uses to pull the bone. You can see them on the back of your hand when you straighten your fingers.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that involves pressure or stretching of the ulnar nerve (also known as the “funny bone” nerve), which can cause numbness or tingling in the ring and small fingers, pain in the forearm, and/or weakness in the hand.

A cortisone shot can be used to treat some problems in the arm and hand. These can include trigger fingers, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tennis elbow and rotator cuff tendonitis. These injections usually contain a numbing medicine.

Having cold hands at all times usually occurs due to decreased blood flow to the hands. Our bodies keep our hands warm primarily by regulating the blood flow that travels from the heart, down the arm, all the way to our fingertips. More blood to the hands means pink, warmer hands; less blood flow means colder and sometimes painful hands.

Smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes and e-cigarettes have all been shown to negatively influence healing and worsen medical conditions in many parts of the body. This is due to nicotine, a chemical in these products. These effects can be seen in the hands and upper extremities.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is essentially a pinched nerve in the wrist. There is a space in the wrist called the carpal tunnel where the median nerve and nine tendons pass from the forearm into the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when swelling in this tunnel puts pressure on the nerve.

A carpal boss is also known as a bossing. It is a bony overgrowth or lump on the back of the wrist at the base of the index (pointer finger) or long (middle finger) metacarpal bones where they join the carpal bones.

The bones of the hand serve as a framework. This framework supports the muscles that make the wrist and fingers move. When one of these hand bones is broken (fractured), it can prevent you from using the hand, wrist and fingers.

Finger tip injuries are one of the more common injuries in the hand. The finger tips are exposed in many of our activities.