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TFCC Tears (Acute & Chronic)

What is TFCC Tear?

TFCC stands for Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex, which stabilizes your wrist. The complex structure of TFCC includes ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. They link the bones of your wrists and forearms.

TFCC tears usually occur due to accidents like falling on your hand or twisting or fracturing your wrist. Since, TFCC stabilizes and cushions your wrist, a tear can weaken your hand and cause a poor grip.

You may experience acute pain around the wrist part of your hand. Tears in TFCC can occur with any sudden impact or activities that cause pressure in the wrist area. Older adults are usually prone to such injuries because of their poor bone strength.

What are the clinical signs of TFCC? Symptoms of TFCC Tear

TFCC tears usually raise the symptom of acute pain in your wrist. Sometimes, as a result of acute injury, you may not feel any chronic pain. You may have symptoms like:

  • Clicking or popping sound around your wrist or forearm whenever you are trying to rotate that.
  • You may face some severe difficulties in rotating your wrist.
  • Your wrist’s ulnar side will be more painful than the opposing side.
  • You will experience a reduced ability to grip any object tightly.
  • Your wrist can be weaker than normal.

Causes and Risk Factors: TFCC Tear

You can have TFCC tears if you experience any sudden shock to your wrist. You may experience sudden shock due to injuries. The main root cause of TFCC tears is accident or injury. Even tears can also occur from the TFCC structure weakening.

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What causes a TFCC wrist injury?

  • If you fall on your hand suddenly, it can cause a fracture in your radius and tears in your TFCC. A sudden twist in your wrist can also cause TFCC tears.
  • The pillars of TFCC, ligaments, and tendons may rupture and cause TFCC tears. Such degradation occurs due to age. Your TFCC will get weaker with age, and thinner tissues are more vulnerable to tearing.

What are the risk factors for TFCC injury?

  • Age is a major risk factor for TFCC tears because the tissue becomes thinner with age and is more prone to tear.
  • An additional danger level is random damage. You can have fractures as well as TFCC tears due to sudden falls on your hand or heavy wrist exercises.

How to diagnose a TFCC tear? Diagnosis of TFCC Tear

Expert healthcare professionals will follow a set of steps to diagnose if you TFCC tear, or its severity.

  • Initially, the doctor will check your medical history and ask how much your wrist pain is bothering you. They will also ask you the duration of your wrist pain.
  • After that, healthcare professionals perform some physical examinations. They will press your wrist and try to access the area of pain, which can give them some clues about the causes of your wrist pain.
  • If they are not able to find the cause of your pain, they will recommend that you have imaging tests of your wrist, such as X-rays, MRIs, and more.

TFCC Tear Treatment

The treatment for Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex tear depends on various factors. It includes the type, extent, and cause of the damage. However, you can try the following conservative methods to find relief in times of need.

TFCC tears often heal on their own if you give plenty of rest to your wrists. For this, you can wear a splint or cast, as it will immobilize your wrist and prevent it from moving. Another way to get rid of the pain is using pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen. You can also get corticosteroid injections to reduce the inflammation and pain.

Besides, doing gentle exercises also helps to improve your range of motion, flexibility, and strength. However partial tears can be treated with Regenerative orthobiologics and complete tears might require surgical repairs .So, you can regain your wrist’s full function after 12 weeks of surgery.

TFCC Tear: Recovery and Rehabilitation

A triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tear is a wrist injury that can cause pain, instability, and limited motion. Recovery and rehabilitation focus on reducing discomfort, restoring strength, and regaining functionality.

Key Aspects of Recovery:

  • Mild tears may be treated with rest, immobilization, and anti-inflammatory medications.
  • Partial tears will require Regenerative orthobiologics intervention and severe cases may require surgical intervention.
  • Wearing a wrist brace or splint to immobilize the wrist during the healing process.
  • Following the physician’s instructions for activity restrictions.

Rehabilitation Process:

  • Gentle stretching exercises to improve flexibility.
  • Strengthening exercises targeting wrist and forearm muscles.
  • Resuming daily tasks and sports gradually to avoid re-injury.
  • Monitoring for persistent pain or instability.
  • Proper care and a tailored rehabilitation program can significantly improve outcomes for individuals with TFCC tears.

How do you prevent TFCC tears? Prevention Tips for Avoiding TFCC Tear

  • You can prevent TFCC tears by doing warm-up exercises before engaging in any heavy activity that involves arm or wrist twisting.
  • You should always strengthen your muscles by doing proper exercises.
  • Try to walk mindfully to avoid sudden falls.

When to See a Doctor?

If you have suffered minor injuries to your TFCC, you can cure them without any crucial treatment. That means you have to do some basic exercises or wrist stretching to regain the strength of your TFCC. However, If you do not feel acute pain in your wrist, consult an expert doctor for an in-depth diagnosis, and the best treatment option.

Conclusion

If you’ve experienced hand trauma or nerve injury, don’t delay care. Contact our clinic today for expert Trauma and Injury Treatment in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, and discover how specialized care can help you recover faster and better.

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