Kunitachi Ozawa Acupuncture Clinic.

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症例報告
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acupuncture for TFCC injury (triangular fibrocartilage complex injury)

acupuncture for TFCC injury (triangular fibrocartilage complex injury)

【female, 10s】

【female, 10s】

main symptoms

wrist pain. injured in tennis.
pain on the little finger side of the wrist, especially on the backhand. the pain is like a throbbing pain.
the pain is always present when she moves her wrist. it is hard to hold a pen when studying.
the pain has continued since last winter.
at first, she was treated with electric therapy at an osteopathic clinic, but it didn't improve, so she went to an orthopedic surgeon.
at the orthopedic surgery, she was diagnosed with TFCC damage (triangular fibrocartilage complex damage) after an MRI.
she came to our clinic because she was unable to join club activities and had a hard time studying, so she wanted to get better as soon as possible....

visual observation and palpation

no abnormality was found on visual observation.
there was tenderness on the ulnar side of the wrist joint (TFCC area).
however, detailed palpation of the arm revealed tenderness in the extensor carpi ulnaris and the extensor carpalis, and at the same time, palpation of these muscles revealed pain on the ulnar side of the wrist joint.

treatment

treatment area: trigger points in the extensor carpi ulnaris and extensor carpalis muscles

1st to 4th treatment: no change
5th treatment: pain decreased from 10 to 5.
6th treatment: further decrease in pain.
7th treatment: complete recovery

Summary

what is a TFCC injury (triangular fibrocartilage complex injury)?

TFCC is also known as "triangular fibrocartilage complex".
there are four ligaments on the pinky side of the wrist: (1) ulnar triangular ligament, (2) ulnar lunate ligament, (3) palmar radial ligament, and (4) dorsal radial ligament, which surround the joint disc on the pinky side of the wrist.
these are collectively called the TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex).
TFCC damage cannot be seen on x-rays, so an MRI is recommended.
however, it is important to note that even if there is an abnormality there, it may not be related to the pain you are experiencing.
trigger points in the skeletal muscles and ligaments that make up the wrist are often the cause of pain in the pinky side of the wrist.
in this case, the pain was caused by trigger points in the muscles and tendons that pass through the wrist.

when you hear the term "TFCC injury," it sounds like a big problem.
however, it is a disease that can be cured if the surrounding trigger points are treated properly.
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