Use of arthroscopy in the evaluation and treatment of chronic wrist pain.

Chronic wrist pain can be frustrating for the hand surgeon. The most critical portion of the evaluation is the history and physical examination, which will lead to the various diagnostic modalities available. Table 2 is a summary of some of the more common tests and their uses. Wrist arthroscopy is one of the more useful tools available to the hand surgeon, being both diagnostic and therapeutic. The algorithms developed in this paper are by no means exhaustive or all encompassing. Rather they should be viewed as a guide to assist the hand surgeon in the treatment of these difficult problems.