Overview

To diagnose the underlying cause of ulnar wrist pain, your healthcare professional may do a physical exam. The exam involves moving your wrist or hand into different positions to see what hurts. The exam also checks your range of motion and grip strength.

Imaging tests may be needed, including:

  • X-ray. This is the most commonly used test for wrist pain. Using a small amount of radiation, X-rays can reveal bone fractures or signs of osteoarthritis.
  • CT. This scan can give more-detailed views of the bones in the wrist and may spot fractures that don’t show up on X-rays.
  • MRI. This test uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of the bones and soft tissues. For a wrist MRI, you may be able to insert your arm into a smaller device instead of a whole-body MRI machine.
  • Ultrasound. This simple, noninvasive test can help examine tendons, ligaments and cysts.
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