Conditions of the elbow, shoulder and hand
Here you will find the conditions I treat in my practice, ordered by joint. I explain most of them on a page of their own: how the condition arises, how you recognise it and which treatment steps come into question.
Where does it hurt?
The direct route runs through the affected region of the body. Choose the column below for shoulder, elbow or hand, and within it the complaint that fits your situation. If you already know your diagnosis, for instance from an MRI report or a doctor's letter, go straight to the matching page. If the cause is still open, the three pages on shoulder, elbow and hand pain will help: they sort the possible causes by leading symptom.
Overview
All conditions by joint
Shoulder
- Rotator cuff tear (tendon tear of the shoulder)
- Calcific tendinitis (tendinitis calcarea)
- Subacromial bursitis (inflamed bursa, formerly impingement)
- Frozen shoulder (stiff shoulder)
- Shoulder dislocation and instability
- Biceps tendon tear (long head and distal tendon)
- Pectoralis tendon rupture (tear of the chest muscle)
- Osteoarthritis of the shoulder (omarthrosis, wear of the joint)
- Collarbone fracture (clavicle fracture)
- Shoulder pain — causes at a glance
Elbow
- Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow (epicondylitis)
- Tear of the distal biceps tendon (at the elbow)
- Tear of the triceps tendon (at the tip of the elbow)
- Elbow instability (ligament injury)
- Stiff elbow (restricted movement, loose bodies in the joint)
- Elbow dislocation (luxation)
- Radial head fracture (fracture of the head of the radius)
- Cubital tunnel syndrome (ulnar nerve)
- Plica syndrome (snapping synovial fold)
- Elbow osteoarthritis (wear of the joint)
- Elbow pain — causes at a glance
Hand
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve)
- Thumb base osteoarthritis (thumb saddle joint)
- Trigger finger (tendovaginitis stenosans)
- Ganglion of the wrist (ganglion cyst)
- Dupuytren's contracture (cords in the palm)
- Ulnar impaction syndrome (ulna that is too long)
- Scaphoid fracture (fracture of the scaphoid bone)
- Distal radius fracture (broken wrist)
- Wrist ligament injury and instability (tear of the triangular fibrocartilage / TFCC, SL ligament)
- Instability of tendons in the hand and wrist
- Finger and metacarpal fracture
- Wrist and finger osteoarthritis (wear of the wrist)
- Hand pain — causes at a glance
Sport
- Tendon tears in sport (pectoralis, biceps, triceps)
- Quadriceps tendon tear (tendon of the thigh muscle above the kneecap)
- Knee: meniscus tear, ligament tear, cartilage injury, osteoarthritis of the knee
Not sure what it is?
Many complaints cannot be matched to a diagnosis straight away — and that is not your task. For this case there are three pages that start from the symptoms rather than from the findings: shoulder pain and its causes, investigating elbow pain and hand and wrist pain. There the possible causes are sorted by leading symptom, that is by the site, the trigger and the timing of the pain, and every point leads on to the matching diagnosis page.
If you would like to keep the joint as a whole in view, the overview pages shoulder specialist in Vienna, elbow specialist in Vienna and hand surgery in Vienna take you through examination, conservative treatment and surgery. How a joint inspection using keyhole technique proceeds I describe under arthroscopy of the elbow, shoulder and wrist. Which non-surgical methods are available in the practice is set out under conservative treatments.
My practice is a private practice, in Austria a Wahlarztordination. I do not settle directly with any public health insurer; you receive an invoice and submit it to your insurer — on request I take care of the submission for you. You can read what this looks like step by step under private practice in Vienna: procedure and reimbursement.
A page on the internet does not replace an examination. Whether tendon damage, a compressed nerve or wear of the joint lies behind your complaints becomes clear from the consultation, the clinical examination and — where necessary — ultrasound, X-ray or MRI. Which treatment then makes sense we decide together, once all the findings are in. Book an appointment at the practice.
Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions about the conditions
I specialise in the elbow, shoulder and hand. This includes tendon and ligament injuries, nerve compression, osteoarthritis, instability after a dislocation as well as fractures of the forearm, the wrist bones and the fingers. Tendon tears from strength and contact sports are included too. The linked entries in the list each lead to a page of their own with symptoms, diagnosis and the treatment path.
Start with the region of the body. For the elbow, the shoulder and the hand there is one page each that sorts the possible causes by leading symptom: by night pain, by pain during a particular movement, by numbness or after a fall. From there every point leads on to the matching diagnosis page. A reliable assignment only emerges from the consultation, the examination and the findings.
A referral is not necessary. For your first appointment please bring everything you have: e-card, previous findings, doctors' letters as well as X-ray, CT or MRI images. These documents often spare you duplicate examinations and help me place the course of your complaints so far. You arrange appointments by telephone from Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 16:00.
My practice is a private practice, in Austria a Wahlarztordination. I do not settle directly with any public health insurer; you receive an invoice and submit it to your insurer — on request I take care of the submission for you. For operations, direct settlement with your supplementary insurance is possible.
I carry out necessary procedures at the ATOMOS Klinik Währing, the Privatklinik Döbling or the Rudolfinerhaus, and I accompany you from planning through the procedure to aftercare. Whether an operation is performed is decided by the findings. For a fresh tendon tear, a dislocation with instability or a displaced fracture I usually advise an early operation; for irritation and beginning wear, conservative treatment is an option.
Dr. med. Martin Eigenschink
Specialist in Orthopaedics and Traumatology · Specialist in elbow, shoulder and hand surgery
Surgical and conservative treatment of the elbow, shoulder and hand, preferably minimally invasive. Practice at the Orthozentrum Döbling, 1190 Vienna. More about my background
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