Private Wrist Ultrasound Scan

Wrist injuries and conditions are common in athletes, office workers, musicians, and manual workers, and can affect joint structures including ligaments, joint surfaces, tendons, muscles, and nerves. Injuries can occur acutely — from falls, direct trauma, or forced movements — or develop chronically through repetitive microtrauma and overuse.

An ultrasound can be used to assess or confirm the extent of tissue damage and help choose between surgical or conservative treatment. Common causes of wrist pain that ultrasound can identify include:

• De Quervain’s tenosynovitis — first extensor compartment inflammation at the radial styloid; pain with thumb and wrist movement
• Carpal tunnel syndrome — median nerve compression; nocturnal numbness in the thumb and fingers
• TFCC tears — ulnar-sided wrist pain after twisting or falling
• Scapholunate ligament injury — dorsal wrist instability following a fall on an outstretched hand
• Ganglion cysts — the most common soft tissue mass on the wrist, arising from the scapholunate joint or tendon sheaths
• Intersection syndrome — dorsal wrist pain and crepitus in rowing, weightlifting, and racket sports
• Arthritis — osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other inflammatory joint disease
• Tendinopathy and tenosynovitis — overuse injuries in musicians, office workers, and manual workers

A private wrist ultrasound produces real-time images of all major wrist soft tissue structures, including:

• All six extensor tendon compartments — tendon thickness, fibrillar architecture, tenosynovitis, and tears
• Median nerve at the carpal tunnel — cross-sectional area (CSA) measurement to confirm carpal tunnel syndrome; normal <10 mm²
• TFCC (peripheral) — tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex and ulnocarpal ligaments
• Scapholunate ligament — dorsal band assessment and dynamic gap testing under stress
• Flexor tendons — tenosynovitis, tears, and sheath fluid
• Wrist joint and DRUJ — effusion, synovitis, Doppler active pannus (RA monitoring)
• Ganglion cysts — size, location, stalk origin, and aspiration guidance
• Ulnar nerve at Guyon’s canal — nerve CSA and compressive pathology

Fowler JR et al. Ultrasound as a first-line test in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2013;471:932–7. | Klauser AS et al. Carpal tunnel syndrome assessment with US: value of additional cross-sectional area measurements. Radiology 2009;250:171–7.

At London Private Ultrasound, a private wrist ultrasound costs:

• One wrist: £199 — all fees inclusive with no hidden charges
• Both wrists: £299 — saving £99 compared to two separate single-wrist scans

Both options include same-day verbal results and a full written report within 24 hours. We accept all major credit and debit cards, cash, and Klarna for flexible payment.

Yes. Ultrasound is the first-line imaging investigation for De Quervain’s tenosynovitis — stenosing inflammation of the first extensor compartment (abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons) at the radial styloid. It identifies:

• Tendon sheath thickening and fluid: The hallmarks of active tenosynovitis, confirming the diagnosis
• Septation within the first compartment: Clinically important — patients with a septated first compartment require injection into both sub-sheaths for full efficacy, which blind injection often misses
• Doppler neovascularity: Active vascularity within the sheath indicating inflammation severity

Ultrasound guidance is essential for De Quervain’s injection — the first compartment is small and septation (present in up to 30% of cases) makes unguided injection unreliable. Guided injection ensures accurate placement into the correct sub-sheath.

Jeyapalan K, Choudhary S. Ultrasound-guided injection of triamcinolone and bupivacaine in the management of De Quervain’s disease. Skeletal Radiol 2009;38:1099–103. | De Maeseneer M et al. First extensor compartment of the wrist: J Ultrasound Med 2009.

Yes. Ultrasound is a validated first-line investigation for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). It measures the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet — enlargement above 10 mm² is a reliable marker of compression neuropathy, comparable to nerve conduction studies for diagnosis. Ultrasound can also identify structural causes of CTS such as ganglia, lipomas, anomalous muscles, or hypertrophied synovium pressing on the nerve.

For injection therapy, ultrasound guidance significantly improves accuracy of carpal tunnel corticosteroid injection, reducing the risk of inadvertent median nerve injection. If CTS is confirmed and symptoms are persistent, your specialist will discuss the relative merits of injection versus surgical decompression.

Fowler JR et al. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2013. | Klauser AS et al. Radiology 2009;250:171–7.

Since wrist pain can have so many causes, an ultrasound can be valuable in providing an accurate diagnosis. See a doctor if you experience:

• Ongoing wrist aches or discomfort that have not improved with rest
• Pain with thumb movement, gripping, or lifting (possible De Quervain’s)
• Numbness and tingling in the thumb and fingers, especially at night (possible carpal tunnel syndrome)
• Ulnar-sided wrist pain after a twisting injury (possible TFCC tear)
• Dorsal wrist pain and instability after a fall (possible scapholunate ligament injury)
• A lump or swelling on the wrist
• Restricted wrist range of movement

Ask to be seen urgently if you have:

• Wrist swelling and severe pain after trauma — may indicate fracture (requires X-ray first)
• Numbness and weakness in the hand that is getting worse — may indicate nerve compression or injury
• Heat, redness, and swelling around the wrist joint — may indicate infection or acute inflammatory flare

In many cases, wrist aches have benign causes and improve with rest and simple pain management. If there is no improvement after a few weeks, book a scan on 020 7101 3377.

A wrist ultrasound is a quick and easy way to diagnose many causes of wrist pain. There is no preparation required. We recommend wearing a short-sleeved top or loose clothing so your wrist and forearm are easily accessible. Leave all wrist jewellery, watches, and bracelets at home.

You will sit comfortably on the examination chair. Your specialist applies a clear, water-based gel to the wrist and moves the ultrasound probe gently over the skin surface — entirely painless. During the dynamic assessment, you will be asked to flex, extend, and radially and ulnarly deviate the wrist, and to perform resisted movements to test specific tendons and ligaments. Dynamic stress testing for the scapholunate ligament and DRUJ may also be performed. The scan typically takes 20–30 minutes. Your specialist provides findings verbally immediately afterwards.

No significant preparation is required for a wrist ultrasound scan. You may eat, drink, and take medications normally. Remove all wrist jewellery, watches, fitness trackers, and bracelets before your appointment. Remove any wrist brace or compression bandaging. No fasting, no medication changes, and no topical preparations are required.

There is no particular aftercare required. You may resume your regular diet and daily activities immediately unless your specialist advises otherwise. There are no confirmed adverse biological effects on patients from diagnostic ultrasound.

Your specialist explains findings immediately after the scan. Depending on results, they may recommend physiotherapy, splinting, activity modification, a guided injection, or further imaging. If your scan identifies a finding requiring urgent NHS attention — for example, findings consistent with scapholunate instability requiring MRI arthrogram and surgical review — your specialist generates a formal report the same day.

One wrist (£199) is appropriate if symptoms affect one wrist only.

Both wrists (£299, saving £99) is recommended if you have:

• Pain or symptoms in both wrists
• Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome — CTS affects both wrists in the majority of patients
• Bilateral De Quervain’s — common in new mothers, office workers, and musicians
• Inflammatory arthritis (RA, psoriatic) affecting both wrists — monitoring Doppler synovitis bilaterally for disease activity
• Pre-surgical or post-treatment comparison requiring bilateral assessment

If you are unsure, call 020 7101 3377 and our team will advise based on your symptoms.

No. You do not require a referral. Book directly online at londonsono.com or call 020 7101 3377. Appointments are available 7 days a week at our Central London clinic (27 Welbeck Street, Harley Street medical district) and our St Albans clinic (54–56 Victoria Street).

Yes. Ultrasound guidance significantly improves injection accuracy and safety for all wrist injections. At London Private Ultrasound, our joint injection clinic offers ultrasound-guided:

• First extensor compartment injection — for De Quervain’s tenosynovitis; corticosteroid injected precisely into the tendon sheath, with awareness of any septation
• Carpal tunnel injection — corticosteroid injection alongside the median nerve for CTS symptom relief
• Wrist joint injection — for inflammatory arthritis, synovitis, or post-traumatic pain
• Guyon’s canal injection — for ulnar nerve compression at the wrist
• Ganglion cyst aspiration — ultrasound-guided needle placement for accurate aspiration
• DRUJ injection — for distal radioulnar joint synovitis or TFCC-related pain

Injection therapy can often be arranged at the same appointment as your diagnostic scan.

Many of our patients are concerned that if they come to us for an ultrasound, they won’t be able to go back to public health. That simply is not the case. Our goal is to give you answers as quickly as possible and get you on the right treatment path fast — no strings attached.

When you come to us, you will be seen by a qualified MSK specialist who can assess your wrist condition the same day. We don’t want you to wait weeks on end for an appointment. If your scan reveals findings requiring urgent NHS attention — for example, findings consistent with scapholunate dissociation requiring urgent surgical review — our specialist will write a formal report for your GP immediately. We work alongside the NHS, not instead of it.