TFCC Injuries in Athletes Key Symptoms Diagnosis and Regenerative Medicine Treatment Options

Call (240) 754-7954 or contact us online to arrange a consultation with our Orthopedic and Sports Medicine specialists at our offices in Alexandria, Virginia, or Waldorf, Maryland.

What are TFCC Injuries?

The main stabilization cartilage in the wrist, known as the articular disc or the triangular fibrocartilage disc, connects the radius to the ulna and cushions the ulnar carpus. It connects forearm bones to wrist bones and is crucial for rotation and grip.

Injury or degenerative deterioration to this stabilizing cartilage are known as Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex (TFCC) injuries. They are most commonly caused by:

• Chronic degeneration associated with aging
• Falling onto an outstretched hand
• Twisting of the wrist
• Repetitive use, especially when combined with axial loading (common in sports)

You should be evaluated by a orthopedist or sports medicine doctor for a possible TFCC injury if you experience either:

• A wrist sprain that fails to improve
• Persistent, unresolved wrist pain
• Inability to perform daily tasks requiring rotation or load bearing on your wrist

TFCC injuries are often misdiagnosed, leading to a delay in appropriate care.

Why are TFCC Injuries More Common in Athletes?

Any activity that involves intense, repetitive wrist twisting together with axial loading can result in repeated microtrauma or tears to the triangular fibrocartilage disc. These types of injuries are more common in athletes due to the rotational, high-stress forces athletes’ wrists are subjected to during sports like golf, baseball, pickleball, gymnastics and especially tennis. Tennis is the sport with the highest number of TFCC injuries. Because most athletes train on a daily basis, if not more often, athletes also experience TFCC injuries more frequently because of the repetitive strain this stabilizing cartilage endures.

In the general public, TFCC injuries tend to be degenerative in nature and affect older populations. Roughly 50 to 70 percent of adults aged 70 and older show evidence of TFCC. While TFCC injuries are not common among younger people, studies indicate that 23.1 percent of patients treated for TFCC tears sustained them at a younger age (below 30) while participating in sports.

Key Symptoms and Diagnosis of TFCC Injuries

Classic symptoms of a TFCC injury or tear that are key in diagnosing damage to the triangular fibrocartilage disc include:

• Pain: A TFCC injury is usually quite painful, especially on the ulnar/small finger side of the wrist.
• Swelling: Swelling over the ulnar side is often associated with this type of injury or tear.
• Tenderness: Tenderness to touch just beyond the prominent wrist bone, known as the ulnar fovea, is also common.
• Reduced Grip Strength: Injury to this stabilizing cartilage generally causes difficulty gripping, holding or lifting items.
• Clicking or Popping: A clicking, snapping, or grinding sound when moving the wrist, particularly when rotating the forearm (turning a doorknob) or pushing up from a chair.
• Instability: There is often a feeling that the wrist is weak or unstable.
• Rotational Discomfort: Increased pain during twisting motions or any activity involving wrist rotation is typical.
• Problems with Load Bearing: Because this cartilage supports roughly 20 percent of the wrist's load, an injury to it often leads to not only severe pain and instability, but also a marked reduction in weight-bearing capacity. Pain or instability often occur when applying weight (e.g., push-ups, using a hammer, pushing up from a chair, using a cane, etc.). These tears and injuries commonly cause significant problems with load bearing, especially on the ulnar/pinky side of the wrist.

TFCC injuries are diagnosed from a clinical exam and patient history. If the patient complains of the above symptoms, a TFCC injury is almost always involved. Athletes often delay seeking care and continue playing in spite of the symptoms. They often do not consult a medical professional until the symptoms become severe.

Orthopedic or sports medicine specialists often use ultrasound or X-rays to rule out other issues. Early evaluation after the condition develops can help to prevent further damage and, in some cases, even permanent disability.

What Types of Conventional Treatment are Used with TFCC Injuries in Athletes?

Treatment for TFCC injuries in athletes typically begins with the least invasive, non-surgical, conventional approaches. These may include:

• Activity Modification, ranging from completely resting the wrist to avoiding specific activities that involve twisting or heavy lifting
• Physical therapy to improve stability and increase strength
• NSAIDs
• Bracing
• Complete immobilization in a splint or cast for two to four weeks

Regenerative Medicine Options for TFCC Inuries with Athletes

Regenerative medicine can repair tissue and reduce long-term pain by stimulating natural healing rather than simply managing symptoms. It offers a promising next step for chronic TFCC injuries when conventional treatments fail. Regenerative medicine procedures all work to speed healing, reduce pain, and avoid the need for surgery. These image-guided injections, including bone marrow aspirate and adipose-derived stem cells, can stimulate tissue repair and reduce chronic wrist pain. They can be used together for enhanced results. Options may include:

• Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy: Utilizing our own cells can help to repair or even regenerate damaged tissue like wrist cartilage, restoring function and decreasing pain from more severe or chronic injuries to your wrist. These cells can be injected into the site of injury. The cells can be sourced from Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) using mesenchymal stromal cells derived from your bone marrow. Most often harvested from your pelvis; it can provide a higher concentration of regenerative cells. It can also be sourced from Adipose (Fat) Tissue that is harvested from your own fat, providing an abundant source of stem cells that can be used for soft tissue repair.
• Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: Using your own platelets, which are rich in growth factors, PRP is derived from your blood, spun in a centrifuge to concentrate platelets, then injected to enhance and speed healing, reducing pain and inflammation. and triggering your body’s intrinsic healing abilities.
• Prolotherapy: This treatment involves the injection of an irritant solution into damaged, weak, or torn tissues to stimulate your body's natural inflammatory healing response, thereby restoring and strengthening your injured wrist cartilage.

New options in Regenerative Medicine are continually being developed, and our team stays on top of the latest developments. Contact us online or call (240) 754-7954 to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists at the Center for Sports & Regenerative Orthopedics to see how you can potentially benefit from the emerging power of Regenerative Medicine for TFCC injuries.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When should I seek care?

While not every injury requires immediate medical attention, you should always seek medical care if your wrist feels unstable, or if pain and swelling continue to worsen. It is essential to rule out fractures or severe tears and prevent long-term pain or disability. You actually should seek urgent care if the wrist cannot bear any weight, has deformity or shows significant bruising or swelling.

Will a TFCC Injury resolve on its own without treatment?

Untreated TFCC injuries can often lead to progressive arthritis, reduced grip strength, persistent joint instability, chronic ulnar-side wrist pain and even permanent disability.

What kind of doctor should you see for athletic TFCC Injuries?

It is important to find an orthopedic sports medicine specialist who is not only experienced in dealing with wrist injuries and conventional treatment methods, but who is also knowledgeable about emerging Regenerative Medicine therapies.

How quickly will I see results?

It all depends on the treatment method you choose, as well as how your body responds to the treatment. Generally, with conventional treatment for TFCC injuries improvement begins within 6 to 12 weeks. Full recovery can take 3 to 6 months or up to 6 to 12 months or even longer for chronic cases.

Regenerative Medicine treatments each have their own timeline. Daily activity can sometimes resume within days with initial improvements often experienced within weeks, but full tissue regeneration requires several months as your body repairs the damaged cartilage. Regenerative Medicine therapies typically require a phased healing timeline of three to six months with full benefits sometimes continuing to develop for up to a year.

At what point should I consider Regenerative Medicine?

There are a number of conditions that respond well to Regenerative Medicine treatments like Prolotherapy, PRP and Stem Cell Therapy – and TFCC injuries is among them. This advanced level of care is appropriate when:

• You are not experiencing progress with conventional treatment
• Your condition is not being resolved quickly enough
• Ankle pain, inflammation and instability persist
• You wish to avoid surgery as a next step

Request Your Consultation Today!

For more questions about whether Regenerative Medicine is an appropriate choice for TFCC injuries, speak with our experts today to see if Regenerative Medicine could get you back in the swing of things. Let our team at the Center for Sports & Regenerative Orthopedics help you achieve your goals and enhance your health and wellness goals with the healing potential of Regenerative Medicine.

Call (240) 754-7954 or contact us online to arrange a consultation with our Regenerative Medicine specialists at our offices in Alexandria, Virginia, or Waldorf, Maryland.