I had an arthrogram for my sore wrist, and it came out normal. Does this mean there’s nothing wrong with the wrist? Why do I still have pain?

Arthrograms are designed to show any lesions in the wrist joint by injecting a special substance that makes these problems visible. Some doctors have criticized arthrography, saying it sometimes misses wrist problems and gives a “normal” result.


Typically, doctors use a few different methods to diagnose wrist pain. In addition to arthrography, you probably had X-rays and a physical exam. If these tests were inconclusive and your arthrogram came out normal, there’s a good chance your symptoms will go away in time. In one study, 65 percent of patients who had normal wrist arthrograms got better. Only 17 percent got worse.


Talk with your doctor about ways to manage your wrist pain. You may also want to ask about any other diagnostic tools your doctor might try at this point.