My husband has just been diagnosed with Kiebbock’s disease after several months of pain in his wrist. At first he thought he had sprained it but he had no idea how. What causes it?

Doctors don’t yet know what causes Kienbock’s disease. It’s not very common and when it does happen, scenarios like your husband’s are not uncommon. Because the pain is much like a sprain, most people with the disease don’t get help right away, likely unless they know for sure that they didn’t hurt their wrist by accident.

The disease happens when, for some unkown reason, the blood supply to the lunate, a small bone in the hand near the wrist, is cut off. Because there is no blood nourishing the cells, the bone begins to die. If the disease is caught early enough, casting or splinting is all that is needed. But, if the disease has progressed or the casting or splinting didn’t help, surgery may be necessary.