Here's what might be causing pain in your hands and wrists

A lot of people think they have carpal tunnel when they actually have another ailment that's making their hands and wrists hurt.

"It's one of those conditions that we see that is frequently misunderstood," Dr. Aaron Daluiski, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery, told Tech Insider.

"People sort of reflexively think that anything that is pain in their hands, or their fingers, or wrists is carpal tunnel until proven otherwise."

But the syndrome is a very specific set of symptoms that occur when the median nerve is compressed because there's not enough room in the area of the wrist called the carpal tunnel. When tendons get inflamed, they can put pressure on the nerve, producing carpal tunnel syndrome.

"People [think] that carpal tunnel syndrome is pain in the wrist. And it's actually not pain in the wrist," Daluiski said. "It's a very specific nerve compression that often causes numbness and tingling."

Other sources of pain could be arthritis in the wrist or thumb, Daluiski said.

Tendinitis can cause pain in the wrist, but it doesn't produce the numbness and tingling characteristic of carpal tunnel.

A ganglion cyst could also be the culprit. These lumps in the hand are painful but usually harmless, and they often go away on their own.

Even a pinched nerve or slipped disc in the spine could cause pain in the wrist, Daluiski said, since it could put pressure on the median nerve. These conditions may lead to carpal tunnel, but the treatment is different.

"There are many things that cause pain in the wrist or hand area," he said, "but most of those things that cause pain are not carpal tunnel syndrome."

If you have unbearable pain, numbness or tingling in your hands or wrists, it might be best to see a doctor so they can figure out exactly what is causing it.