MSK Scans · Median Nerve, Tendon Sheaths & Ganglions

Private Wrist Ultrasound Scan in London

The median nerve measured directly, tendon sheaths assessed and ganglions characterised — explained on screen as we scan, by the sonographer scanning you.

  • 30-minute appointment — unhurried, where most clinics allow 20
  • Median nerve measured and compared with your other side
  • Tendon sheaths and ganglions assessed in real time
  • Findings at the scan; written report usually within two hours
  • No GP referral required — self-refer today
£169wrist ultrasound examination · report and images included
Book Your Wrist Scan
Call 0203 051 6506

CQC-registered clinic · Provider ID 1-2775844974 · HCPC-registered sonographers

30Minutes · Unhurried Examination
£169Report & Images Included
4.9 ★476 Google Reviews
0Radiation · Completely Safe
The Basics

What is a wrist ultrasound scan?

A wrist ultrasound examines the structures just beneath the skin: the median nerve as it enters the carpal tunnel, the tendon sheaths on the thumb side, any ganglion cyst, and the small joints and ligaments as far as they can be resolved.

It is well suited to the wrist because everything of interest is superficial, and because it works in motion — tendons can be watched gliding, which is how a triggering or catching problem is confirmed.

One thing it is not: a nerve conduction study. Those measure how well a nerve is working and grade severity; ultrasound shows what the nerve looks like. Surgeons usually want the conduction study before operating, and it is arranged through your GP.

Indications

Why might I need a wrist scan?

Numbness in the hand is not one condition. The median nerve, the ulnar nerve and the nerve roots in the neck each supply a different territory, and which fingers are affected usually points straight at the culprit. Thumb, index, middle and half the ring finger suggests carpal tunnel; the little finger suggests the ulnar nerve; a stripe down the arm with neck pain suggests the neck.

Getting that right matters, because a wrist splint does nothing for a problem coming from the neck. Where the picture is pain rather than numbness, tendon sheath irritation on the thumb side is the usual cause.

Person massaging their wrist at a desk before a musculoskeletal ultrasound scan

Common reasons to book

  • Numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worse at night
  • Shaking the hand to relieve tingling
  • Pain on the thumb side of the wrist, worse gripping or lifting
  • A firm lump on the back or front of the wrist
  • Weakness or dropping things
  • Uncertainty about whether symptoms come from the wrist or the neck
What we assess

  • Median nerve cross-sectional area at the carpal tunnel
  • Comparison with your other wrist
  • Tendon sheaths, including the thumb-side compartment
  • Ganglion cysts — measured and confirmed as simple fluid
  • Tenosynovitis and thickening
  • Ulnar nerve at the elbow where the pattern suggests it
Do not wait on constant numbness or weakness

Numbness that has become constant rather than intermittent, visible wasting of the muscle at the base of the thumb, or weakness dropping things should go to your GP promptly — nerve compression left long enough can leave lasting changes. Sudden numbness with weakness on one side of the body, or with face or speech changes, is a 999 call.

Suitability

Is this scan suitable for me?

A wrist ultrasound is a good fit if any of these sound like you:

  • ✓Your numbness affects the thumb side of the hand
  • ✓Symptoms wake you at night and shaking the hand helps
  • ✓You have pain on the thumb side of the wrist when gripping
  • ✓There is a lump you want identified
  • ✓A splint has not helped and you want to know why
  • ✓You want to know whether the problem is the wrist or the neck

And when it is not the right booking

You need severity graded before surgery — that is a nerve conduction study, arranged through your GP. We do not perform them.

You suspect a fracture or wrist arthritis — bone is an X-ray question, and we do not offer X-ray.

Numbness is constant with muscle wasting — see your GP promptly rather than booking a scan first — that combination needs assessment without delay.

Book your wrist scan — £169Not sure? Call 0203 051 6506

If a wrist ultrasound is not the right test for you, we will say so before you book — not after.

Your Appointment

What happens on the day

  1. 1
    Arrive — no preparation neededNothing to fast for. Short sleeves help. The appointment is 30 minutes.
  2. 2
    Tell us the patternWhich fingers, when it is worst, and whether anything relieves it. That shapes exactly what we examine.
  3. 3
    Scanning the nerveThe median nerve identified and its cross-sectional area measured at the carpal tunnel, where swelling typically appears.
  4. 4
    Tendons and lumpsTendon sheaths assessed and any lump characterised — ganglion cysts are confirmed as simple fluid rather than something solid.
  5. 5
    Comparison and, if needed, the elbowYour other wrist is usually scanned for comparison. If your pattern suggests the ulnar nerve, we assess it at the elbow too.
  6. 6
    Findings explained on screenYou see what we see during the scan, with the written report usually with you within two hours.
If your little finger is numb, the wrist is probably not the problem. Territory is the single most useful clue in a numb hand, and it is worth establishing before anyone fits a splint.
Clinical Education

Understanding the wrist and hand

Three sources of numbness, and how imaging tells them apart.

The median nerve

It passes through the carpal tunnel, a tight space bounded by bone and a thick ligament. Compressed there, it swells just before entering — a change ultrasound can measure directly and compare with your other side.

The tendon sheaths

Tendons run in lubricated sheaths. Irritated, those sheaths thicken and become painful, most commonly on the thumb side of the wrist and often after periods of repeated lifting.

What ultrasound adds

It finds the less common causes — a ganglion, thickened sheaths, or unusual anatomy crowding the tunnel — which change what treatment makes sense rather than simply confirming a diagnosis you already had.

Your Results

What your report might say

Normal nerve and tendonsA documented baseline. Where symptoms persist, it points attention elsewhere — often the neck, which needs a different assessment.

A swollen median nerve, or tenosynovitisThe commonest findings. Both are usually managed without surgery at first, with splinting and activity change, and the report gives your GP the detail to plan from.

A ganglion, crowding, or a finding needing a surgeonA cyst or other structure occupying the tunnel changes the options. It is stated plainly, measured, and written for a hand surgeon to act on.

Ultrasound supports the diagnosis; it does not grade it. Severity comes from nerve conduction studies, which surgeons generally want before operating. If that is the next step, the report says so.

See the nerve, not just the symptom

Median nerve measured at the wrist and compared with your other side, with tendon sheaths and any lump assessed — explained on screen as we scan.

Book Your Wrist Scan — £169Call 0203 051 6506
From Our Practice

How we scan wrists

Scanned by the person reporting it

The sonographer who scans you writes your report. Nothing goes to a remote reader.

Measured against your other side

A nerve measurement means far more compared with your own opposite wrist than against a textbook average.

Pattern-led examination

Tell us which fingers are affected and we examine accordingly — including the ulnar nerve at the elbow where that fits.

Clear about what comes next

Where nerve conduction studies or a surgical opinion are the right next step, the report says so plainly.

FAQs

Wrist ultrasound — your questions answered

Can ultrasound diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome?
It supports the diagnosis by showing swelling of the median nerve and ruling out other causes of crowding in the tunnel. The diagnosis itself is clinical, and nerve conduction studies grade severity — which surgeons usually want before operating.
Why is it worse at night?
Pressure inside the carpal tunnel rises when the wrist bends, and most people sleep with wrists curled. That is also why a neutral night splint often helps and is a reasonable first thing to try.
How do I know it is not coming from my neck?
Territory. Carpal tunnel affects the thumb side of the hand and spares the little finger; neck-related symptoms typically run as a stripe down the arm and often come with neck pain. If your little finger is numb, the wrist is probably not the problem.
Can you see a ganglion cyst?
Yes — ultrasound shows it clearly, measures it, and confirms it is simple fluid rather than something solid. That is often all anyone needs to know.
What is de Quervain’s?
Tendon sheath irritation on the thumb side of the wrist, causing pain rather than numbness. It is common after having a baby, and ultrasound shows the thickened sheath well.
Do I need surgery?
Many people improve with splinting and activity changes, particularly early on. Surgery is considered for persistent or severe cases, and that decision belongs with a hand surgeon — usually with nerve conduction studies in hand.
Do you do nerve conduction studies?
No. We provide diagnostic ultrasound only. Nerve conduction studies are arranged through your GP, and the two tests complement each other.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. You can book directly, and the report is written so your GP or a hand surgeon can act on it.
Will you inject the wrist?
No — we provide diagnostic imaging only. If the scan shows something an injection would help, the report gives your GP or specialist what they need.
When will I get my report?
Findings are explained on screen during the scan, and the written report is usually with you within two hours.
Related Services

Other MSK scans we offer

HandHand Ultrasound Scan

Trigger finger, tendon sheaths and lumps in the hand.

See the scan →
ElbowElbow Ultrasound Scan

Tennis elbow, golfers elbow and the ulnar nerve.

See the scan →
All MSKAll MSK Scans

The full range of musculoskeletal ultrasound we offer.

See scans →

Further reading: wrist pain and hand numbness and understanding your MSK report.

Location

Where can you get a wrist ultrasound in London?

Our clinic is at 5a Lucerne Mews, Kensington, London W8 4ED — a quiet mews three minutes on foot from Notting Hill Gate, serving Kensington, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Bayswater and central London.

Short-notice appointments are often available, including for people facing a long wait elsewhere. Call 0203 051 6506 for today’s availability.

Getting here

By tube: Notting Hill Gate — three minutes’ walk.

By bus: Routes along Notting Hill Gate and Kensington Church Street stop nearby.

By car: On-street parking nearby — full options in directions & parking.

Book Your Scan

Find out what is compressing what

Median nerve measured, tendon sheaths assessed and any lump identified in a 30-minute appointment — explained on screen as we scan, with your report usually within two hours.

Book Online0203 051 6506
£169
Wrist ultrasound scan · 30 minutes

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5a Lucerne Mews
Kensington, London W8 4ED
3 mins from Notting Hill Gate
CQC Registered
HCPC Sonographers
No GP Referral Needed
Report Within 2 Hours
No Radiation

Written and clinically reviewed by the HCPC-registered sonographers who perform this scan at IUS London — a CQC-registered diagnostic ultrasound clinic (Provider ID 1-2775844974). Your own findings are explained to you at the scan and set out in your report.

Author: Yianni Kiromitis, Senior Sonographer, HCPC RA38415 — over 20 years’ experience in NHS and private ultrasound · Reviewed 10 August 2026