If you have pain on the side of your wrist opposite your thumb, it’s called ulnar wrist pain. There are many things that can cause it, and there are several ways to treat it.

“Ulnar wrist pain is a small area from the pinky side of your hand. And it’s from this little knobbly bone called the ulnar to this area near the wrist,” says Dr. Sanj Kakar, a Mayo Clinic hand and wrist surgeon. “It’s very, very common.”

Ulnar wrist pain can occur after a fall onto an outstretched hand. But it also happens in people who play stickhandling sports, like tennis or hockey, and certain occupations that require lifting or using a repetitive motion in the wrist.