Hand Surgery

Generally, the hand surgery treatment starts with a thorough assessment of the cause of the injury to establish a diagnosis. This will help determine the best approach to do to treat the injury or damage. Then, medications are administered to help you relax during the process. This can include local anesthesia, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia depending on the surgery to be performed. Your doctor will recommend the best choice for you.

Some hand surgeries are performed through a scope where a small incision is made and a tiny camera is inserted to better see the inside of the wrist and its small nerves. Or a traditional open approach can be done to allow your surgeon to work directly inside your hand or wrist.

Here are the common types of hand conditions that can be effectively treated with hand surgery and how the treatment is performed:

1.     Skin grafts and flaps

Grafts involve attaching a healthy skin to a part of the hand missing any skin while flaps involve taking skin with intact blood supply system for placement on the area of the hand without skin. These are used for fingertip amputations or injuries.

2.     Carpal tunnel syndrome

This is one of the most common hand surgeries that treats compression on the median nerve and tendons to relieve pressure and alleviate pain or discomfort.

3.     Dupuytren’s contracture

This is a hand deformity that usually develops over many years and while it is painless, the thick ands of tissue that curl toward the palm as manifested in this disease can make it hard to hold objects. Surgery is done to release the bands and restore movement. Then, skin grafts are used if large tissues are removed.

4.     Trigger finger

Often accompanied by a lump on the palm, swelling, and pain, this results in difficulty in straightening the fingers. To treat, a tiny incision is made on the palm so the tendons can slide smoothly and the fingers can be straightened.

5.     Tendon repair

This is a difficult surgery involving the tendon, which is the connection of muscles to bones. This may occur due to infection, trauma, or sudden rupture. Treatment may range from primary repair which is done within 24 hours of injury, delayed primary repair which is done few days after the injury while there is opening in the skin, and secondary repair which is done 2 to 5 weeks after the injury.

6.     Nerve repair

This is done by reattaching severed nerve or using a nerve graft to damage any section of the hand or wrist nerves. This should restore sensitivity and movement on the hands.

7.     Closed reduction and fixation

This is a treatment for bone fractures or broken bones in the part of the hand and fingers. The broken bones will be realigned and stabilized with wires, rods, splints, and casts to heal it.

8.     Surgical drainage or debridement

As a treatment for infection, this is done by surgically draining an abscess to remove the pooling of pus. This stops the infection from getting worse and promotes healing.

9.     Arthroplasty

Also known as joint replacement, this is a treatment for people with severe arthritis. In this procedure, a worn out or malfunctioning natural joint is replaced with the use of an artificial joint that can be made out of metal, plastic, silicone, rubber, or the patient’s own body tissue such as tendon.