Condition Treated & Surgeries
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which the median nerve is compressed creating discomfort, pain, numbness, and weakness in the hand, wrist, and arm. To treat this condition, carpal tunnel surgery is performed by a surgeon who makes a small incision in the palm over the carpal tunnel ligament and cuts it to relieve pressure on the nerve.
The upper extremities have different types of tendons: finger extensors & flexors, thumb and wrist tendons. Tendons are attached to the muscles and, when these contract, move the bones attached to them, creating movement. When problems such as tendon laceration, tendonitis, inflammation of a tendon, and tenosynovitis occur, surgery might be needed to regain movement.
Hand rheumatoid arthritis develops when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your hands and fingers, causing inflammation, discomfort, and pain. Different surgeries can be performed to improve hand rheumatoid arthritis based on the patient’s needs. One main key to success is to implement treatment early on to avoid affecting hand function.
Stenosing tenosynovitis, aka trigger finger, is a condition where a band of tissue holding the tendon to the finger bone becomes inflamed, causing stiffness and pain. Trigger finger release surgery consists in making a small cut in the tissue over the tendon to allow it to move freely again without pain.
Dupuytren’s contracture is caused by the fascia (layer of tissue underneath the skin) thickening, affecting mobility of the fingers. To treat this condition, a Dupuytren's contracture surgery is performed. The surgeon makes a cut in your hand to remove the thickened tissue.
De Quervain's Tenosynovitis is a painful swelling of the thumb tendons that run along the wrist. A surgery called De Quervain’s release is needed to treat this condition. It consists in releasing the tendon covering (sheath) to relieve pressure and friction.
Joint replacement in the hand and/or fingers can help improve arthritis or damaged joints by providing pain relief, motion range, and overall function. Joint replacement surgery involves replacing your current joint with an artificial one.
Nerves are present all over the body, especially in the hand and fingers. Nerve repair surgery can help restore sensation, movement, and overall hand and finger function. The surgery involves microsurgical techniques to reconnect damaged nerve ends.
Laceration, crushed fingers, open fractures, loss of fingers, work-related injuries, nerve damage, tendon damage, mangled hand, hand injections and more can be treated by surgery. Surgery can improve or even fix the problems. Based on each individual need and condition, multiple surgeries can be needed.
Often suggested for fingertip injuries and amputations, this procedure is done by replacing the skin on the injured area with healthy skin taken from another area of the body.
Skin flaps are often used to replace extensively damaged tissue in the hand with healthy skin from another part of the body. This time, however, blood vessels, fat, and muscles underneath the skin are included to ensure that there is enough blood supply to the new skin.
Tendons connect bones and muscles. They can be damaged due to trauma or infection. Tendon repair is further subcategorized into three types:
Primary – Performed within 24 hours after the injury.
Delayed primary – Done several days after the injury as long as the wound is not yet healed.
Secondary – May be done two weeks after the injury or even later and may include tendon grafts and other complex procedures.
Hand tendon transfer surgery moves a working tendon and muscle to replace a non-working one. Dr. Askari makes an incision in the area of concern, finds an extra donor tendon with muscle, moves it, and sews it in place.
Hand tendon transfer surgery moves a working tendon and muscle to replace a non-working one. Dr. Askari makes an incision in the area of concern, finds an extra donor tendon with muscle, moves it, and sews it in place.
When nerves in the hands are injured, this can lead to loss of sensation and function. While some mild nerve injuries can heal on their own, more severe cases need surgery at least 3–6 weeks after the injury. This surgery may entail reattaching one end of a severed nerve to the other end or replacing the damaged nerve with a healthy nerve from another body part (nerve graft).
This surgery is the only effective way to treat acute compartment syndrome. It is done by cutting the fascia to relieve tension and bring back circulation to the affected area.
These types of surgeries are usually used to fight bone, joint infection, or abscesses. The goal is to remove any debris, and/or clear out infections by irrigating, draining, or surgically removing it.
Also known as arthroplasty, this procedure is performed on patients with severe osteoarthritis. The damaged joint is replaced with a prosthetic or artificial joint made of plastic, silicone rubber, or metal.
This surgical procedure aims to reattach a severed part of the hand and restore as much function as possible. This often includes microvascular surgery, which is performed through a microscope to reconnect nerves and blood vessels and restore blood supply to the amputated body part before tissue death begins.
Nail repair surgery is performed to recreate the nail bed. It involves numbing the area and removing the nail. Dissolvable stitches can be needed in certain cases. The goal is to provide a new path for the new nail to follow.
The length of the recovery period differs per patient. It may depend on the condition, the treatment, and the patient's adherence to the prescribed therapeutic regimen. Patients who underwent a carpal tunnel release can fully recover within a few weeks to months. For more complicated conditions, the recovery period may take longer, from several months to a year. In cases of severe traumatic injuries to the hand, restoration of complete normal function may be challenging, and in some cases, no longer possible.
Whether you need hand surgery or not will depend on your specific condition. As such, you should first seek a consultation with a qualified hand surgeon. If you are considered to be a good surgical candidate, then a surgery date will be scheduled. Surgery can be performed upon people of any age and gender. Additionally, the ideal surgical candidate should be someone who:
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