Hand and Wrist Care

Hand and Wrist Treatment and Recovery

We individualize the treatment plan to your needs to provide the best care possible for you. Our goal is always to provide treatment that balances the fastest recovery possible with our patients’ overall health and wellbeing.

Our most common hand and wrist procedures include:

• Trigger finger release
• Carpal tunnel release
• Thumb basilar (CMC) joint arthroplasty
• Fracture management
• Tendonitis surgery
• Dupuytren’s contracture release
• Ganglion cyst excision
• Wrist arthroscopy

Why Choose Our Hand and Wrist Experts?

We approach hand and wrist care with this mindset, customizing our treatment plan to you. Because we believe this is how to provide the best care possible. That’s what you deserve.

We offer:

• Expert care provided by fellowship-trained hand and upper extremity surgeons
• Outpatient surgical procedures with minimal time in a hospital
• Minimally-invasive surgery for a faster recovery
• Wide-awake local anesthesia, a convenient alternative to general anesthesia and sedation
• On-site therapy for a seamless patient experience

What Do the Hand and Wrist Do?

The hand has a complex structure that allows for a wide range of motion. Its functions include grasp and pinch. The wrist helps us flex and extend the hand and rotate the forearm.

Muscles and tendons control the movement, precision, and power of the hand and wrist. These include:

• The flexor group which controls the bending of the fingers and wrist
• The extensor group allows the hand to open up
• Small muscles in the hand which allow for precise movement

The sense of touch in your hand comes from two main nerves:

• Median nerve
• Ulnar nerve

An injury to either your hand or wrist can greatly impact your quality of life. Given that the hand alone consists of 27 bones in addition to muscles, tendons, and nerves, hand injuries are common.

Hand and Wrist Procedures

We routinely perform several hand and wrist procedures at The Orthopedic Clinic, including:

Trigger Finger Release

We make a small incision to open the pulley at the base of the finger so the tendon can move more freely. This is a minimally-invasive surgery, typically performed as an outpatient procedure. The advantages of our approach include:

• Less time spent in the hospital
• The option of wide awake local anesthesia instead of sedation

Carpal Tunnel Release

A small incision is made at the palm, and the ligament forming the roof of the carpal tunnel is released. This relieves pressure on the median nerve. This is a minimally-invasive surgery, typically performed as an outpatient procedure. The advantages of our approach include:

• Less time spent in the hospital
• Wide awake local anesthesia instead of sedation
• On-site post-surgery physical therapy
• Physical therapists who work closely with the surgeon

Thumb Basilar (CMC) Joint Arthroplasty

Reconstruction of the arthritic thumb CMC joint is performed by replacing the trapezium with nearby tendons to create a sling suspension. This is typically performed as an outpatient procedure with regional (block) anesthesia. The advantages of our approach include:

• Less time spent in the hospital
• Hand therapists who work closely with the surgeon

Fracture Management

We offer comprehensive trauma care of the upper extremity, including treatment for distal radius and scaphoid fractures and finger fractures and dislocations. Conservative and surgical approaches are utilized, depending on the injury. Our goal is to restore the bony anatomy in order to regain function of the hand and wrist.

Tendonitis Surgery

Our surgical approach is specific to the tendons involved in the condition. Conditions may include lateral epicondylitis, or De Quervain’s tenosynovitis at the wrist. Surgery is typically performed as an outpatient procedure. The advantages of our approach include:

• Less time spent in the hospital
• Wide awake local anesthesia instead of sedation
• On-site post-operative therapy
• Hand therapists who work closely with the surgeon

Dupuytren’s Contracture

Management of Dupuytren contracture is aimed at regaining hand function rather than curing the disease. Non-surgical options include Xiaflex injections, performed in the clinic. We also perform subtotal palmar fasciectomy. This is the surgical removal of the palmar fascia, which causes the contracture. We tailor our treatment plan to the patient’s needs.

Ganglion Cyst Excision

In this procedure, we remove the ganglion cyst as well as part of the joint capsule or tendon sheath because this is considered the origin of the ganglion. This is typically performed as an outpatient procedure. Cysts in the fingers can be excised with a local anesthetic. The advantages of our approach include:

• Less time spent in the hospital
• Wide awake local anesthesia instead of sedation

Wrist Arthroscopy

We insert a small camera into the wrist joint to evaluate and treat conditions such as ligament tears, fractures, an synovitis. This is a minimally-invasive surgery, typically performed as an outpatient procedure. The advantages of our approach include:

• Less time spent in the hospital
• Wide awake local anesthesia instead of sedation
• Hand therapists who work closely with the surgeon