Hand Surgery

What Is Hand Surgery?

Your hands serve many purposes. They help you do just about everything in your daily life, including eat, dress, drive, write, work, create art, use tools, and many other activities. Your hands need sensation and the ability to move to accomplish these tasks, including joint movement, tendon gliding, and muscle contractions. When a problem occurs in your hand, hand surgery considers all the different types of tissues that make the function of the hand possible.

Conditions Hand Surgery Can Treat

Here are some of the most common conditions hand surgery can correct:

Carpal tunnel syndrome

A condition caused by pressure to the median nerve within the wrist, or carpal tunnel. You might feel pain, a tingling sensation, numbness of the fingers, weakness, or aching. Carpal tunnel syndrome is associated with multiple conditions including repetitive motion or overuse, fluid retention during pregnancy, injury to the nerve in the carpal tunnel, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis

A disabling disease that can cause severe inflammation in any joint of the body. In the hand, it can deform fingers, cause pain, and impair movement.

Dupuytren’s contracture

This is a disabling hand disorder in which thick, scar-like tissue forms within the palm and may extend into the fingers. It can cause restricted movement and bend your fingers into abnormal positions.

Trigger finger

The medical term for the trigger finger is stenosing tenosynovitis. It may also be called “trigger thumb” if your thumb is involved. The tendons that bend your fingers glide using pulleys, which hold tendons close to finger bones. When the pulley becomes too thick, the tendon can no longer glide easily as it’s supposed to. Trigger fingers are more common with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and diabetes. Repetitive motions and strong gripping actions may also lead to this condition but, in most cases, the cause of the trigger finger is unknown.

Hand surgery encompasses surgical and non-surgical treatment of conditions in the hand or upper extremity, including injury and infection. Dr. Kressel actively sees and treats patients with acute, congenital, and acquired hand conditions and injuries. Hand injuries often occur after regular hours and he can meet patients of any age either in his office or the hospital emergency room. He recommends hand surgery for:

Acute-emergent conditions

• Tendon laceration
• Bone fracture, broken bones
• Cut nerves
• Fingertip injuries, including nail bed and amputation

Congenital conditions

• Extra digits
• Syndactyly (fingers joined from birth)
• Band syndrome-constricted extremities

Acquired conditions

• Ganglion cysts
• Trigger finger
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Hand numbness