Physicians
Top-Rated physicians specializing in the treatment of Hand and Wrist conditions:
The hand is a complex, intricate structure made up of 29 joints moved by 34 muscles, 123 named ligaments, 48 named nerves, and 30 named arteries and it is capable of both precise, delicate movements as well as forceful actions requiring great strength.
An injury to just one of these structures can have a profound impact on your daily activities, physical function and quality of life. The Hand Surgery team at Orthopedic Institute is made up of fellowship-trained hand surgeons and Certified Hand Therapists (CHTs) that specialize in treatment of the hand and wrist.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a compressed or pinched nerve in the wrist. The tendons that bend the thumb and fingers down run through this tunnel along with the median nerve which provides feeling to the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers.
Symptoms
- Numbness and tingling or a pins-and-needles sensation in the thumb and fingers.
- Sensation that the hand is falling asleep.
- Feeling that there is no blood flow to the hand or that the fingers are swollen or under pressure.
- Electrical sensation running up the arm or down into the fingers.
- Loss of sensation and difficulty picking up small objects.
- Weakness and frequently dropping things.
Thumb Arthritis
Our thumbs are critical to countless daily tasks and are often taken for granted until they are injured or begin to hurt. If you are having difficulty opening bottle caps, have pain with forceful pinching, are beginning to lose strength in you thumbs, or find yourself massaging the base of your thumbs at the end of the day, you may have thumb arthritis.
Symptoms
- Aching and occasionally sharp or throbbing pain at the base of the thumb
- Pain or weakness with forceful use of the thumb
- Stiffness or loss of motion at the base of the thumb
- Swelling or a bump on the back side of the thumb gradually develop over time
Wrist Fracture
If you missed the bottom step and went sprawling or you did not see the icy patch and ended up on the ground, you likely instinctively stretched out your hands to try and catch yourself or break your fall.
Symptoms
- Wrist fractures usually result in immediate pain, swelling, and bruising.
- The wrist may or may not look crooked or bent backwards depending on the severity of the injury.
- Weakness or inability to bear weight on the wrist or a sensation of the wrist giving way or buckling can result from a fracture.
Trigger Finger
Stenosing tenosynovitis, commonly known as trigger finger, is a condition of the tendons in the fingers and thumbs. The tendons are the cords that connect the muscles to the bones to move the fingers and thumbs. When they become irritated, they thicken and do not glide smoothly. This makes it difficult to bend or straighten the fingers.
Symptoms
- Pain and stiffness in the fingers
- Clicking or ratcheting sensation
- Popping coming from the joint or knuckle
Other Common Conditions Treated by Orthopedic Institute Hand Specialists
- Distal radius (wrist) fractures
- Scaphoid (wrist) fractures and nonunions
- Scapholunate (wrist) ligament injuries
- Ulnar-sided (pinky finger side) wrist pain
- Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) ligament injuries
- DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis (thumb side wrist pain)
- Wrist ganglion cysts
- Scapholunate advanced collapse (wrist) arthritis
- Hand and finger arthritis
- Hand and finger fractures and dislocations
- 5th metacarpal (boxer’s) fractures
- Thumb ligament injuries (skier’s thumb)
- Trigger fingers
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Hand and wrist tendon lacerations
- Nerve lacerations
- Artery lacerations
- Amputations
- Fingertip crush injuries and nail bed lacerations
- Hand and wrist infections (paronychia, felon, flexor tendon sheath infections, abscesses)
- Hand and wrist tumors
- Congenital hand reconstruction such as syndactyly or duplicate digits or congenital trigger thumb