Get Pain Relief From an NYC Hand Surgeon

We Offer Comprehensive Treatment for Complex Hand Conditions

No matter your age or what you do for a living, you use your hands throughout each day. When something goes wrong with your hand or wrist, this can seriously interfere with your regular activities. Because the structure of the hand is so complex, it’s important to seek expert care when pursuing treatment.

The NYC hand surgeons at Rothman Orthopedic Institute provide a range of treatments and advice on comprehensive management of complex and painful hand disorders. Our doctors have subspecialty training in their area of practice, which allows them to offer targeted, evidence-based treatment.

Prevention Tips for Healthy Hands

The challenges of modern living can put extra pressure on the hands and wrists. By taking preventative measures, you can protect this highly intricate yet vulnerable part of the body from being injured.

• Ergonomic equipment
  If you use a computer for your work, consider investing in a vertical mouse, which puts less pressure on delicate hand tissues by keeping your hand in a more natural position. Split ergonomic keyboards have also been helpful to many people because they allow the hands to rest in a straight position while typing.

• Hand stretches
  There are several basic stretches you can use to keep your hands limber and pain-free. One of the best ways to avoid developing carpal tunnel syndrome is to maintain flexibility of the wrists. In one exercise, you hold your arm out in front of you with the palms facing down. With your other hand, gently bend the outstretched hand at the wrist to experience a light stretch at the top of your wrist. A physical therapist can show you proper technique and other appropriate exercises to promote hand health.

Common Disorders of the Hand and Wrist

Ligament Injuries

Ligaments are tough connective fibers that attach one bone to another. They maintain the stability and balance of the wrist. An injured or torn ligament will present symptoms similar to those of other hand injuries, including pain, swelling, bruising, and discoloration. Treatment for ligament injuries may vary depending on the severity of the damage. A minor problem can be treated with a splint as the wrist recovers. But when a tear has affected the alignment of the joint, several surgical options are available:

• Pinning/repair: When a ligament tear is recognized within a few weeks of the injury, a hand surgeon will stabilize the bones during healing with metal pins. Once the ligament has healed, the pins are removed.

• Arthroscopy: This minimally-invasive procedure is used to repair ligaments in the wrist without necessitating large incisions into the tissue.

Trigger Finger

This condition typically affects the ring finger and thumb, but it can occur in other fingers as well. Patients may experience pain, stiffness, and a locking sensation when bending the finger. Trigger finger is caused by an inflammation of the tendon sheath, where bands of tissue hold the tendons to the finger bones. In severe cases, the finger can lock and remain in the same bent position.

Conservative methods such as rest, splinting, exercises, medications, are often effective in treating trigger finger. Tenosynovectomy is a surgical treatment used to release the tissues blocking the movement of the tendon.

Wrist Tendonitis

Many people will suffer from tendonitis in the hand or wrist at some point in their lives, often as a result of overuse. Swelling of the tendons can cause pain, tenderness, and irritation. Most cases of tendonitis will improve with rest, ice, pain relievers, and sometimes, steroid injections. Surgery is only recommended when other treatment methods have failed to modify symptoms significantly. The procedure involves releasing the tight tendon sheath so that the tendon can move more freely.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This common condition occurs when a major nerve in the hand becomes compressed due to the swelling of nearby tissues. These tissues, called the synovium, normally lubricate the tendons so that the fingers can move freely. But when the synovium becomes inflamed, that puts pressure on the nerves running down the wrist. Typical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, numbness, and hand weakness.

Like the above conditions, non-surgical treatments are often sufficient for successful treatment. Physical therapy is an essential treatment strategy, with many patients benefiting from nerve gliding exercises that facilitate greater mobility in the median nerve.

In cases when orthopaedic surgery is needed, carpal tunnel release is a procedure used to relieve pressure on the nerve by removing part of the ligament in the nerve tunnel. The surgery provides relief to patients with severe nerve compression by increasing the size of the nerve tunnel.

See the Top Doctors at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute

Our board-certified hand surgeons in NYC offer evidence-based treatment for injuries to the hand and wrist. Whether you’ve recently begun to experience pain or your condition has persisted for months, the hand surgeons at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute can help. The great news is that most people will improve from these conditions with conservative treatment methods. Should you need surgery, you will receive excellent care from our expert surgeons. To learn more, please visit us here or contact us at 1-800-321-9999.