What Conditions Affect the Hand and Wrist?
Your hand and wrist are made up of a complex system of nerves, ligaments, and bones that allow you to make a variety of movements. However, overuse of these components or direct injuries can result in chronic pain and disability.
The most common conditions that affect the hand and wrist include:
- Arthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Trigger finger
- Ganglion cysts
- Nerve damage
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
You may also have pain and other complications due to direct injuries to your hand or wrist, such as sprains, fractures, or breaks.
When is Hand or Wrist Surgery Right for Me?
You may want to consider surgical treatment for hand or wrist injuries when pain or dysfunction make it difficult for you to work or engage in your usual activities.
Your Commonwealth Orthopaedic Associates surgeon can determine if surgery is right for you based on your medical history and current condition. In some cases, you may need surgery right away to repair fractures or breaks in your wrist or hand to ensure the bones heal properly.
For degenerative conditions, like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, your surgeon may take a wait-and-see approach, monitoring your functionality and pain level before recommending surgery.
If you have chronic pain from nerve damage, such as with carpal tunnel syndrome, surgery may be the recommended treatment when other therapies aren’t relieving your symptoms.
What Types of Hand and Wrist Surgeries are Available?
The experienced surgeons at Commonwealth Orthopaedic Associates offer traditional open surgery and minimally invasive surgery to address common injuries of the hand and wrist.
With minimally invasive techniques, such as arthroscopic surgery, your surgeon only needs to make small incisions over the treatment area to relieve nerve compression or repair damage to your nerves or soft tissue. Smaller incisions mean a faster recovery time and less risk of scarring.
Following hand or wrist surgery, your surgeon provides you with complete aftercare instructions to ensure you heal correctly. They can discuss how much downtime you can expect depending on your specific type of surgery.
For many, physical therapy is the next step after surgery to help you regain full use of your hand or wrist. You may also need to do exercises at home to help strengthen the muscles surrounding your hand and wrist.
Learn more about available hand and wrist surgeries by scheduling a consultation online or by calling Commonwealth Orthopaedic Associates today.
*For more information on Hand & Wrist injuries, click here
