Hand Surgery

Are You Experiencing Hand Pain as a Result of a Sudden Slip, Twist or Previous Injury? Hand Surgery May Be the Solution to Regaining Your Mobility and Comfort.

The orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine experts at Westchester Sport and Spine are here to help you with your hand pain. With 40 years of combined experience diagnosing hand pain and treating hand injuries, the board certified specialists at Westchester Sport and Spine provide you with the highest level of care for surgical and non-surgical hand procedures.

About Hand Surgery

Hand surgery is a complex procedure that is not a typical first course of treatment for patients. At Westchester Sport and Spine, we understand that your hands are immensely important for work, recreation, and athletics. Preserving movement, comfort, and dexterity is a top priority for us.

Many people injure their hands through sports activity or sudden accidents. Other times, aging can make bones more prone to injury, while repetitive motion can often lead to chronic pain.

During your appointment with a Westchester Sport and Spine expert, you will receive a diagnosis and treatment plan that can include corticosteroids, anti-inflammatories, physical or occupational therapy, and hand surgery.

Common Types of Hand Surgery

Depending on your condition or injury, your Westchester Sport and Spine surgeon may recommend a hand surgery to preserve the comfort and function of your hand. Though there are many types of hand surgery, a few of the most common types are:

Joint replacement

Joint replacement surgery in the hand is a final resort to help patients with advanced arthritis. If a joint has been severely affected by arthritis, it may be replaced with a metal, plastic, silicone, or a tendon harvested from elsewhere in your body.

Recovery from joint replacement in your hand requires physical therapy and around three months before you can comfortably move your hand.

Tendon Repairs

Whether you’ve experienced a slip and fall, sports injury, or accident, it’s possible to tear or sever the tendons in your hand.

Since tendons attach muscle to bone, repairing damaged tendons is extremely important to maintain a healthy range of motion and dexterity in your hand.

Depending on the severity of your injury, your orthopedic specialist will determine the right amount of time for your surgery to be scheduled in. In some cases, a primary repair procedure will be completed soon after the injury. Other options include a delayed repair, which can happen a few days after the injury, or a secondary repair procedure that is scheduled a few weeks after the injury.

Closed Reduction and Fixation

Sometimes, broken fingers or bones in the hand can be treated with splinting and more conservative measures. However, there are many cases where the best course of action is to perform a surgical repair.

During a closed reduction and fixation, the bone is aligned and stabilized to promote proper healing. Bones can be immobilized in the right position with wires, splits, and casts to hold them together securely.

Recovery from this type of hand surgery is anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, with splinting, casts, and physical therapy often being used during the recovery period.

Nerve Repair

There are  many different reasons that a nerve repair surgery may have to be performed on your hand. In some cases, and accident may have occurred where the nerve was impinged or severed.

Following your diagnosis, your Westchester Sport and Spine surgeon will determine the appropriate timeline for your hand surgery. Sometimes, surgery is performed right away while others procedures are performed 3-6 weeks following the injury.

After a damaged nerve is repaired, your doctor may schedule you for a course of physical and occupational therapy to retain movement in your hand.

Fasciotomy

Some injuries may cause swelling and reduce blood flow to a certain area in your hand. A fasciotomy is a type of hand surgery where your surgeon will open the area to reduce the swelling and pressure.While the hand is open, any damaged areas may be removed to prevent complications or long-standing damage.

Replantation

In some cases, a finger has been completely severed from the hand. This is a serious situation that requires hand surgery to reattach the digit through a surgery called replantation.

Your hand surgeon at Westchester Sport and Spine will examine the finger and your hand to determine if it can be reattached. If it can, a highly complex type of hand surgery called mircosurgery to reattach all of the nerve endings and muscles that allow your fingers to move.

Depending on the severity of the case, there many need to be more than one surgery to restore as much function as possible.

Common Hand Conditions that may Require Surgery

There are many reasons someone would need hand surgery, especially after all other conservative treatment options have been explored. However, an evaluation from a specialized hand surgeon is the best way to discover the root of your problem and find out if hand surgery may be an option for you.

Some common conditions that require hand surgery include:

  • Arthritis
  • Lacerations
  • Crush Injuries
  • Broken Bones
  • Torn Tendons
  • Impinged, Damaged, or Severed nerves
  • DeQuervain’s Disease.
  • Dupuytren’s Contracture.
  • Hand Cysts or Tumors.

Recovering from Hand Surgery

During your one-on-one appointment with a Westchester Sport and Spine orthopedic specialist, you will receive a treatment plan complete with information about recovery. You will also be able to ask any questions and received detailed answers about what you can expect before, during, and after the procedure.

In many cases, recovery from hand surgery spans between 1 to 6 months – depending on the severity of your injury and the complexity of the surgery.

Call Us Immediately

If you experience the following symptoms following hand surgery please call the orthopedic doctors and specialists at Westchester Sport and Spine immediately and then ask someone to drive you to our clinic if:

  • Your hand appears deformed
  • Inability to use your hand or extend your fingers
  • Intense pain
  • Sudden swelling