Not all problems treated by a hand surgeon need surgery. Hand surgeons often recommend nonsurgical treatments. These treatments for hand problems might include medication, splints, therapy or injections.
When hand surgery is necessary, Riverside orthopedic surgeons often use a minimally invasive procedure called arthroscopic surgery.
At Riverside, we treat a wide range of hand and wrist conditions, including:
Carpal or cubital tunnel syndrome happen when a nerve in your wrist or elbow is compressed by ligaments and other structures. As a result, you might experience pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hand.
Your fascia is a layer of connective tissue under your skin. If you have Dupuytren’s disease, the fascia of your palm becomes disorganized and tightens. This can cause painful or painless nodules in the palm, and in some people causes contractures of the fingers or thumb that prevent full extension. Most individuals have a connection to Northern Europe sometime in their ancestry.
If your fingers dynamically stick in a flexed position, then snap straight, you may have a trigger finger or trigger thumb. This condition can be painful, and even make it difficult to use your hands in your daily activities.
This condition causes wrist pain with repetitive activities using the thumb and wrist. It happens when two tendons controlling your thumb become inflamed and constricted.
Many sports put our fingers, thumb, and wrists at risk from extreme forces, impacts, or positions. Some sports cause injuries from repetitive actions or pressure on these structures. Hand surgeons treat a variety of injuries and overuse syndromes resulting from sports.
A fracture is a broken bone, which may be displaced (significantly shifted) or nondisplaced (“hairline fracture”). Broken bones in the hand, wrist and forearm are common injuries. They often happen when you put out your arm to catch yourself when you fall.
Nerve or tendon injuries anywhere from the elbow down can cause pain or weakness in your hand or wrist. You can lose the ability to feel or perform certain functions with your fingers, thumbs, or wrists. They might be caused by sports injuries, accidents, or wounds.
Tumors and cysts in the hand, wrist and forearm are typically not cancerous. However, they can cause pain, be unsightly, or make it difficult to use your hand or wrist during your daily activities.
Finger deformities can be caused by health conditions or by injuries. They may affect how your fingers bend or straighten.
Common hand and wrist surgeries we offer include:
When nerves in your hand or wrist are under pressure, it can cause severe pain and numbness. During nerve decompression surgery, hand surgeons may move a nerve or remove the ligaments or other structures pressing on the nerve. Once the nerve is free, pain, numbness and weakness improve or resolve.
Arthritis in a finger joint can prevent you from completing basic tasks. Our surgeons use arthroplasty to replace a damaged joint, relieve pain and restore function to your finger.
Some joints cannot be replaced with arthroplasty. Instead, surgeons may fuse the joint during arthrodesis surgery. Fusing the joint will keep it from moving, but it will also relieve pain.
The blood vessels and nerves in your hand are very small. So when they are damaged, our surgeons use tiny, specialized tools and a microscope to perform surgery and repair the injured structures.
Tendon repair fixes tendons that were cut or ruptured because of an injury. Our hand surgeons work closely with certified hand therapists to ensure you can regain function in your hand after your surgery.
Arthroscopic surgeries use a tiny, specialized camera and small tools to repair hand or wrist injuries and relieve pain. This minimally invasive surgery uses only short incisions, leading to a faster recovery.
Ligaments connect your bones together around your joints. It can be difficult to use certain joints if vital ligaments are damaged. Our hand surgeons can repair or reconstruct the ligament, to return you to your prior level or function, and avoid downstream complications like arthritis.
During joint resection, our surgeons remove a small portion of the bone in an area of thumb or wrist motion. Typically performed for arthritic conditions, this procedure relieves joint pain and restores range of motion and function.
If you cannot move your thumb, fingers, or wrist properly due to injuries or arthritic conditions, you might benefit from a tendon transfer. A tendon transfer uses expendable tendons taken from other areas of your body to replace damaged tendons and restore function to your hand.