When Is It Necessary to Get Hand Surgery?

The hand and wrist consist of complex structures that allow us to lift objects, type, grip, push, and perform everyday activities with ease. Hence, hand and wrist conditions that cause pain or any kind of disability can severely disrupt and affect your daily life.

Most of the time, a hand injury is caused by repetitive stress and overuse, which can lead to damage to the bones, joints, and connective tissue structures in and around the hand. Consequently, this damage can lead to chronic pain and discomfort, and even disability of the hand and fingers.

Reasons to Have Hand Surgery

Most hand and wrist problems won’t need surgery to treat successfully. However, your doctor may recommend it for one or more of the following reasons:

  • Hand function and mobility are severely affected
  • Symptoms are painful and impact your daily life
  • You have not responded well to other treatments, such as medication, splinting, and physical therapy

Common Hand and Wrist Conditions that Require Surgery

Your doctor may determine that it is essential to perform a surgical repair in order to ensure that no further complications or infections will occur to the hand and wrist area. The following are three of the most frequently performed hand and wrist surgeries:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that affects the hand and wrist. This occurs when compression impacts the median nerve, which runs from your upper arm down through the wrist to most of the fingers in that hand.

When this nerve is compressed or entrapped, the hand cannot function properly. Its symptoms include pain, numbness, and a tingling sensation in the wrist, fingers, and arm, causing difficulty in manipulating the hand.

Injured Nerve

An injured nerve that serves the hand is not able to transmit nerve signals from the hand to the brain. Therefore, this injury inhibits sensation and movement. This can be a result of pressure, cuts, crush injuries, or other physical trauma that can damage the hand nerves.

Wrist Fracture

A broken wrist commonly results from falling with an outstretched hand to break your fall. The most frequently broken bone in the wrist is the scaphoid, which is a small bone located adjacent to the bottom of your thumb.

Scaphoid fractures are commonly mistaken as a sprain, because the symptoms can be minimal. It may require casting or surgery, depending on the location and severity of the breakage.

Hand and Wrist Care in Maryland

Here at Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland, we have a team of board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons who have extensive training in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of hand and wrist conditions. Our hand and wrist specialists will help you recover and get back to your daily routine with our conservative treatments, on-site diagnostic imaging, nerve assessment services, and state-of-the-art surgery if warranted.

To schedule a consultation, contact us today by calling us at (410) 644-1880 or toll-free at (855) 4MD-BONE (463-2663). You can also request an appointment via our online form now. We look forward to helping you get your hand back and working again!