Hand and Wrist Procedures

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive technique of visualizing the inside of a joint. Wrist arthroscopy allows the surgeon to diagnose and treat many problems of the wrist through a series of very small incisions. Because the incisions used with wrist arthroscopy are smaller and disrupt less soft tissue than conventional open surgery, pain, swelling and stiffness are minimized and recovery is often faster.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common, painful, progressive condition that is caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist area.
Common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include numbness and tingling sensation in all the fingers except the little finger; pain and burning sensation in hand and wrist that may radiate up the arm and elbow; and weakness in hand with diminished grip strength.

Joint replacement surgery in the wrist is less common but can be an option if you have painful arthritis that does not respond to other treatments. If the cartilage is worn away or damaged by injury, infection, or disease, the bones themselves will rub against each other, wearing out the ends of the bones. This causes a painful, arthritic condition.

Another part of our rehabilitation team is our Hand Therapy Program, staffed by our group of caring, skilled Certified Hand Therapist, Occupational Therapists, and Occupational Therapy Assistants. Our Hand Therapists work closely with your hand surgeons to help patients achieve greater freedom through the use of therapeutic rehabilitation specifically focused on the daily functions and activities of a patient’s life, including: occupation, lifestyle, and environment.

In a normal joint, bones have a smooth, glistening surface made of a substance called articular cartilage on their ends that allows one bone to glide easily against another.

Nerves are part of the "electrical wiring" system that carries messages between the brain and the rest of our body, including the hand and fingers. A ring of tissue covers the nerve, protecting it just like the insulation surrounding an electrical cable. Nerves are composed of many fibers, called axons, that are separated into bundles within the nerve.

Tendons are the tissues that connect muscles to bone. When our muscles contract, the tendons pull on bones, causing some parts of the body to move. The muscles that move the fingers and thumb are called the flexor muscles and are located in the forearm, above the wrist. Long tendons extend from the flexor muscles through the wrist and attach to the small bones of the fingers and thumb.