Hand Specialist for Treatment
Melbourne Arm Clinic has hand specialists available to diagnose and treat a range of hand health conditions. Whether you need a hand surgeon or general doctor, we may be able to connect you with a professional that can help.
Our orthopaedic surgeons are registered under the Australian Orthopaedic Association, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. They are well-versed in the many hand conditions a patient may suffer from and are prepared to offer a variety of treatments from carpal tunnel surgery to arthritis surgery.
Common Hand Conditions And Injuries
Because of how frequently the hand is used, this part of the body is regularly exposed to injury either through wear and tear or sudden trauma. Hand conditions and wrist problems can range from mild sprains to broken fingers and a loss in the ability to grip and lift objects. Hand injuries can also often involve damage to the nerves that impact muscle operation and sensitivity. The importance and fragility of hands makes it especially necessary to seek expert care when something is wrong.
Common hand injuries and conditions include:
- Hand tendonitis – Irritation or inflammation of tendons in the hand, causing pain and restriction in motion. Pain is more noticeable when trying to grip objects.
- Trigger finger – Narrowing of the space within a finger sheath that causes the finger to be stuck in a bent position. It can also occur in the thumb.
- Finger fractures – One or more bones in the finger are broken due to sudden impact, most often a fall onto an outstretched hand.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome – Compression of the hand’s median nerve that is typically associated with repetitive motion. It causes pain that worsens without treatment.
- Dupuytren’s contracture – A thickening of the fascia underneath the skin that causes fingers to be pulled towards the palm (contracture). It can vary in severity.
- Hand arthritis – Breakdown of the cartilage that separates the bones in the hand, causing them to rub together, causing pain and loss of function.
How We Diagnose Hand Injuries
Our hand surgeon has extensive experience in using X-rays as the main diagnostic tool for fractures and dislocations in the hand and wrist. Soft tissue problems can be diagnosed at the time of consultation. Sometimes CT scans or MRI scans are required to help in diagnosis or for operative planning.
Other means of diagnosing hand injuries include arthrography, bone scintigraphy, videofluoroscopy, electromyography, and ultrasound. Arthrography and bone scintigraphy involves the injection of dyes to allow doctors to observe the condition of joints, tissues and structures more easily.
What Treatment Can Our Hand Surgeon Give For Hand Injuries?
There are a variety of surgical and non-surgical treatment options for hand injuries. Non-surgical treatments include rest, application of ice, compression bandaging, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. More severe injuries may require the application of a brace, cast, or splint and physical hand therapy.
Surgical intervention may be necessary if these non-surgical treatments fail to provide adequate relief and restore hand function.
Melbourne arm clinic surgeons are able to perform:
- Reconstructive surgery
- Wrist surgery
- Joint replacement
- and many others
A combination of surgical and non-surgical treatment options may be required to get the best possible outcomes and fully restore function.
Types of Hand Surgery
Also called carpal tunnel release or carpal tunnel decompression, carpal tunnel surgery involves cutting the ligament around the carpal tunnel to relieve pressure from the median nerve. This surgery can either be performed open or arthroscopically.
Trigger finger release surgery, also called tenolysis, involves releasing the A1 pulley (a tubular sheath) that keeps the flexor tendon in place as the finger is moved. This release allows the flexor tendon to pass more easily through the sheath, removing the pressure that causes symptoms of trigger finger.
Finger arthritis surgery, called finger joint fusion, involves removing damaged ends of bone in a finger joint. This is followed by the installation of a prosthesis to reattach (fuse) the bones together.
Finger fracture fixation surgery involves the realignment of bones using wires, screws, or pins to put them back in the correct position. The surgery is performed under local anaesthesia, and a cast or splint is applied afterwards to ensure the bones heal correctly.
Dupuytren’s contracture surgery is known as a partial fasciectomy. The surgeon makes an incision in the hand and removes the thickened tissue to straighten out the affected fingers.
Several different procedures can be used to treat thumb arthritis. Bones in the joint can be fused together (this will limit movement, however). Another procedure involves removing the damaged part of the joint and reconstructing it with a prosthetic or tendon graft.
