Describes the different options and treatments for amputations, including prosthetics.
Bites are extremely common and can cause significant pain and other problems, especially when associated with an infection. Early recognition of warning signs and appropriate treatment are key in minimizing potential problems from the bite.
The most common symptom of thumb basal joint arthritis is a deep, aching pain at the base of the thumb. The pain is often worsened with activities that involve pinch, including opening jars, turning door knobs or keys, and writing.
The large joints in the hand at the base of each finger are known as the metacarpophalangeal (MP, or MCP) joints. They act as complex hinge joints and are important for both power grip and pinch activities.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease in which the cushioning cartilage that covers the bone surfaces at the joints begins to wear out.
Arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis affects the cells that line and normally lubricate the joints (synovial tissue). This is a systemic condition (can affect the whole body), which means that it may affect multiple joints, usually on both sides of the body.
The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that originate near the neck and shoulder. These nerves begin at the spinal cord in the neck and control the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
Most broken arms are caused by trauma to that extremity. This can be a low-energy mechanism like a fall or a high-energy injury like a motor vehicle crash. Sporting injuries are also common causes for a broken arm.
When the skin comes in contact with something hot, it may be damaged, with death of cells in the skin. The depth of the injury depends on the intensity of the heat and the length of time that it is applied.
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition brought on by increased pressure on the median nerve at the wrist. In effect, it is a pinched nerve at the wrist.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that is believed to be the result of dysfunction in the central or peripheral nervous systems.
Congenital abnormalities (also called congenital anomalies) of the upper extremity are differences from normal that are present at birth.
Cubital tunnel syndrome is a condition brought on by increased pressure on the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as cubicle tunnel syndrome.
ASSH feels that the diagnoses of CTD and RSI are not appropriate and may actually lead the patient to believe that he or she has a condition that is something more than the ordinary aches and pains of life.
Dupuytren’s disease is an abnormal thickening of the fascia (the tissue just beneath the skin of the palm). It often starts with firm lumps in the palm.
Extensor tendons, located on the back of the hand and fingers, allow you to straighten your fingers and thumb.
Fingertip injuries are one of the more common injuries in the hand. The fingertips are exposed in many of our activities.
The muscles that bend or flex the fingers are called flexor muscles. These flexor muscles move the fingers through cord-like extensions called tendons, which connect the muscles to bone.
Ganglion cysts are very common lumps within the hand and wrist that occur adjacent to joints or tendons.
Golf Injuries to the Hand, Wrist or Elbow
For most golfers, the hand and/or wrist is the third most common body region injured, after the back and elbow. The wrist is injured 3 times more frequently than the hand.
Gout and pseudogout—calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD)—are two types of crystalline arthropathies which are disease processes that cause sore joints because salt crystals have formed in the joint.
Any abnormal lump or bump is considered a tumor. A tumor can also be referred to as a “mass." The term “tumor” does not necessarily mean it is malignant or it is a cancer.
A fracture occurs when enough force is applied to a bone to break it. When this happens, there is pain, swelling, and decreased use of the injured part. Many people think that a fracture is different from a break, but they are the same.
Hand infections can cause severe problems that persist even after the infection has resolved, such as stiffness, loss of strength, and even loss of tissues such as skin, nerve and even bone.
Hand Therapy is a type of rehabilitation performed by an occupational or physical therapist on patients with conditions affecting the hands and upper extremities.
The abnormal bone and lining structures of the involved joint are removed surgically, and new parts are inserted in their places.
Mallet Finger (Baseball Finger)
A mallet finger is a deformity of the finger caused when the tendon that straightens your finger (extensor tendon) is damaged.
Injuries to the nail are often associated with damage to other structures that are in the same location.
Nerves are fragile and can be damaged by pressure, stretching, or cutting. Pressure or stretching injuries can cause the fibers carrying the information to break and stop the nerve from working, without disrupting the insulating cover.
Although carpal tunnel syndrome is common, it is not the only cause of numbness, tingling, and pain in the forearm and hand.
Power saws are extremely useful tools, enabling all types of materials to be cut and shaped. However, they also have the potential to cause serious hand injuries. The hands are used to guide pieces into the saw, and thus they can be vulnerable.
Psoriasis is a skin disease in which patients have dry, red and scaly skin rashes that can occur on any part of the body. Between 5-20% of patients with psoriasis may develop an associated arthritis.
“Replantation” refers to the surgical reattachment of a finger, hand, or arm that has been completely cut from a person’s body. The goal of replantation surgery is to give the patient back as much use of the injured area as possible.
Skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular winter sports. Injuries to the upper extremity occur in a relatively predictable pattern. Fortunately, there are some ways to help decrease the chance for injury.
Snowblower and Lawnmower Injuries
Snowblower and lawnmower injuries are seasonal injuries that can cause severe damage to the hands.
Steroid injections are commonly used to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions of the upper extremity. Examples of these include trigger fingers, De Quervain’s tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tennis elbow, and rotator cuff tendonitis
Normal joints have considerable motion, enabling us to perform many different activities with our hands. A variety of problems can cause stiffness in the hand, limiting the use and function that we often take for granted.
Because the hand contains structures from the skin, muscular, skeletal, circulatory, and nervous systems, it often provides clues to diseases which are yet to be diagnosed in other parts of the body.
Tendon transfer surgery is a type of hand surgery that is performed in order to improve lost hand function.
Most cold hand diseases occur because of blood flow to your hands. In any of these cases the most important step you can take toward better hand health is to be examined by a hand specialist.
A sprain is an injury to a ligament. Ligaments are the connective tissues that connect bones to bones across a joint.
Stenosing tenosynovitis, commonly known as “trigger finger” or “trigger thumb”, involves the pulleys and tendons in the hand that bend the fingers.
Vascular disorders of the upper-extremity are uncommon, but ones that may have lasting implications.