HAND

SURGERY

What is Hand surgery?

The human hand consists of the wrist, palm, fingers and thumbs. The fingers contain some of the densest areas of nerve endings in the body, and are the richest source of tactile feedback in addition to being responsible for grip, touch, precise movement, maneuvering and in most cases, a form of communication.

 

Hand surgery is a specialised field of plastic surgery focussed on treating diseases and injury that limit function, flexibility, cause pain or limit the strength, mobility and function of the hand.

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Hand surgery can treat traumatic hand injuries, acute burns and chronic burn scarring, Duyputren’s Contracture (the abnormal thickening and tightening of the normally elastic tissue beneath the skin of the palm and fingers), trigger-finger (local swelling from inflammation or scarring of the tendon sheath around the tendons that normally pull the affected finger inward toward the palm) and tendon entrapment (snapping or locking of the thumb or fingers), traumatic amputation requiring emergency replantation and total thumb reconstruction using microsurgical toe-to-thumb reconstruction.

 

What can I expect?

After an injury to the hand, diseases or birth defects of the hand, or following chronic wear and tear, surgery may be needed to restore the appearance and function of the hand. Occupational hand therapy and hand physiotherapy along with specialised wound care nursing will form an integral part of your care after hand surgery.

 

How is the surgery performed?

Hand surgery is performed under general- or local anaesthetic, depending of the length and complexity of the surgery.