Helping Patients with Hand and Wrist Conditions
Colorado Orthopedic Consultants’ team of specialty-trained hand surgeons, hand-certified therapists and staff work are dedicated to helping our patients improve function, reduce pain so they can back to doing the things they need and enjoy.
Our doctors specializes in a wide variety of Hand and wrist arthroscopic surgical procedures. We’ve performed hundreds of hand and/or wrist surgical procedures to help our patients reduce pain, improve or regain the use of their fingers, wrist or hands.
The human hand is an intricate instrument that is both tough and delicate. Each hand contains 27 distinct bones that give the hand an incredible range and precision of motion. Its functions of sensations and motion allow us to experience and control the world around us.
The wrist is also called as carpus, a complex joint comprised of bones and joints, ligaments and tendons, nerves, blood vessels, and muscles that hold the bones together. A fibrous cartilage present between the radius and ulna (forearm bones of the hand) separates the radioulnar joint from the rest of the wrist. Wrist connects the forearm to the hand and allows it to move. Carpal tunnel is an opening in the wrist through which the nerves and blood vessels pass.
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Below are some common hand and wrist conditions we treat.
Hand and Wrist Conditons
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common hand problem resulting from pressure on the median nerve at the wrist. Symptoms, which are often worse at night, consist of numbness and/or pain in the wrist and fingers. Eventually there is loss of strength, fine motor control and sensation.
Early treatment consists of splinting and anti-inflammatory medication. If symptoms do not improve, an outpatient surgical procedure to relieve the pressure on the nerve is suggested.
Trigger Finger
The tendons of the thumb and each of the fingers pass through a sheath on the palm side of the hand. Certain diseases and overuse activities can cause a thickening of this sheath. As the tendon passes through a thickened sheath, the tendon eventually becomes irritated and swells. Pain, catching and eventually locking of the finger will occur. Early treatment consists of anti-inflammatory medication or Cortisone injection. If these fail to provide relief, the sheath is opened surgically through a small incision at the base of the finger.
Dupuytren’s Contracture
This disorder is a thickening of a ligament in the palm, resulting in nodules on the ligament which, if severe enough, can cause an inability to fully straighten the fingers. The ring and small fingers are the fingers most commonly involved.
The cause of this disorder is unknown. It is seen more commonly in men and is usually found in individuals of northern European extraction.
If deformity is mild and there is no functional loss, no surgery is needed. If, however, there is significant contracture that interferes with full use of the hand, surgical removal of a portion of the ligament is the treatment of choice to improve function and to prevent further deformity.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
Tendonitis on the thumb side of the wrist can be a very painful and disabling condition. Simple pinching and twisting activities can be almost impossible. The tendons to the thumb become inflamed as they pass under a ligament and the slightest motion of the wrist can cause pain.
Treatment consists of rest, medication and occasionally the use of a steroid injection. If these treatments do not provide relief over time, the tendons can be surgically released.
Arthroscopic Wrist Surgery
Colorado Orthopedic Consultants specialize in Arthroscopic Wrist Surgery which is a surgical procedure used to diagnose and treat problems inside a the hand or wrist. Arthroscopy utilizes a small fiber optic instrument called an arthroscope that enables the surgeon to see inside the joint without making large incisions into the muscle and tissue. Some of the common problems of the wrist which can be treated by arthroscopy include carpal tunnel syndrome (the nerves in the carpal tunnel are compressed), arthritis, bone fractures, dislocations, inflamed tendons and ligaments, ganglion cysts and chronic wrist pain.
