If your hand is impaired in any way, surgery may improve your condition. This type of very specialized surgery can treat diseases that cause pain and impair the strength, function and flexibility of your wrist and fingers. Surgery seeks to restore to near normal the function of fingers and hands injured by trauma or to correct abnormalities that were present at birth. Specifically, hand surgery can treat:Carpal tunnel syndrome – a condition caused by pressure to the median nerve within the wrist, or carpal tunnel. You might feel pain, a tingling sensation, numbness of the fingers, weakness or aching. Carpal tunnel syndrome is associated with multiple conditions including: repetitive motion or overuse, fluid retention during pregnancy, injury to the nerve in the carpal tunnel or rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis – a disabling disease that can cause severe inflammation in any joint of the body. In the hand, it can deform fingers and impair movement.
Dupuytren's contracture – a disabling hand disorder in which thick, scar-like tissue bands form within the palm and may extend into the fingers. It can cause restricted movement, bending the fingers into an abnormal position.
Recovery
After surgery, bandages or dressings may be applied to keep the surgical site clean and splints may be used when needed.
Results
The final outcome of your hand surgery will develop over time. While advances in hand surgery can accomplish near miracles in reconstruction and replantation, your outcome cannot be fully predicted.
If you had surgery to correct carpal tunnel syndrome, modifying work habits as recommended is vital to long-term improvement. Your final outcome may not be realized for several months. If your procedure involved microsurgery, a year is considered appropriate to fully reach restored function.
