The most common hand surgery procedures are those done to repair injured hands, including injuries to the tendons, nerves, blood vessels, joints, fractured bones, burns, cuts and other injuries to the skin. Modern techniques have greatly improved our ability to restore function and appearance, even in severe injuries. Fingertip injuries are extremely common.
Repairs often require local flaps or skin grafts and can usually be carried out in the office under local anesthesia.
Techniques used include:
- Grafting: This technique involves the transfer of skin, bone, nerves or other tissue from a healthy part of the body to repair the injured part.
- Flap Surgery: This technique involves moving the skin along with its underlying fat, blood vessels and muscle from a healthy part of the body to the injured site.
- Hand Therapy: After repair, the injured structures are splinted to protect the repairs. Stiffness forms and therapy is crucial to restoring motion. A trained hand therapist knows when to start motion and knows how aggressive they can be without disrupting the repair.