Hand Surgery
Hand function can be impaired by nerve damage, leading to ongoing difficulties in holding items, or restricted natural motions along with pain or discomfort. The conditions that can impact hand function include:
Brachial Plexus: Peripheral nerve surgery may be required to restore hand function when affected by damage to the nerve bundle at the shoulder.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: Restricted elbow movement, along with atrophied hand muscles, numbness, or other symptom can be treated with microsurgery to treat the condition.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: When the wrist motion is restricted due to nerve damage, it may require surgical intervention to restore natural motion.
How can hand nerve damage be repaired?
If you are struggling with nerve damage to your hands, it affects every area of your life. To determine the most effective treatment requires diagnosing the underlying cause of the condition. At University Plastic Surgeons, we offer some of the most advanced hand surgery Memphis can provide, for patients with various hand nerve conditions. The repair of the nerves may be required, which can be performed with microvascular surgery if this is indicated as being the most effective treatment.
What is hand microsurgery?
When the nerves that send signals to the hand to complete motions are damaged, it may require microsurgery to restore or improve motion and control or reduce pain. Hand microsurgery may be the necessary to bring you relief. This advanced surgical technique addresses tiny blood vessels and nerves that have been damaged due to injury or a health condition. Treating the condition successfully often involves specialists from several disciplines, one of the advantages of undergoing treatment at University Plastic Surgeons.
Why choose University Plastic Surgeons for hand nerve repair?
Treatment to restore nerves in the hands has made significant advances in recent years. At University Plastic Surgeons, each of our surgical team is not only an acclaimed professional in his or her field of practice, but a professor at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. We are proud to offer our patients the most advanced techniques for hand nerve repair. You can be confident that you will be under the care of surgeons who are highly-respected in their fields of practice, and ahead of the curve in the latest developments in hand nerve treatments.
What is hand surgery like?
Every patient has a unique condition, age, and rate of recovery. When nerves have been damaged due to trauma or a health condition, and then repaired with advanced microvascular surgery, the nerves take time to regenerate and heal. The surgery itself may require many hours to perform, and involves the use of a powerful medical microscope, and specialized surgical tools. Once the nerves are repaired through microsurgery, it may require several months before natural motion is restored.
Recovery from hand surgery – what should I expect?
The type of treatment will impact how long it will require for your hand to heal. When you come in for carpal tunnel treatment in Memphis, you may experience some pain and discomfort, treated with prescription pain medication. Your hand will be immobilized in a splint or bandage and may require keeping it immobile for several months during sleeping hours to speed healing.
You may require rehabilitation as part of your recovery process, with hand exercises, heat therapy, massage, and nerve stimulation treatments. Once we have diagnosed your condition, a customized treatment plan will be established. We can answer all of your questions and concerns so you are fully informed about what to expect in surgery and recovery.
Hand nerve anatomy
The nerves are made of specialized cells called neurons, which transmit messages from your brain to the hand. The hand nerves include:
Radial nerve: This nerve supplies sensation on the back of your hand, near the thumb. If it is damaged, you will be less able to grasp items.
Ulnar nerve: This nerve supplies sensation to part of your ring finger, the little finger, and the side of your hand location by the little finger, allowing you to move fingers together and apart, bend fingers, and move the thumb back to your hand— vital motions for holding objects or finer hand motions.
Median nerve: This nerve sends messages from thumb, index finger, middle finger, part of the ring finger, and the palm of your hand, and allows you to move the thumb away from the hand. The muscle structure involved in these motions is called the thenar muscles, which are vital in allowing you to grasp and hold objects.
Damage to any of these nerves will impact your ability to pick up, hold, or manipulate objects with your hands. To resolve hand nerve damage, a full evaluation of the condition of these three nerves will reveal the underlying cause of the problem. A treatment plan can then be established by our team of medical professionals at University Plastic Surgeons in Memphis.