Hand Surgery
Reconstructive hand surgery can repair birth defects and other deformities in the hands caused by trauma or injury. Birth defects like webbed or fused fingers, extra or missing fingers, as well as conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome can be corrected with hand surgery. Bone and skin injuries, as well as damage to blood vessels, joints, tendons and nerves in the hand are also treated with reconstructive hand surgery.
Who Is a Candidate for Hand Surgery?
Like most reconstructive surgery procedures, hand surgery can be performed on patients of nearly any age in order to restore function to damaged, deformed or injured hands. Adults who spend a lot of time working at computers commonly undergo hand surgery to alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, such as tingling, numbness or aching in the thumb, index finger and middle finger. Hand surgery may also improve the appearance of the hands as a result of correcting deformity, however this is a secondary goal.
How is Hand Surgery Performed?
Hand surgery may involve a variety of reconstructive surgical techniques, depending on the problem you need to correct. Grafting and flap surgery involve moving bone, skin, fat, muscle, blood vessels and/or nerves from a healthy body area (donor site) to the hands for reconstruction, whereas replantation or transplantation restores fingers or hands that have been severed or accidentally amputated. To correct conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis, tissue that inflames the joints or aggravates nerves may be removed.
Before your hand surgery procedure, Dr. Wittpenn will give you complete information and aftercare instructions, as well as discuss any necessary follow-up procedures or stages of hand surgery you’ll need. Rehabilitation is also a very important part of recovery after hand surgery, so be sure to follow all physical therapy instructions as well.
Contact New Horizons Plastic Surgery
If you’ve suffered a debilitating hand injury or wish to correct a birth defect that affects your hands or your child’s hands, contact New Horizons Plastic Surgery at (936) 564-3744 to schedule a consultation or get more information about hand surgery. Dr. Gregory Wittpenn is an expert Nacogdoches hand surgeon who proudly serves hand surgery patients from Lufkin, Longview, Tyler and Huntsville, Texas, as well as Shreveport, Louisiana.