Hand and wrist problems can derail your life. Einstein Center for Orthopaedic Sciences can help you get back on track. Our
hand surgeons understand how important your hands are. That’s why our hand doctors listen, treat you with respect and create
a treatment plan that will help provide relief and restore your ability to function. Click a link below to learn more about
treatment options for hand and wrist injuries at Einstein.
- Surgical Treatments
- Non-surgical Treatments
Surgical Treatments
When you need surgery, choose Einstein’s expert surgeons. With years of training and vast expertise in the latest and most
complex surgical techniques, our hand surgeons can ease pain, restore function and get your back to your life.
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive operation. Using pencil-sized instruments inserted through small incisions, your surgeon can see
inside your joint to diagnose and fix problems. Arthroscopy can help doctors diagnose and treat many problems including torn
cartilage, torn ligaments and joint instability. It can also help doctors decide if joint replacement is a good option for
you.
Limb replantation is the surgical reattachment of a finger, hand or arm that has been completely cut from the body.
Microsurgery is a surgical technique for operating on the smallest, most detailed structures in the body using specialized, tiny precision
instruments viewed through a microscope. Hand surgeons use microsurgery to reattach severed limbs or fingers, reconnect nerves,
and transfer tissue from one area of the body to the hand and wrist.
Nerve decompression is an operation in which hand surgeons make a short incision in your arm and open the “roof” of a nerve tunnel to give a
“pinched” nerve more room. Surgical decompression is usually recommended when splints have not helped, or if a patient is
experiencing severe muscle wasting. This surgery can be performed with as open surgery or less invasively through endoscopy
(using instruments inserted through small incisions). Nerve decompression is used to treat carpal tunnel syndrome as well
as ulnar and radial nerve compression syndromes.
Non-surgical Treatments
Many hand and wrist conditions can be treated without surgery. Click a link below to learn more about non-surgical treatment
options offered at Einstein.
Exercise helps strengthen muscles and improves blood flow, which can speed healing.
Injections of medication onto or near nerves can relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Medication can range from over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or Tylenol to prescription muscle relaxers and non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs. Medication’s role is to relieve pain and to reduce inflammation that can cause pain.
Physical therapy generally includes strength and flexibility training to help you regain movement or range of motion, pain relief and the
development of a home exercise program, under the guidance of a medical professional trained in physical medicine. Such a
program may include stretching, toning and strengthening components. Einstein’s partnership with MossRehab gives our patients
access to some of the world’s best diagnostic and rehabilitation resources.
Splinting means immobilizing a joint or injured part of the body. Splints are used to support a joint or fractured bone, relieve pain
and prevent muscles from contracting too much. Some splints help stretch muscles while patients rest. These devices are used
to treat broken bones, dislocations, arthritis, tendon and ligament problems and other disorders.
Ultrasound uses sound waves to apply deep heat to your hands and wrists. The sound waves penetrate deep into tissues, raising the temperature.
This rise increases blood flow, relaxes muscle spasms and speeds healing. Ultrasound is used to treat tendon and ligament
and muscle injuries, contracture and joint problems such as arthritis.
Reviewed for clinical accuracy by Gene W. Shaffer and Joseph N. Daniel, DO.
