What conditions affect the hand and upper extremities?
Your body’s upper extremities include the hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Many conditions can affect these areas, but the most common are:
Arthritis
Arthritis is a degenerative condition. It causes joint inflammation and, depending on the kind you have, can lead to pain and stiffness in your hands, fingers, wrists, and elbows.
Fractures
A fracture is a bone break. Fractures can affect any part of your upper extremities, but they’re most common in the fingers, wrists, and forearms.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
The median nerve travels through a passageway in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. When this nerve is compressed or pinched, it causes pain, weakness, and tingling in the wrist and hands.
Tennis and golfer’s elbow
While tennis elbow affects the soft tissues on the outside of the elbow, golfer’s elbow causes pain on the inside of the elbow. Both conditions usually develop from repetitive stress and overuse.
Rotator cuff tear
The rotator cuff is the muscles and tendons surrounding your shoulder joint. Overuse of the shoulder can damage these soft tissues, causing pain when you move your arm or shoulder.
Bursitis
The bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion major joints in the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and other areas of your body responsible for repetitive motions. Bursitis is inflammation of the bursae, which can lead to pain and stiffness in your joints.
Ganglion cysts
Ganglion cysts are large growths that develop along the joints or tendons in the hands and wrists. While the cysts are not painful, they can irritate the surrounding nerves.
What are the most common nonsurgical treatments for the hand and upper extremities?
The orthopedic specialists at Hudson Valley Bone & Joint Surgeons offer several non-surgical treatments for the hands and upper extremities, including:
Injections
Corticosteroid injections are pain relievers that also reduce inflammation while your extremities heal from an injury or degenerative condition.
Regenerative medicine
Regenerative medicine treatments, like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and stem cell therapy, use growth factors found naturally in your body. These growth factors trigger your body’s natural healing response.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy is a non-invasive treatment that strengthens your muscles and improves your flexibility using stretches, rehabilitative exercise, massage therapy, and more.
What are the different kinds of hand and upper extremity surgery?
Common hand and upper extremity surgeries include:
Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery
Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery uses small surgical tools inserted through small incisions to repair the soft tissues that support the shoulder. It's minimally invasive, meaning the incisions are so small that you heal more quickly than you would after traditional open surgery.
Wrist and elbow arthroscopy
Wrist and elbow arthroscopy is a type of hand and upper extremity surgery. Like rotator cuff arthroscopy, this surgery uses small tools inserted through small incisions. Arthroscopic procedures cause less pain after surgery. You recover in a much shorter time than you would with traditional open surgery.
Endoscopic carpal tunnel release
An endoscope is a device with a tiny camera attached. During endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery, the team creates small incisions in your wrist and inserts the endoscope, along with special medical instruments. They remove any tissue pressing on the median nerve.
Tendon surgery
If you have tennis or golfer’s elbow, the team can do surgery to remove or repair the tendon causing you pain.
To schedule an appointment with the Hudson Valley Bone & Joint Surgeons, LLP team, call the office nearest you today or book your appointment online.
