What You Should Know Before Undergoing Hand Surgery

Hand surgery is performed on a wide variety of patients who require care for one, two or even multiple areas of the hands. The most common reason for a hand surgery is trauma or injury to the hand. Other causes of hand surgery include nerve damage due to diseases like Parkinson's, or being born with a hand that will grow faster than normal. Problems with the hand can also occur from repetitive motions associated with occupations such as typing on a keyboard or playing a musical instrument. Hand surgery is also needed for conditions that are caused by disorders of the nervous system like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and tumors.

Hand surgery generally involves the performing of procedures in which the surgeon opens the fingers and removes part or all of the skin along with the tendons and ligaments that surround the bones. Anesthetic may be used in hand surgery, but it is not usually a requirement unless the patient is a smoker. Non-surgical anesthetics can be used; however, smoking impairs the effectiveness of the drugs and anesthetics, so it is strongly recommended that they are not used. General anesthesia is often used and is given by an anesthesiologist in a surgical unit.

The major benefit of having hand surgery is that patients can be treated more rapidly and more accurately. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the portion of the finger that has been damaged or cut. Suturing the wounds and applying a dressing will follow this step. Many times, it will only take several sutures to close the cut, but it may take more than a dozen to completely close the wound. The stitches will usually be removed after about twenty days, although some surgeons allow them to stay on for a week or two before removing them.

The surgeon then removes the excess tissue and muscle from around the injured area. This creates a smaller wound, which is less susceptible to infections. After hand surgery, your doctor will most likely give you pain medications to help you get through the discomfort. Sometimes splints or splinting tapes are also used to keep your fingers immobilized.

The most common complications from hand surgery include infection, bleeding, nerve damage, and necrosis (wasting of the tissue). These complications are rare but can occur if the surgeon does not do enough to protect your fingers. Infection can come from one of several sources, including a blood clot, an infection caused by foreign material that enters the wound, or even a bacterial infection. In either case, the infection can spread to other fingers, toes, and joints. If the infection spreads to the rest of your body, you may develop sepsis (a life-threatening blood infection).

Most of these complications will heal themselves, although there may be some discomfort. If an infection spreads to other parts of your body, you'll need to seek treatment from a medical professional. Nerve damage from a hand surgery usually won't result in death, but it can cause permanent nerve damage. necrosis occurs when your hand dies because of the loss of skin, tissue, or muscle. Most people who undergo general surgery suffer from a loss of function for a few weeks.

Because plastic surgeons perform hand surgery to reattach bones, nerves, and tendons that have been lost due to injury or disease, they are known as orthopedic surgeons. You may have seen pictures on television of plastic surgeons performing major hand surgeries. These images are remarkable, but they are not real-life patients. Orthopedic surgeons receive special training from board-certified doctors who specialize in treating sports players, paralyzed patients, and people with other serious medical conditions. Since their patients are sick and injured everyday, orthopedic surgeons are aware of all the possible dangers.

Generally, all plastic surgeries are performed under local anesthetic. This means you will feel some discomfort after the first few hours, but this usually passes. Anesthesia is important, but it is not the only factor in hand surgery. Good plastic surgeons use non-general anesthesia, which allows them to perform the surgery without causing numbness or limiting blood flow to the area.