HAND SURGERY

HAND SURGERY

Hand surgery covers diverse types of operations. Surgeons who perform hand surgery attempt to rehabilitate finger and finger functions. But hand surgeons try to make the hand look as normal as possible, as well. Through hand reconstructive surgery, surgeons try to make the hands look as normal as possible. 

Our hands serve many purposes and help to do many activities like eating, dressing, writing, earning a living, creating art. To execute these activities and tasks, our hands need movement and sensation, such as joint movement, tendon gliding, and muscle-flexing.

When a problem occurs in the hand, proper care must be applied to all the distinct types of tissues that make the hand function properly.

The hand is a special area of the human body that is composed of bone, ligaments, joints, tendons, muscles, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. These components must all be in good shape for the hand to function properly.

The connection between all these components is vital, delicate, and refined. An injury or disease may affect any or all of these components and harm the functionality of the hand.

TYPES

There are various types of surgeries that can be done on the hand. It depends on the latent causes of the complication. These procedures include:

  • Skin grafts for the hand include replacement or attaching skin on the missing skin of the hand. This procedure is frequently executed for injuries or amputations of fingertips. Skin grafts are performed by segmenting a piece of healthy skin from another area of the body and attaching it to the damaged or infected part.
  • Skin flaps are similar to skin grafts that also includes taking skin from another part of the body. However, this surgery uses skin retaining its blood supply. That’s because the part of the skin used comprises the underlying blood vessels, muscles, and fats. Flaps may be applied when the parts of the missing skin do not have a good supply of blood. It may be due to the location, injury to the vessels, or substantial tissue damage.
  • Closed reduction and fixation may be done when there is a broken bone or fracture in the hands, including the fingers. This type of procedure restructures the fractured bone and then clasp it in place, or inactivate it, while it mends. Internal fixtures, such as wires, rods, splints, and casts are incorporated. 

Fibers that join muscle to bone are called tendons. Repairing the tendon in the hands is a complicated surgery because of its structure. Injuries in the tendons may come from infection, trauma, or fracture. 

An injury may harm the nerves in the hands. It can be a reason for loss of hand function and feeling in the hand. Some nerve injuries may mend on their own, but some require surgery. To repair the nerve damage, surgery is done about 3 to 6 weeks after the injury. It is the best time for nerve repairs that are associated with other severe injuries.

In cases where the nerve damage is not associated with more complex injuries, surgeons monitor the damaged nerve soon after the injury. It improves the high chance of recovery. If the nerve is damaged or severed, it may be repaired by reattaching it to the other part of the nerve or a nerve graft may be executed. It requires replacement of the damaged nerve with nerves taken from other parts of the body.

Risks of Hand Surgery 

Most operations involve the danger of anesthesia and bleeding. Additional risks related to surgery rest  on the type of surgery to be done and may include:

  • Infection or inflammation
  • Incomplete healing 
  • Loss of sense of touch or movement of the hand or fingers
  • Blood clots may develop

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