Hand & wrist surgery

Considering the number of times your hands are used in the course of a normal day, it’s understandable that any pain you have in your hands or wrists can quickly become wearing. If you’re an active person, your pain may be preventing you from taking part in your favourite sport. Even a simple task like making a cup of tea can become challenging when coupled with debilitating pain and discomfort.

If you’re struggling with pain in your hands or wrists, this may sound all too familiar. When it reaches the point where you want to seek medical advice, you won’t want to wait weeks or months for answers. 

Fortunately, our dedicated Hand & Wrist consultants at The Park Hospital can see you for an examination promptly, providing an accurate diagnosis and starting you on a personalised treatment plan without delay. 

Each of your hands consists of 27 bones as well as numerous muscles, tendons and ligaments. With such complex and delicate anatomy, it’s no surprise that issues can often arise. 

Pain in the hands and wrists is quite common, especially as the natural wear and tear of joints becomes more apparent. Most people see our consultants because of pain in the hand or wrist, but there are other reasons to seek a consultation. Pins & needles/numbness alongside a nerve-type pain may need investigation. Similarly, a deformity like a finger being bent or curled may need to be explored. 

Conditions that often cause these symptoms include:

• Osteoarthritis – affects the wrist, fingers and thumb, with pain and/or stiffness gradually getting worse over time
• Carpal tunnel syndrome – occurs when the median nerve (one of three main nerves in your hands and arms) is pinched or compressed, leading to weakness, a tingling sensation in the hand and sometimes pain
• Ganglion – A build-up of fluid around your hand or wrist, causing swelling 
• Trigger Finger – occurs when a tendon becomes inflamed, causing it to become locked in a bent ‘trigger finger’ position   
• Dupuytren’s disease - a thickening of the layer that sits just under the skin.  

When you first meet with your consultant, they will take a medical history and talk with you about your symptoms. They will ask you some questions as they investigate the potential causes of your pain, like: 

• What symptoms have you been experiencing? 
• How long have you had these symptoms? 
• Have they become worse over time? 
• What type of pain is it?  
• Is the pain localised or does it spread up through your arm?

They will also perform a clinical examination of the affected area and ask you to perform some simple movements and tasks to demonstrate your symptoms. 

Additional investigations are sometimes needed to help with diagnosis. This will often start with an X-ray of your hand and wrist to show the bony structure of the hand and wrist. This can help exclude a problem with the bones if there are no abnormalities. Ultrasound can be useful for looking at structures closer to the skin while an MRI scan is helpful to visualise deeper structures. These can all be easily carried out on-site. 

Once a diagnosis has been confirmed, a treatment plan can then be introduced. This may include physiotherapy, bracing, steroid injection or, if necessary, an operation. 

If the cause is still unclear and the problem is coming from within a joint, your consultant may advise an arthroscopy (a form of keyhole surgery). This involves passing a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and light attached to it through a small cut in your wrist. This transmits a live feed to a screen, allowing your consultant to see directly inside the joint. This is a day case procedure with a rapid recovery time. 

Many hand and wrist conditions can be treated effectively with conservative (non-surgical) means. As an example, a severe sprain may take anywhere from 12-18 months to fully recover from. During this time, our experience physiotherapists would work closely with you, guiding you through a personalised rehabilitation programme to help maintain use of your hand. This would help you maintain your strength, flexibility and range of movement during the recovery period. 

By choosing to have your treatment with us, you’ll be able to take advantage of all these benefits: 

• Assessments ASAP – When hand or wrist pain is affecting your quality of life, you’ll want a diagnosis as soon as possible. By seeing patients rapidly, our consultants can quickly get you started on the right course of treatment. 
• Patient Satisfaction – We’ve been caring for people in the local area for nearly 40 years and are well known for the quality of our care. In an independent report, 98.8% of our patients said they were likely or highly likely to recommend The Park Hospital to their friends and family. We aim to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible, and these results are a reflection of our continued efforts to make this a reality for every person we treat. 
• Personalised care – We believe in a tailored approach to treatment and will ensure you always receive the best care, treatment and support for your particular circumstances and requirements. 
• A Multidisciplinary Approach – Our teams at The Park Hospital work in tandem with each other to provide you with the best possible care from start to finish. Working closely with physiotherapists, as well as a dedicated team of radiographers, anaesthetists, and nurses, you have support from medical professionals every step of the way during your treatment. 
• Convenient appointments – With appointments available throughout the week, you’ll be able to schedule an appointment for a time that suits your needs and availability.  
• Free Parking – We know that parking should be the least of your worries when attending hospital. Our 178-space car park is free of charge, meaning you won’t need to worry about where to park when you visit with us. 
• A private, quiet location – We’re ideally located with the hospital tucked away in a quiet, leafy woodland area on the Northern edge of Nottingham. 

If you’ve been struggling with significant hand and/or wrist pain, why not get in touch with us today to book a consultation? Our experienced consultants will organise the necessary diagnostic tests to investigate your symptoms, outline all treatment options for you promptly and arrange any further scans or surgery if required.  

For peace of mind and expert care you can depend on, contact The Park Hospital to book your appointment now.