NORTHEAST GEORGIA HAND

Northeast Georgia

Hand Surgery

Introducing a new division of Northeast Georgia Plastic Surgery

...dedicated entirely to hand surgery

Hand Surgery In North Georgia

Our surgeons treat a wide variety of conditions that affect the upper extremity including, but not limited to traumatic injuries, arthritis, overuse injuries related to sports or job-related activities, and nerve compressions.

Treatment options involve nonoperative as well as operative management, based on the condition being treated, as well as each patient’s individualized goals and wishes.

Hand Surgery Conditions

Hand surgery may be indicated for the following conditions and symptoms.

Injury

Hand deformities or birth defects

Nerve compression causing numbness and/or weakness

Infections

Degenerative changes or repetitive use

Disease that damages hand structure, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

WHAT DOES HAND SURGERY INCLUDE?

Hand surgery is a broad term and includes a variety of procedures to address injury, deformity, pain, inflammation, numbness, stiffness and other conditions. Common surgery types include carpal tunnel release, trigger finger release, Dupuytren's contracture correction, finger joint replacement, hand or wrist joint fusions, repair of fractures, skin grafts, wrist arthroscopy, and nerve and tendon repair.

Types Of Hand Surgery

Bone, Tendon, & Nerve Repair

Accidents, sports injuries, infections or even repetitive use can cause damage to hands requiring surgical repair of the bones, tendons, and nerves. This could include stabilizing fractures and repairing or grafting nerves or tendons. Dr. Emily Schaheen, MD, PhD specializes in hand and upper extremity surgery, notably microsurgery of nerves and blood vessels, and treats injuries to the hand/fingers, wrist, and elbow.

As one of the most common and widely known hand conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that occurs when pressure on the median nerve and flexor tendons that run through the carpal tunnel of the wrist to the fingers. When the median nerve is compressed, blood flow to the nerve decreases, and patients experience numbness and/or an uncomfortable “pins and needles” sensation in the fingers. When activity modification and wrist bracing do not provide lasting relief, more invasive options including steroid injections or carpal tunnel surgery may be needed to decrease the pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel to improve blood flow and restore function.

Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Trigger Finger Surgery

Trigger finger results from a mismatch in size between the flexor tendons to the fingers and the sheath that surrounds them, preventing the tendons from sliding smoothly. The tendon catches and prevents the fingers from extending, sometimes keeping them locked in a bent position. This results in pain and decreased function. Often, trigger finger develops when inflammation narrows the space within the sheath that surrounds the tendon. The condition can affect any finger, including the thumb. If rest, stretching, splinting and steroid injections are unsuccessful, surgery may be needed. Surgery for trigger finger widens the sheath through a tiny incision on the palm so that the tendons can slide smoothly, thus eliminating pain and catching.

Arthritis of the small joints in the fingers is a very common and often debilitating condition that many suffer from. This can develop as a result of injury, overuse, inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and gout, and genetic predisposition. Nonoperative treatment options include anti-inflammatory medications (oral and topical), splinting, activity avoidance, and steroid injections. If these options fail to provide relief and function is limited, surgery may be an option. The MCP and PIP joints of the fingers (the two joints closest to the hand) may be replaced with artificial joints, much like knee and hip replacements, to eliminate pain and restore function. When the finger joints closest to the tips of the fingers become severely arthritis, they often lose range of motion and become quite painful. The surgery of choice for arthritis of these joints is fusion, which eliminates the pain and provides stability to the tip of the finger.

Finger Joint Replacement

Wrist Arthritis Treatment

Loss of cartilage between the small bones that make up the wrist can result from injury, inflammatory conditions, genetic predisposition, or ligament injury that causes the bones to move in an unsynchronized fashion. When there is a lack of cartilage, the bones rub together which creates pain and inflammation, which leads to loss of function. Nonoperative management involves activity modification, bracing, steroid injections, and stretching. If these options do not provide sufficient relief, surgery may be indicated. Surgical options depend on how severe the arthritis is, and which bones are involved. They include partial and complete wrist fusions and arthroplasty for the thumb CMC (base) joint.

When injury or amputation removes skin from part of the hand, or a patient undergoes a procedure to remove a portion of skin such as with skin cancer excisions, a skin graft or flap may be indicated. Skin grafts use donor skin from another part of the patient’s body, while flaps are used in areas that need additional blood supply to support the transfer. Flaps may include skin, underlying blood vessels, fat and/or muscles, depending on the clinical situation.

Skin Grafts and Skin Flaps

Surgical Debridement or Drainage Due To Infections

Treatment for hand infections can include nonoperative treatment measures such as soapy soaks and antibiotics. However, in some cases, surgery is necessary to remove the infection if it is trapped and not accessible to the antibiotics or soaks. Surgery may involve releasing the trapped infection and washing the area thoroughly. In severe cases, debridement may be necessary to remove contaminated or dead tissue from the wound in order to promote healing and prevent further infection.

The Importance Of A Board-Certified Surgeon For Successful Hand Surgeries

Successful hand surgery demands advanced understanding of the anatomy, ongoing research of the best and safest options for treatment, mechanical precision in the operating room, and surgical finesse to successfully treat the condition and restore function to the patient. Additionally, having a connection with and trusting your surgeon leads to an optimal therapeutic environment that ultimately results in the best outcomes. Treatments should be individualized, and having a surgeon who listens to your concerns and creates a plan to address them is of utmost importance to ensure that each patient receives the best possible care.

Dr. Emily Schaheen holds doctorate degrees in both medicine and engineering, and has conducted pioneering research in bone tissue engineering which prompted her career in medicine. She also prides herself on maximizing patients’ understanding of their treatment options so that she can work with the patient to ensure that the best decisions for each individual are selected throughout their care.

With this unique perspective and experience, Dr. Schaheen treats conditions that affect the fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow. She has a special interest in the treatment of arthritic conditions, and is skilled in microsurgical techniques to treat nerve injuries and neurovascular conditions as well as wrist arthroscopy for sports-related conditions. Additionally, she and her partners welcome traumatic injuries as well, and are happy to work patients into clinic ASAP to provide timely and compassionate care.

Dr. Emily Schaheen, MD, PhD is a fellowship-trained and ABOS board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who has published numerous articles in bioengineering and orthopaedic surgery, and has authored chapters in textbooks of hand surgery.

For more information regarding the importance of selecting a board-certified hand surgeon, please click the link below:

mycertifiedorthopaedicsurgeon.org.