Hand & Wrist Care

If you have pain in your hands or wrists, it can affect nearly everything you do on a daily basis. Your hands are an intricate network of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles.

The hand specialists at El Camino Health treat many common hand problems, as well as complex disorders that require advanced care. Depending on your condition, treatment can range from simple changes in your daily routine to physical therapy, medication or surgery.

Our team of orthopedic experts includes doctors with highly skilled training and specialization in delicate hand and wrist procedures. This training is in addition to their specialized skills in orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery or general surgery. Hand specialists use this focused expertise to help prevent, identify and treat a wide array of hand and wrist conditions.

Types of Hand Conditions

Your hand may be injured suddenly, such as after a car accident or from a workplace or sports injury. Injuries can cause ruptured ligaments, broken or dislocated bones and other trauma.

In other cases, hand injuries develop slowly due to overuse or repetitive motion. These types of injuries can happen to anyone who uses the same hand muscles repeatedly, such as computer users, musicians, technicians or amateur athletes. Typing on a computer keyboard or smartphone on a daily basis can increase your risk of developing a repetitive injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome, which involves compressed or irritated wrist nerves.

Some hand deformities are present at birth, such as a missing or partially formed finger (clubhand), failure of fingers to separate (syndactyly) or extra fingers (polydactyly). Other disorders can be due to hand diseases such as Dupuytren's contracture(thickened palm skin) or other diseases like diabetes or arthritis. Hormonal or metabolic changes — such as menopause, pregnancy or a thyroid imbalance — can cause joint pain or nerve irritation in your hands.

When to Seek Specialized Help

If you have an injury to your hand, wrist or arm injury or pain that doesn't go away despite rest or medication, seek medical help. Your doctor will assess the nature of your injury and determine the best treatment plan. Therapies could include medication, use of a splint or other supportive devices, cortisone injections to reduce swelling, or physical therapy.

At El Camino Health, our hand experts offer a variety of treatments for hand and wrist conditions, including:

• Arthritis
• Congential deformities
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Fractures
• Nerve and tendon injuries
• Sports injuries
• Tennis elbow or elbow pain
• Trigger finger, a condition in which your finger gets stuck in a bent position
• Wrist pain

Surgical Treatments

If nonsurgical treatments aren’t successful, your doctor may recommend surgery. He or she will evaluate your condition, health and other factors and consult with our team of experts to discuss treatment options.

Orthopedic surgeons at El Camino Health are skilled in a wide range of procedures, ranging from carpal tunnel surgery to tendon transfers, skin grafts and other advanced treatments.