Orthopedic Surgeons Help Ease Hand Pain

In southeastern Massachusetts, the skillful hands of employees in industries like commercial fishing and textiles help fuel our economy. Unfortunately, repetitive work can make people more prone to hand problems. In this area, some of the most common hand disorders and injuries are repetitive stress injuries, arthritis and wrist fractures.

Hand problems can often be effectively treated with conservative therapies like rest, medication, splinting, cortisone injections and physical therapy. But sometimes surgery is needed to ease pain and other symptoms and improve hand function. When an expert hand surgeon is what you’re looking for, Southcoast can help.

Many Southcoast orthopedic surgeons offer pain-relieving hand surgery, including orthopedic surgeons J. Mi Haisman, MD, and David Boland, MD, who have completed fellowships in hand surgery and orthopedic surgery and are certified subspecialists in the field.

Common hand disorders and injuries treated by Southcoast physicians include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome — a pinched median nerve at the wrist, which often causes numbness, tingling and pain in the arm, hand and fingers.
• Tendonitis — inflammation and swelling of tendons, which are strong tissue bands that attach muscle to bone. This condition causes pain and tenderness outside a joint.
• Trigger finger — inflammation of the tendons in the hand, which causes pain and the fingers to “lock.”
• Arthritis at the base of the thumb — degenerative arthritis that causes pain in this area of the hand.
• Wrist fractures — a broken wrist causes pain and swelling and limits hand and wrist function.

“We have the knowledge and resources to care for patients with many different hand problems,” said Dr. Haisman. “At the same time, we really tailor treatment to the individual. What’s best for each person depends on many factors, including his or her age, lifestyle, medical history and overall health.”

Dr. Haisman and Dr. Boland treat hand problems with both open surgery and minimally invasive techniques. Open surgery involves making an incision in the skin to directly reach parts of the body. Minimally invasive surgery, used at Southcoast to treat carpal tunnel syndrome and other disorders affecting the wrist, is performed with small incisions. Patients generally have less postoperative pain and return to normal activities faster.

“But no matter what technique we use, the goal of surgery is to relieve symptoms and improve function in the safest, most effective way,” Dr. Boland said.