Hand Treatments

Dupuytren’s contracture

Dupuytren’s contracture is a problem with the hand where the fingers bend toward the palm and cannot be fully straightened. The ring and the middle finger are often those affected with the middle finger less regularly. The condition progresses slowly and if more often than not painless.

Surgery is an effective and widely used treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture. The type of surgery that you have will depend on the severity of your contractures. The two most common procedures are:

• Fasciectomy - where the connective tissue is completely removed
• Fasciotomy - where the connective tissue is cut to relieve tension

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome’s main symptom is numbness of the thum, index, long and ring finger and often occurs at night. Pain is often severe.

Conservative treatments include use of night splints and corticosteroid injection. The only scientifically established disease modifying treatment is surgery to cut the transverse carpal ligament. If symptoms persist, there are a range of non-surgical and surgical treatments available that aim to relieve the pressure on the median nerve.

Trigger Finger

Trigger finger is a painful condition of the hand affecting the tendons.  When the finger or thumb is bent towards the palm, the tendon gets stuck and the finger clicks or locks and can affect one or more fingers. The symptoms can include pain, stiffness, clicking and a small lump of tissue at the base of the affected finger or thumb

In one in four people trigger finger will get better without treatment. In serious cases surgery is the only option and involves releasing the affected sheath to allow the tendon to move freely again. This is a relatively minor procedure that is generally used when other treatments have failed.