The Hand

An amputation is the removal, by accident or by surgery, of a body part. Amputations in the hand are commonly the result of a traumatic injury but may be the result of a planned operation to prevent the spread of disease in an infected finger or hand. Occasionally, traumatically-amputated fingers may be replanted (reattached). However, in many cases, reattachment of the amputated finger is not possible or advisable because a person may be more comfortable and have better function if the part is not reattached. This is due to risk that the reattached part could be chronically painful, stiff, and/or have an abnormal or absent feeling.

Replantation is the surgical reattachment of a finger, hand or arm that has been completely cut from a person’s body. The goal of this surgery is to give the patient back as much use of the injured area as possible.

A Boutonniere deformity can happen for several reasons. It can happen from a cut of the tendon on the back of the finger or the thumb. It can also be due to tearing or weakening of the same tendon due to an injury or from a disease like rheumatoid arthritis.

A boxer’s fracture is a fracture (broken bone) of the hand. More specifically, it is a fracture of the neck of the fifth metacarpal (a bone in the “pinky finger"). It is referred to as a boxer’s fracture because, most commonly, it occurs when people punch something.

Finger tip injuries are one of the more common injuries in the hand. The finger tips are exposed in many of our activities.

The bones of the hand serve as a framework. This framework supports the muscles that make the wrist and fingers move. When one of these hand bones is broken (fractured), it can prevent you from using the hand, wrist and fingers.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is essentially a pinched nerve in the wrist. There is a space in the wrist called the carpal tunnel where the median nerve and nine tendons pass from the forearm into the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when swelling in this tunnel puts pressure on the nerve.

Smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes and e-cigarettes have all been shown to negatively influence healing and worsen medical conditions in many parts of the body. This is due to nicotine, a chemical in these products. These effects can be seen in the hands and upper extremities.

Having cold hands at all times usually occurs due to decreased blood flow to the hands. Our bodies keep our hands warm primarily by regulating the blood flow that travels from the heart, down the arm, all the way to our fingertips. More blood to the hands means pink, warmer hands; less blood flow means colder and sometimes painful hands.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that involves pressure or stretching of the ulnar nerve (also known as the “funny bone” nerve), which can cause numbness or tingling in the ring and small fingers, pain in the forearm, and/or weakness in the hand.

Patients with de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis have painful tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. Tendons are the rope-like structures that the muscle uses to pull the bone. You can see them on the back of your hand when you straighten your fingers.

Dupuytren’s contracture is a disorder of the palm of the hand and fingers. In the normal hand there is a fibrous tissue called fascia. Fascia covers the important nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and tendons. Fascia also stabilizes the skin. In Dupuytren’s disease, this fascia can become abnormal. It becomes thicker, forming cords.

Frostbite is an injury caused by exposure to freezing temperatures. Before freezing, skin of the fingers and hands may become red, then pale and numb. This is due to the body’s attempt to keep the major organs warm by constricting the blood vessels in the limbs.

These common hand and finger exercises are typically recommended by a hand therapist or a hand surgeon. They may be helpful in recovering after surgery, to relieve pain or to regain mobility.

Hand cramps, sometimes referred to as writers’ cramps or musicians’ cramps, are types of nerve disorders. Unwanted movements (spasms) or muscle aches (cramps) of hand muscles may occur when writing or playing a musical instrument, although they may also occur during other specific, fastmoving hand tasks.

Hand infections are common. They can affect patients of all ages. There are multiple types and causes of infections. Therefore, the treatment of these infections varies. It is important to recognize that long-term complications from hand infections can occur.

A jammed finger is common in sports but may also occur during regular daily activities. Even if the injured finger looks normal and can move normally, it may require medical treatment.

A “jersey finger” refers to a rupture of the flexor tendon, which is the tendon that bends the fingertip down. Its name comes from football athletes who have gripped the jersey of an opposing player who is trying to get away.

Kienbock’s disease is also known as avascular necrosis (AVN) of the lunate. The lunate is one of the eight small bones in the wrist. In this condition, the lunate bone loses its blood supply, leading to death of the bone.

A mallet finger is a deformity of the finger. It occurs when the tendon that straightens the finger (the extensor tendon) is damaged at the fingertip.

Hand bones are called metacarpals. The finger bones are called phalanges. The metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP joint), or knuckle, is where the finger bones meet the hand bones. At the MCP joint, the fingers can move in multiple directions.

A nail bed injury can be very painful and prevent you from using your fingers; however, these injuries are treatable.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition with numbness in hands. However, it is not the only cause of hand numbness.

Arthritis—which literally means “inflamed joint”—can affect any joint in the body, including the joints between the 29 bones of the wrist, hand, and fingers. Arthritis of the hand can hurt and keep you from being able to do what you want or need to do.

A paraffin wax unit is a machine that heats and holds paraffin wax, a type of wax used for candles. The wax is intended to completely cover the hand (or other body parts such as the feet). Its warm temperature is meant to provide relief from arthritis pain, sore joints or sore muscles.

There are several types of arthritis. Some kinds of arthritis are caused by trauma or over-use. Rheumatoid arthritis is different. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by inflammation in the joint. This inflammation breaks down cartilage, which is the smooth lining of joints.

A sprain is an injury to a ligament, which is a soft tissue that connects bones to each other at joints.

The most common ligament to be injured in the thumb is the ulnar collateral ligament. This helps connect the thumb to the hand on the side near the index finger.

A variety of problems can cause stiff hands, limiting the use and function that we often take for granted. Stiffness can occur when there are problems within and around the structures of a joint, including ligaments and muscles.

In a swan neck deformity, the middle joint of a finger is extended (bent back) more than normal. The end joint is flexed (bent down).

Swollen fingers and general swelling in the hands and arms is common with many injuries and medical conditions. It is important to identify the cause so that appropriate treatment can be started, and complications can be avoided.

The hands, being composed of many types of tissue, including blood vessels, nerves, skin and skin-related tissues, bones, and muscles/tendons/ligaments, may show changes that reflect a disease that affects other parts of, or even the whole body (systemic disease).

The tendon is the strong cord at either end of a muscle that is attached to bone. Tendons, combined with their muscles, allow you to move your joints.

A joint is formed when two bones meet and articulate, which allows movement. Joints are lined with smooth cartilage that allows for the easy movement of one bone relative to another. Osteoarthritis, or degenerative arthritis, is a process that occurs with aging and describes the deterioration of the joint cartilage.

A trigger finger is a very common and treatable problem. It can occur in both fingers and the thumbs, which have tendons that help them to bend.

Warts are bumps on the skin and may feel rough to the touch. The technical name is verruca vulgaris. They appear in areas of skin that grow faster than normal due to a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV).