Orthopedic Surgeon Frisco TX: 3 Most Common Types Of Hand Problems

If you’ve suffered trauma or damage related to overuse to one or both of your hands, you know how difficult it is to try to live your everyday life without full hand function.  Performing tasks like dressing, eating and writing require sensation and movement in both the joints and the muscles of the hands.  When any of these tasks becomes impossible, you must seek the help of an orthopedic surgeon in Frisco TX.  An orthopedic surgeon can evaluate, diagnose and treat your hand problem using minimally-invasive techniques that can get you back to using your hands without pain and without limitations.

Although there are a number of problems that can occur to the human hand, wrist and related structures, like fractures and cuts, these are the three that an orthopedic surgeon in Frisco TX sees most frequently:

1. Arthritis.  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive and disabling disease that causes inflammation of the joints.  While RA can affect every joint of the body, it’s effects are most obvious in the hand, where it often deforms the finger joints, forcing fingers into awkward positions that are painful and limit the usefulness of the hands.  The disease can often be managed without surgery with the use of splints, steroid injections and anti-inflammatory medications; but it can also be dealt with surgically in a variety of ways that can return a great deal of function to the hand and relieve pain.

2. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  This is a painful condition that affects the hand and the fingers and that is caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes over the carpal bones through a passage at the front of the wrist and alongside the flexor tendons of the hand.  It is generally caused by repetitive movements over a long period of time.  As with arthritis, the condition can be treated with or without surgery; but it is extremely important to see an orthopedic surgeon in Frisco TX as soon as a patient feels tingling or numbness in the hand as treatments are usually more successful in the early stages of the condition.

3. Ganglion Cysts.  These cysts are the most common type of mass occurring in the hand area and are normally found on the back of the wrist.  Ganglion cysts are fluid-filled and rarely cancerous.  They are an inflammation that arises from irritation of the ligaments, joint linings or tendon sheaths inside the hand and wrist.  While cysts can often change in size over time – sometimes disappearing altogether – they can also be painful enough to interfere with the function of the hand.  If this is the case, an orthopedic surgeon in Frisco TX may recommend surgical removal of the cyst.

If you’re experiencing chronic problems with one or both of your hands that are making everyday tasks difficult, call us at Texas Orthopedic Partners at (469) 293-4000 to schedule an appointment for a consultation.  You can also visit us online at www.texasorthopartners.com to find out more about our services.