Hand surgery is a branch of surgery that deals with the diseases and treatment of the part of our body called the upper extremity, which starts from the shoulder and extends to the tip of the finger. Our hands are of great importance to meet our basic needs and to be able to produce. Many temporary or permanent problems, especially injuries that impair hand functions, affect our lives significantly. Different structures such as bones, muscles, tendons, vessels, nerves and ligaments in the upper extremity work in harmony in the same environment. Hand surgery is concerned with situations where this harmony is disrupted due to various diseases, traumas, and congenital problems.
Traumas to the hands due to situations such as work accidents and traffic accidents cause damage to tendons, nerves and vessels. It is very important for the health of the organ to start the treatment as soon as possible for this damage. In such injuries, permanent damage such as reduced hand functions and mobility may occur if the treatment is not immediately applied to the health institution and the treatment is delayed. At the same time, if vascular injuries are not treated, the tissues that these vessels carry blood cannot be fed, and because oxygen cannot reach some parts of the hands, the tissues may lose their vitality. For all these reasons, emergency medical intervention should be applied in tendon, nerve and vascular injuries caused by accidents, and treatment should be performed with appropriate surgical techniques.
Hands and fingers are complex organs formed by the combination of many small bones. Hands and fingers with many joints are more prone to fractures than many other organs. Fractures that can occur with excessive load on the bones in cases such as falling, crushing, impact and sprain are manifested by severe pain and swelling. Especially in middle-aged individuals or women in the post-menopausal period, the possibility of fractures and cracks is much higher due to the decrease in bone density. When such a situation occurs, serious surgical treatment and physical therapy are required. Although finger fractures can heal relatively easily, hand fractures often require more serious and sensitive treatment as they can affect the ability of the hands to work in the long run.
Nail injuries, ingrown nails and nail deformities are one of the most common problems faced by hand surgery clinics. Injuries and ingrowns can occur as a result of constant pressure or accidents on the fingernails and toenails. As a result, deformities occur and cause an aesthetically unpleasant appearance. Ingrown toenails in particular may progress to become more serious and painful if they are not treated, and accordingly, infections may occur in the meat around the nails. Such problems that may occur in the hands in daily life or business life cause many negativities. Therefore, nail problems should not be neglected and should be treated at an early stage.
There may be congenital differences in the hands due to genetic factors such as extra fingers, attached fingers, differences in the angulation of the fingers. Such problems can be eliminated with the help of surgical interventions in hand surgery clinics, and a normal hand appearance can be achieved, or a better appearance can be achieved by partially treating the hands. With the help of interventions to be applied in this way, the elimination of anomalies in the hands allows the individual to see their work more easily in daily life and to feel better.
Nerve compression can occur in many parts of the body, as well as in the hands, elbows and wrists. Carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome are important diseases due to nerve compression. In individuals with these diseases, mobility in the hands decreases, muscle loss occurs, and problems such as loss of sensation and sensation occur. Situations such as keeping the hands, elbows or wrists in a folded position or constantly pressing on a certain point may be effective in the emergence of the disease. It is possible to treat the disease with the help of microsurgical techniques to be applied in hand surgery clinics in patients with nerve compression problems due to such reasons.
There may be benign or malignant tumors on the hands and wrists. Glomus tumors, hand and wrist cysts, and ganglion tumors are the most common conditions, but they usually cause swelling in the hands and wrists. These masses, which appear on the hands and wrists, usually tend to grow, and therefore they usually need to be removed before they grow any further. Since there is a risk of recurrence in tumors removed with the help of surgical interventions, it is useful to regularly check them in the post-treatment period.
Trigger finger, also known as Tenosynovitis Stenosing, is a type of disease that is responsible for snagging and sudden locking in the fingers. In this disease, the fingers that contract suddenly and involuntarily for a certain period of time also cause severe pain. In the treatment of this disease, which makes daily life and especially handicrafts very difficult, some muscle relaxants and different drug treatments can be tried first. However, if these methods do not work, the disease should be treated by performing surgical operations with microsurgery techniques.
Dupuytren’s contracture, which starts with stiffness in the palms of the hands and causes bending and contractions in the fingers, usually occurs due to the thickening of the fibrous tissue called palmar apeneurosis, which is located under the skin of the palm. The disease may progress over time, causing difficulties in bending the fingers and even the loss of mobility of the fingers. For this reason, it is an important disease that should be treated without losing time from the moment it is diagnosed. In cases where the nodules formed on the palm do not cause difficulty in movement, surgical operation is not required and preventive treatment can be applied with cortisone injections. However, in more advanced cases, the disease should be treated by removing the shrunken tissues with Dupuytren’s contracture surgery, and then physical therapy support should be applied.
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