Hand and Wrist

Although the hand looks extremely simple, beneath your skin it is a complex structure woven with nerves, tendons and bones. When there is an injury in this system, even something as simple as holding a pen can become impossible.

Our highly successful and well-known Orthopedic Specialists at the Can Hastanesi Orthopedics Clinic are ready to help you with this. We work to return you to your daily life by helping you regain your hand function as quickly as possible with the most suitable and successful treatment methods.

With its knowledge and experience in advanced hand and wrist procedures, the İzmir Can Hastanesi Orthopedics Clinic achieves very gratifying results even in the most complex cases. We continue to serve you with our personalized diagnostic and treatment approaches. Our primary goal is for you to return to your daily activities as soon as possible, to comb your hair without pain, to continue your profession and to reach the days when you can play sports without pain.

TRIGGER FINGER:

Trigger finger, known medically as stenosing tenosynovitis, is when one or more of your fingers stays in a bent position and makes a sound when you try to straighten it. It is a condition that affects the tendons that control movement. Normally, when you bend and relax your fingers, the tendons in your hand glide inside a sheath. When trigger finger develops, the tendons cannot glide within the surrounding sheath because of inflammation, swelling and nodules (lumps) that form on them. As a result, you may hear a sound when you try to straighten your finger. In more severe cases, your finger may stay in a bent position. It can affect one finger or several fingers at once (including the thumb). It can become an extremely uncomfortable and painful condition.

Prolonged stress from hand use, use of the thumb and sports activities (for example, volleyball) can cause trigger finger. As general information, trigger finger is more common in women aged 40–60 and in patients with diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms;

• Stiffness and swelling in the finger joints,
• Pain when bending and straightening your finger,
• A sound coming from your finger, especially in the morning,
• A lump in your palm that is tender to the touch.

Treatment:

The affected finger is rested and immobilized. After an examination and tests, your doctor will determine the treatment protocol that is right for you. In more severe cases, a steroid injection into the tendon sheath may also be considered. If the triggering of the finger does not improve despite all these measures, your doctor may also recommend surgery. It is a fairly simple and short operation.

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disorder that causes numbness and tingling in the thumb, middle finger, index finger and part of the ring finger. It occurs when the nerve that goes to your palm is compressed within a space in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. Normally, when something pricks your finger or you touch a hot object, this nerve immediately transmits signals from that area and lets you feel pain in your hand. In carpal tunnel syndrome, however, because the median nerve is compressed, you cannot feel such warning signals in the affected fingers. In advanced cases, there may even be complete loss of sensation and severe weakness in the fingers. Even typing on a computer keyboard or unlocking a door can become impossible.

Anything that can compress the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel can cause this. Overuse of the hand and wrist at work, diabetes, thyroid diseases, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis (joint problems associated with psoriasis) can cause this disorder. It can also develop due to hormonal changes during pregnancy. Genetics also play a role. In some people, the carpal tunnel is congenitally small, which increases the risk.

Symptoms;

• Loss of sensation and tingling in your palm, thumb, index and middle fingers,
• Feeling the need to shake your hands to relieve the symptoms,
• Your fingers becoming completely numb,
• Dropping objects you are holding because of reduced strength in your thumb.

Treatment:

After a detailed physical examination and tests at our Orthopedics Clinic, it is determined whether the nerve compression is at the wrist or around the neck or elbow. Various electrophysiological tests and imaging methods are used. In treatment, to relieve your complaints, the presence of underlying diabetes or another disease is first investigated. Although treatments for the underlying cause, steroid injections and wrist-stabilizing braces may be a solution in some cases, if no results are achieved over time, your doctor may also recommend surgery as appropriate for your condition. With this method, the pressure on the median nerve is relieved.

MALLET FINGER:

If the tendon on the upper (back) side of the hand, called the extensor tendon, is struck or torn, you may be unable to straighten the affected finger.

Your finger will become swollen and painful. It usually occurs when a hard object strikes the fingertip or when you quickly jam your finger against a hard object.

If there is bleeding or damage to your nail, you are advised to go to the nearest healthcare facility immediately. In any case, it is best to see a center that specializes in this area as soon as possible.

At the İzmir Can Hastanesi Orthopedics Clinic, once your examination and diagnostic imaging tests have been completed, the necessary surgical plan will be created, and our specialist, experienced physicians in this field will give you the necessary information.

OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS WE TREAT:

• WRIST TENDINITIS
• HAND AND WRIST ARTHRITIS
• DUPUYTREN'S CONTRACTURE
• FINGER, HAND AND WRIST FRACTURES
• CYSTS AND MASSES OF THE FINGER, HAND AND WRIST