Tendon and Nerve Injuries
Sometimes due to accident and/or injury, our patients sustain injury to their fingers, hands, wrists or forearms. Sometimes just the outer skin is cut, but other times the injury may be more extensive. Sometimes surgical exploration is needed to evaluate the full extent of the injury.
The tendons of the fingers and hands are responsible for bending and straightening of the fingers, and injury to one of many of these structures can disrupt the balance of the fingers with motion. Several factors determine the severity of these injuries. Factors such as the extent of the injury, timing, mechanism, Locations on the hand and/or wrist as well as several others affect how a patient will recover from an injury. Therapy with a specialized hand therapist also is extremely important to a successful recovery.
The small nerves of the fingers, hand and wrist may also be injured in an accident. Sometimes the small nerves may be “bumped” or bruised. Other times they may be completely cut or worse. Often times surgical exploration is needed to evaluate the full extent of the injury to the nerves. Repair of the nerves is possible in most cases, but may in some cases, require use of a nerve substitute or graft. Your hand surgeon will talk to you more about this part of the procedure.
