Patient Resources

Aftercare

Your doctor will provide you with post-surgical care instructions and it is important that you follow them closely in order to heal properly and as quickly as possible. However, if at any time during your recovery you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to call. Also, be sure to schedule and attend your follow up appointments to ensure the healing process is going smoothly and as expected. Keep a close eye out for signs of infection, including:

Redness and swelling around incision site
Incision is warm to the touch
Increasing pain
Drainage
Fever

If you notice any of these symptoms, call us immediately. Rest assured we are here for you before, during, and after your procedure.

Casting/Splinting

Casting Casting, made either from plaster or fiberglass, is intended to stabilize an extremity/body part following an injury (fracture, sprain, strain). The extent of the casting and how long you will have to wear it will vary greatly from one patient to another. During the early phase of fracture care, you may be required to…

Trigger Finger Release

Pain Medication A finger block is performed during the surgery. It is normal to have increased pain when the block wears off. Please take your pain medications with food prior to the nerve block wearing off (when you start feeling tingling in your fingers). Nerve blocks last 12-24 hours on average. You may use Tylenol…

Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release

The carpal tunnel space is a narrow passageway in the wrist, about an inch wide. The floor and sides are formed by the small wrist bones. The roof of the tunnel is a ligament. The carpal tunnel protects the median nerve and flexor tendons that bend the fingers and thumb. Numbness and tingling are caused…

Dupuytren’s Release

Do not remove your post-operative dressings/splint. Keep your dressings/splint clean and dry. Cover your dressings/splint with a plastic bag for bathing. Your dressings will be removed during your first post-operative visit or during your first occupational therapy visit. These visits are scheduled during the scheduling of your surgery. Pain Medication You may use Tylenol (acetaminophen)….

Extensor Tendon Repair

Extensor tendons are the cords that help straighten the joints in each finger. There is one large tendon down the top of each finger to the middle joint and then it merges with additional tendons to help straighten each finger. When these are cut, they do not heal on their own. Surgery is needed. After…

Flexor Tendon Repair

Flexor tendons are the cords that help bend the joints in each finger. There are two tendons in each finger. When these are cut, they do not heal on their own. Surgery is needed. After surgery, therapy helps get the tendons moving in a controlled fashion. Too much movement and tendons may rupture. If…

Ganglion Cyst Excision

Keep the post-operative splint and bandages clean and dry. You may remove the post-operative bandages after 24 hours as long as there is no active bleeding. It is not unusual to have some mild bleeding/oozing from the wound at this time. Continued use of the splint during the day and at night is recommended. You…

de Quervain’s Release

Keep the post-operative splint and bandages clean and dry. You may remove the post-operative bandages after 24 hours as long as there is no active bleeding. It is not unusual to have some mild bleeding/oozing from the wound at this time. Continued use of the splint during the day and at night is recommended. You…

ORIF Distal Radius Fracture

Do not remove your post-operative dressings/splint. Keep your dressings/splint clean and dry. Cover your dressings/splint with a plastic bag for bathing. Your dressings will be removed during your first post-operative visit or during your first occupational therapy visit. These visits are scheduled during the scheduling of your surgery. Pain Medication You may use Tylenol (acetaminophen)….

Thumb Joint Arthroplasty

The joint at the base of the thumb called the trapeziometacarpal joint is a common point of arthritis and can become very painful when the cartilage surfaces get worn down. This surgery REMOVES the trapezium bone and uses a fiberwire to help suspend the metacarpal bone (the long bone of the thumb) to keep it…

UCL Repair of the Thumb

Do not remove your post-operative dressings/splint. Keep your dressings/splint clean and dry. Cover your dressings/splint with a plastic bag for bathing. Your dressings will be removed during your first post-operative visit or during your first occupational therapy visit. These visits are scheduled during the scheduling of your surgery. Pain Medication You may use Tylenol (acetaminophen)….

Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy

The ulna bone is the smaller forearm bone on the outside of the forearm. When the distance between the end of the ulna and the wrist bones is decreased, pain is noted due to rubbing on the wrist bones. This surgery shortens the ulna bone and places a plate across the repair site. Therapy Initially,…

Amputation

MSA Hand Clinic is the only clinic in the area offering patients with a team approach. You’ll meet with your surgeon, occupational therapist, prosthetist, and a social worker who is also an amputee to create a customized care plan for you. We utilize the most innovative surgical and technological approaches and provide ongoing prosthetics support…

Wound Care

Dressings–Typical Wound Care Keep the dressing dry during the first 2 days, cover with a bag when in the shower. The dressing can be removed in 2 days and the site can get wet in the shower with soap and water. Do not submerge the incision in the bathtub, sink, or pool. No sauna or…

Pain Management

Pain “A localized or generalized unpleasant bodily sensation or complex of sensations that causes mild to severe physical discomfort and emotional distress and typically results from bodily disorder (such as injury or disease).” –Merriam-Webster Pain is either acute or chronic (lasting greater than 6 months). Pain can be further categorized as Nociceptive (caused by thermal,…