Hand and Wrist Surgery in Stirling

Our specialist hand and wrist clinic at The Kings Park Hospital in Stirling provides a diverse range of treatments for most conditions of the wrist and hand, alongside excellent care.

The different forms of arthritis are among the most common hand and wrist conditions we see. Others include carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis), cysts (ganglions), ligament issues and fractures.

Arthritis affects hands and wrist joints (where one or more bones meet) and as the tissue between the bones wears down, it causes pain and stiffness.

We can treat arthritis in many ways, and for most patients, an operation is unnecessary. However, if one of our Consultant Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeons recommends surgery, we provide several options, including finger joint replacements.

Carpel tunnel syndrome is when there is pressure on a nerve in your wrist, leading to numbness and tingling in the hand and fingers. The treatments range from splints and steroid injections to surgery, which can be done under local anaesthetic.

You can book a consultation with one of our hand and wrist consultants through our website. A referral from your GP or another specialist is always recommended but some of our consultants are happy to see those who wish to self-refer. If you have private medical insurance, please contact your provider for approval before booking an appointment.

On the day of your appointment, you will be greeted warmly by our reception team. Your consultant will then call you into one of our four consulting rooms to go over your medical history. They will examine your hands and wrists and may send you for an x-ray, which can take place at the hospital during your consultation.

Our efficient and expert radiographers will send the x-ray back to your consultant. You won't have to wait for an initial diagnosis. Some treatments, like steroid injections, can also be done at your appointment.

If your condition needs specialist investigation, such as an MRI or CT scan, this would be carried out at our sister hospital, BI Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow, at a date and time convenient to you. MRIs and CT scans are painless, safe tests using imaging technology to get a clear image of your hand and wrist.

Your consultant may also advise a nerve conduction study or test to diagnose certain conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome. This measures the nerve signal’s strength and speed in your hand.

After any specialist investigations at Ross Hall Hospital, you will return to Kings Park Hospital for any further follow up appointments or treatment.

The most common treatments for arthritis are physiotherapy and steroid injections. Surgery such as fusion of the joint or joint replacement may also be recommended.

We also offer surgery for wrist ligament problems, non-union of the scaphoid (one of the bones in the wrist), ganglions in the wrist, trigger finger, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Before any surgery, you will require a pre-assessment appointment where one of our friendly nurses will carry out some medical assessments and take your bloods. They will also be able to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Your pre-assessment appointment is usually 7-2 days before your operation and is automatically arranged when you book in for surgery.

Our highly skilled and experienced surgeons perform hand surgery under local anaesthetic (you're awake) or general anaesthetic (you're asleep). You'll recover in one of our private rooms which all have en-suite bathrooms.

Your consultant may also refer you to one of our physiotherapists after surgery, to help get you back to full movement as quickly as possible and to prevent any stiffness.

We are delighted to offer our base of thumb arthritis patients the Kerimedical (Medartis) Touch® thumb CMCJ replacement at Kings Park Hospital. 

This innovative prosthesis is designed with you in mind, offering numerous lengths and sizes of implant to create 144 possible combinations in order to fit as close as possible to the patient’s individual anatomy. Designed as an alternative to a traditional standard trapeziectomy, the Touch® prosthesis has shown that when used in the right patients it can ‘decrease pain, improve motion, strength and pre-existing metacarpophalangeal joint hyperextension at short-term follow-up’ (Falkner et al, 2023)¹.

Miss Sally-Anne Phillips, Consultant Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeon at Kings Park Hospital, is the only hand surgeon in Scotland offering this prosthesis to private patients. To book a consultation with her to discuss your treatment options, please click here.

 

¹ Falkner, F., Tümkaya, A.M., Thomas, B., Panzram, B., Bickert, B., Harhaus, L. (2023) Dual mobility prosthesis for trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis: results from a prospective study of 55 prostheses, Journal of Hand Surgery Europe Volume (Epub), Vol. 28, no. 1, pp. x

The Kings Park Hospital sees patients across a large geographical area including Forth Valley, Fife and Tayside, and offers gold-standard diagnosis and treatment.

It's a small, friendly hospital with a family atmosphere.

Benefits:

• We see most hand and wrist conditions with treatment being carried out within our outpatient department or as a day case surgery
  
  
• You'll be seen by one of our well-trained and experienced Consultant Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeons, offering the most up-to-date treatments and clarity on how you can recover faster
  
  
• Our surgeons keep themselves up to date with trends and innovations in their branch of medicine
  
  
• They may also teach orthopaedic courses, work on research projects and audits, teach internationally and write for review journals
  
  
• Our team will look after you with exceptional care, including specialist nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers, and radiologists
  
  
• Our outpatient department is next door to imaging so if you require an x-ray it can often be done straight away
  
  
• Surgery is invariably day-care and often you will be given a date for the operation on the day of your consultation
  
  
• Our fully equipped theatre has up-to-date equipment, including a portable x-ray device which the surgeon will use to look at your bones while operating
  
  
• All our bedrooms are private, with en-suite bathrooms, TV and WiFi