Hand & wrist surgery in Bedford

Pain, stiffness or weakness in a hand or wrist can limit your ability to carry out many everyday tasks and activities.

Even seemingly simple things like twisting the top off a bottle, fastening a belt, brushing your teeth and driving a car can all become more difficult, if not impossible to do if your hand and wrist aren’t working properly. Similarly, if you enjoy playing sports, you may find you are no longer able to grip the golf club or tennis racket as firmly as normal, preventing you from performing to the best of your ability

Common symptoms of a hand or wrist problem include:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Weakness
• Tingling / numbness in the fingers
• Finger(s) curling and ‘locking’ in place

If you have any type of problem in a hand or wrist that is causing you concern or limiting your daily activities, it is sensible to get things looked at by an expert. The experienced Consultant Hand & Wrist Surgeons at The Manor Hospital in Bedfordshire provide assessment and treatment for a very wide range of symptoms and conditions, helping to get people out of pain and back to better movement and function once more. They would be delighted to help you too.

Each one of your hands contains 27 bones. These bones, as well a complex arrangement of ligaments, muscles and tendons and numerous small joints, all work together to provide an extraordinary range of movement and function

With such complexity, it is no surprise that problems can occur. Common conditions affecting the hand and wrist include:

• Osteoarthritis – causes a breakdown in the smooth cartilage lining the joint surfaces, leading to pain and stiffness in joints. Frequently occurs in the base of the thumb.
• Rheumatoid arthritis – causes pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints, which may lead to deformities in the fingers or hand.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome – weakness or pain caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through the wrist.
• Ganglion cyst – a build-up of fluid causes a small lump to form around the hand or wrist. These are usually harmless, but may cause pain.
• Trigger Finger – inflammation of a tendon causes a finger to bend and fix in a ‘trigger finger’ position. Surgery to ‘release’ the finger back into its normal position will often be needed.
• Dupuytren’s disease/contracture - a thickening of the layer beneath the skin in the palm of the hand causes the fingers to contract. This usually develops slowly over a number of years.

 

While some hand and wrist problems may resolve themselves naturally over time, others will require treatment of some kind to adequately relieve symptoms. Treatments may include:

• Pain relief medication,
• Splinting,
• Physiotherapy / hand therapy - can play a vital role in your recovery and rehabilitation after any treatment. Our excellent Hand Therapists will work closely with you to help you regain as much movement and dexterity in your hand and wrist as possible,
• Steroid injections,
• Surgery.

Keyhole surgery (wrist arthroscopy) may be recommended by your consultant, depending on your symptoms. This involves passing a tube (arthroscope) with a small camera and light attached through a small cut in the wrist. The camera sends a live feed to an external screen, giving your consultant a clear view inside the wrist. As well as being useful for diagnosing a problem, surgical repairs can be carried out using special instruments at the same time.

With only very small cuts made in the skin, arthroscopy leads to less pain, a faster recovery and minimal scarring.

Hand and wrist surgery available at The Manor Hospital includes:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome surgery / Carpal tunnel release (CTR) - relieves pressure on the median nerve
• Trigger finger release – the tendon sheath is cut carefully to allow the tendons to move more freely
• Fasciectomy / needle fasciectomy – to treat Dupuytren's contracture
• Joint replacement – may be advised when arthritis has caused extensive damage to a joint
• Drainage of Ganglion cyst

When you first meet with your consultant at the hospital, they will take your medical history and ask you in detail about your symptoms. They will ask you questions like:

• What symptoms do you have?
• When did these symptoms first appear? Was there an obvious reason (for example, falling onto your wrist)?
• Have your symptoms been getting worse?
• Have you received any treatment already, such as Physiotherapy?
• Are your symptoms affecting any of your daily activities?

They will carry out an examination of your hand, wrist as well as your forearm elbow and shoulder if they suspect a problem further up your arm is causing referred pain in the hand or wrist.

This may be all that is needed to make a diagnosis and to plan treatment. In other cases, additional investigations may be required. This will often be an X-ray of your hand and/or wrist, which can show the presence of abnormalities in the bones. Ultrasound and MRI may also be helpful, particularly when looking at soft tissue problems. These will be arranged for you at the earliest opportunity if needed.

Once a diagnosis has been made, your consultant will meet with you again to discuss treatment options with you. If you have any questions or concerns, they will be very happy to talk these through with you.

Many people are referred to The Manor Hospital by their GP, physiotherapist or medical insurance provider. Others choose to self-refer to avoid delay.

Fast access to an expert – When a hand or wrist problem is limiting you, the last thing you will want is to wait weeks (or even months!) to see somebody for help. We can arrange an appointment for you with a highly experienced Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon without delay. With earlier assessment, you will be able to receive treatment sooner.

• Flexible appointments – It is easy to book an appointment for a time that is convenient for you. For your convenience, we can also offer remote consultations by telephone or video call if required.
• Consultant-led care – Treating a hand or wrist problem depends on an accurate diagnosis, and this is always best done by somebody who specialises in this area. You will see the same consultant each time you visit, and they will oversee every aspect of your care, from initial appointment through to treatment and post-treatment follow-up.
• Patient Satisfaction – In an independent survey, 99.1% of people we’d treated said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend The Manor Hospital to their friends and family.
• Location – Situated in the picturesque village of Biddenham on the outskirts of Bedford, it is very easy to travel to us. Our car park is free for patients and visitors.

If you have pain, weakness, numbness or stiffness in a hand or wrist that is causing you any concern, or that is limiting your everyday activities, our experienced consultants would be delighted to help you.

For peace of mind and known expert care, book your appointment now.