Our hand and wrist specialists have a wide range of techniques and cutting-edge equipment.
At The Beaumont Hospital we have highly qualified orthopaedic consultants who can help decide if surgery is right for you. Our network of healthcare professionals ensure you receive the highest levels of care from start to finish, including rehabilitation.
The Beaumont Hospital is located in Bolton in Greater Manchester. People visit us from across Lancashire and the North West, from local areas including Wigan, Bury, Chorley, Leigh, Worsley and Burnley. We also welcome patients from across the UK as well as abroad. When you go private, you can choose which hospital and which consultant are the best fit for you.
At The Beaumont Hospital in Bolton, we offer consultant-led, tailored-to-you treatment to ease your hand and wrist pain. We provide a vast range of orthopaedic procedures to help manage, treat and even eliminate your hand and wrist pain.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that affects your median nerve. The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist. If you have this condition, your median nerve is compressed and irritated, causing symptoms of tingling, numbness, weakness, and swelling in the fingers.
During carpal tunnel release surgery, also called carpal tunnel decompression surgery, your surgeon will sever the transverse carpal ligament, which runs across the top of the carpal tunnel. This will release the pressure on your median nerve.
It may be time to consider surgery if your symptoms are keeping you up at night or if they interfere with your activities repeatedly during the day.
"For Carpal tunnel release, most studies would tell you that 19 out of every 20 patients who have it are delighted," says Dr Wykes.
In older patients, there is the risk that the operation does not completely relieve the symptoms. On the other hand, the risks of infection and bleeding are very small. Hand stiffness is also a possible complication, but it can be relieved with physiotherapy. It is important to remember that all surgeries, no matter how minimally invasive, present with risk factors.
Your stitches and bandages will be removed a week after surgery. Within four weeks, you will likely regain full motion of your fingers. Within eight weeks, you should get back to doing your usual daily activities. But you might still feel some soreness and numbness.
Your hand and wrist will continue to improve and you may continue to see the benefits of the surgery for up to one year after surgery.
Over time, this thickened tissue can cause your finger to be bent or curled inside the palm. This can make day-to-day activities such as putting on gloves, washing your face, or grasping objects, extremely difficult. If this is the case for you, surgery may be helpful.
The surgery helps restore strength and mobility in your fingers.
It poses a few risks, such as infection, persistent stiffness or contracture, and nerve damage. However, "this is really uncommon - probably less than 2%," notes Dr Wykes.
"Nerve damage after hand surgery is likely only a temporary and rare complication", reassures Dr Wykes.
In Dupuytren's surgery, he explains, "because you're stretching your finger, the nerves also get stretched, so patients often report tingly feelings for a few months. But permanent damage to the nerve would be reported at 1-2%"
After surgery, your hand will be placed in a bandage and splint. You will have to take painkillers in the first week after surgery as the procedure can be quite painful.
Your activities may be limited for the first four weeks after surgery. After this first month, you will return to your normal activities. Most people can grip well at one month after surgery, but full recovery may take one to three months. During this period, you will have to wear a tailor-made splint and do physiotherapy.
In trigger finger, a string of tissue called the 'A1 pulley' is inflamed and swollen, blocking the flexor tendon that enables you to flex your fingers. Trigger finger release surgery severs this A1 pulley so that the flexor tendon can move more easily, restoring mobility and function.
Steroid injections are a common treatment for trigger finger. "Injection success rate is about 70%", says Dr Wykes." If the condition returns after this treatment, trigger finger release surgery is the next step."
"Generally, the success rate and patient satisfaction for trigger finger surgery is very high", says Dr Wykes. "Around 97% of patients have complete remission of their symptoms after surgery."
Risks include persistent symptoms, stiffness, soreness, and very rarely nerve injury or infection. It is important to remember that risks occurring from surgery are rare.
You will be encouraged to move your fingers as soon as possible after surgery. However, you might still have symptoms of swelling and stiffness, which may take up to six months to settle.
"When simpler measures such as a steroid injections, a splint, and pain relief aren't adequate anymore, it might be time to consider hand surgery for this condition," explains Dr Wykes.
During the surgery, your trapezium is removed completely to allow movement and improve symptoms.
Thumb base arthritis surgery "offers excellent pain relief and improves function," says Dr Wykes. As with any surgery, it comes with risks, including nerve damage, scar tenderness, lingering pain and stiffness, and infection.
Basal thumb arthritis surgery has a longer recovery period of around six weeks. During this time, you will have to wear a splint.
"After you have the surgery, you will be in a plaster bandage till the wounds heal. Then you will change into a resting splint and start physiotherapy. It's a gradual return to function," says Dr Wykes, adding that it may take up to three months for all the symptoms to settle down and to see maximum improvement in your hand function.
The surgery successfully restores the function and motion of your wrist.
"You get a good return of function, but in the long term, you may still have a little bit of stiffness and weakness [in your wrist] compared to the uninjured side," Dr Wykes says.
Other possible risks include your bones not joining together and healing properly, nerve injury, or your tendons rupturing in your wrists. It is important to remember that risks are uncommon and can occur during any surgery.
For two weeks after the surgery, you'll have to wear a large bandage. At two weeks, the bandage gets removed and replaced with a little dressing, and you'll start a course of physiotherapy.
It takes around weeks for you to recover enough from the surgery to be able to perform daily activities. You'll still be able to perform light tasks with your wrist during this time.
Most people who have had the procedure will regain most of their normal wrist motion by three months after surgery, but your wrist can continue to improve for up to one year after surgery.
Our hospital combines the sophistication and high-quality expertise of a large medical centre with the friendliness and convenience of a small, local hospital.
"It's quite a small hospital, but with well-trained high-quality staff, both surgeons and nurses and therapists. Patients find it very friendly," says Dr Wykes.
The hospital also offers a comprehensive aftercare package following your surgery and flexible payment options that make private orthopaedic surgery more affordable than you might think.
Book an appointment with one of our consultants to discuss if hand and wrist surgery is right for you. You can request an appointment online or by phoning a member of our advisory team on 01204 404404.
