Hand Surgery Vienna
The list of everyday situations and tasks in which we need, even rely on, our hands and their functionality is long: our hands help us eat, dress, write, earn a living, and many other activities. Our hands can only cope with this multitude of existential challenges if sensations and movements, such as joint movement, tendon glide and muscle contraction, are intact.
If a problem arises here, all the different types of tissue that allow the hand to function must be considered, which is why this medical field and diagnosis, treatments and therapy here, are incredibly complex and complicated.
So, hand surgery is the field of medicine that deals with problems of the hand, wrist and forearm.
Hand surgeons are familiar with problems in these areas and are trained to find, offer and execute the perfect solution without surgery and if necessary with operation.
The training of many hand surgeons is very diverse and multi-faceted: for example, the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder and elbow problems are often part of their expertise.
Basically, hand surgeons are orthopedic or general surgeons with additional training that allows them to perform surgery on the hand.
The Hand Surgeon
What is a good or qualified hand surgeon? Well, first and foremost, he is trained to diagnose and treat all problems related to the various structures of the hand, wrist and forearm.
The hand, as an absolutely unique area of the human body, composed of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels, functions appropriately only when all the listed elements, are in a very good condition. If this is not the case, functionality can be severely limited. Since the relationship of the different structures as well as their connection is extremely sensitive, injuries or illnesses can therefore strongly affect the usability.
Therefore, it is critical that a hand surgeon, in addition to his or her residency training in orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, or general surgery, have additional qualifications, such as specialized training in the treatment of hand problems.
Membership in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand is only granted to those who complete a full year of additional training as well as pass a rigorous certification exam.
The most commonly treated problems by hand surgeons include problems such as:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tennis elbow
- Pain in the wrist
- Sports injuries of the hand and wrist
- Fractures of the hand, wrist and forearm
Other problems that affect many people around the world and are part of the daily work for hand surgeons include: Arthritis, nerve and tendon injuries. At the same time, it is important to realize that not all problems treated by a hand surgeon require surgery.
Non-surgical treatments such as medications, splints, therapy or injections are often recommended as well depending entirely on what the individual problem requires.
A hand surgeon should generally be seen when there is pain in the fingers, hand, wrist or arm.
Types of hand surgery
Many different types of surgery can be performed on the hand, which of course are quite individualized and depend on the problem and its complexity. These procedures include:
Transplantations of the skin
Skin grafts of the hand involve replacing or attaching skin to a part of the hand where it is missing.
This type of surgery is most commonly used in hand surgery when amputations or fingertip injuries need to be treated. Here, a piece of healthy skin is taken from a part of the body not affected by the problem and attached to the injured area.
Skin flap
Again, skin is taken from another part of the body for the hand.
The main difference with skin grafting is that this procedure uses skin that has its own blood supply. This is because the section of skin used includes the underlying blood vessels, fat and muscle.
This type of hand surgery is used when an area where the skin which is missing does not have a good blood supply.
Closed reduction and fixation
This type of hand surgery is used and performed for fractures or a broken bone in a part of the hand, including the fingers.
The broken bone is realigned and then held in place or immobilized while it heals.
Tendon repair
Because of the structure of the tendon, tendon repairs are a difficult operation. Problems requiring those procedures are usually caused by infection, trauma, or a sudden tear.
Nerve repairs
The nerves in the hand can be damaged very easily with or through injury. The result can be loss of function or loss of feeling in the hand.
Some nerve injuries may heal on their own, while there are a number of injuries that require surgery.
If the nerve is cut or severed, it can be repaired by reconnecting it to the other end of the nerve.
At the same time, a nerve graft may also be performed, in which the damaged nerve is replaced with nerves from other parts of the body.
Fasciotomy
This type of hand surgery and operation is performed only when compartment syndrome needs to be treated.
This painful condition occurs when injuries cause swelling and increased pressure in a small space or compartment in the body.
The pressure impairs blood flow to the body's tissues and destroys function.
Compartment syndrome can cause severe and increasing pain and muscle weakness. During the fasciotomy procedure, the doctor makes an incision in the hand or arm.
This incision reduces the pressure and causes the swelling of the muscle tissue, thus restoring the blood flow.
That hand surgery procedure helps prevent further damage and loss of function to the affected hand.
Joint Replacement
Joint replacement is commonly used in cases of hand osteoarthritis. This involves replacing a joint that has been destroyed by osteoarthritis with an artificial one.
An artificial joint is made of metal, plastic, silicone rubber, or the body's own tissue.
What risks do hand surgeries entail?
Like most surgical procedures, hand surgery procedures carry the risks of anesthesia and bleeding.
However, there are a whole host of other risks associated with surgery and highly dependent on the type of procedure. These risks include infection,
Incomplete healing, loss of sensation, or loss of mobility of the hand or fingers. Blood clot formation is also a possible risk.
Hand Surgery in Vienna at the Wiener Privatklinik
After an accident, or after the onset of symptoms, you should consult the specialists at the MILLESI CENTER as soon as possible. The longer you wait with the treatment, the worse is the prospect of success.
At the MILLESI CENTER, patients are cared for by an interdisciplinary team of the best specialists, from diagnosis to surgical treatment and neurorehabilitation.
Millesi Center is your solution for surgery of peripheral nerves, brachial plexus, reconstructive surgery and hand surgery!