The Stiff Finger

There are many causes of finger stiffness. Usually finger stiffness is due to previous fracture, ligament injury or surgery. Finger stiffness can be debilitating and may severely impair hand function.
Initial treatment for finger stiffness is hand therapy. A certified hand therapist will be

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Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release – There are Different Types

Endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR) provides the same cure from carpal tunnel syndrome as does open carpal tunnel release (open CTR), but with less pain, less problems and a quicker return to work and other activities. Compared to open CTR, ECTR leads to less pain and weakness, and a quicker

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Shoulder Instability and Dislocations

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. Consequently, it is also the most commonly dislocated large joint in the body. There are things you should know if you or someone you care about has dislocated his or her shoulder. For example, the first shoulder dislocation leads to a 20% rate

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Suprascapular Nerve Compression

The suprascapular nerve is the nerve to the rotator cuff. The suprascapular nerve runs in the back of the shoulder, where it can be compressed. This is effectively the 'carpal tunnel syndrome of the shoulder', although it's nowhere near as common.
Suprascapular nerve compression leads to pain

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Mucous Cysts

I recently wrote an article on mucous cysts for the Journal of Hand Surgery. These are a very common cause of finger masses. Mucous cysts are actually ganglion cysts of the small joint of the finger closest to the tip.
Much like ganglion cysts around the wrist (please see my last blog for more

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Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

Frozen shoulder is a very painful condition in which the shoulder freezes up and becomes stiff. It may or may not be due to trauma. People with diabetes, thyroid dysfunction or gout are more commonly affected. While the reason this happens is unclear (many blame a virus), it is an inflammatory

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Radial Head Fractures

Radial head fractures are the most common fracture of the elbow. Most commonly, they are minimally displaced (ie. not moved very much). While minimally displaced radial head fractures don't require surgery, they can still cause problems.
Far and away, the most common problem people have following radial head fractures is stiffness. Many generalists or emergency room physicians have a knee-jerk reaction, and splint all fractures. And while there's nothing wrong with splinting a minimally displaced radial head fracture for a few days, if the elbow is immobilized for over a week or two it

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

There are so many myths and so much misinformation regarding carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that I thought it might be good for a hand surgeon to go through the facts. Here are some common questions that I often hear:
What is the carpal tunnel?
The carpal tunnel is a passage for the median nerve

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Stiff Fingers

Stiff fingers may occur following injuries to the hand or wrist. The first-line treatment for this is hand therapy, often using splints with springs or rubber bands on them to stretch out the digits. If therapy fails and the finger stiffness is decreasing hand function, a surgical solution can be considered.

Surgical release is often very effective for stiff fingers, especially to regain flexion/bending. The surgical release is performed in the morning. Therapy begins that afternoon. The therapy is intensive, often 5 days/week for a month, then 4 days/week for a month, then 3 days/week

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