Hand Surgery and Other Procedures

Ohio State’s team of hand and wrist surgeons will work with you to determine the best treatment for your hand or arm, including ways to manage pain and improve function.

Schedule online Call for an Appointment 614-366-4263 (HAND)

Dr. Awan performing hand surgery on a patient We know that the thought of any surgery can be overwhelming. Our team of hand experts always first investigates whether you can have success with nonsurgical methods, such as occupational therapy. But if surgery is needed, rest assured that our hand surgeons are ready to handle even the most complex cases.

We’ll try other less-invasive treatments before recommending surgery. Those therapies include:

Wearing a splint, pad, or assistive device to reduce movement or pressure and allow healing.
Changing your activities to limit painful movements.
Seeing a hand therapist for occupational therapy to help you regain strength, flexibility and range of motion.
Massaging the affected skin and tissues to improve blood flow, help with muscle relaxation and lessen scar tissue formation.
Receiving an injection into the site of inflammation.
Taking anti-inflammatory medicine to ease swelling and pain.

If these treatment methods don’t produce the desired results, outpatient surgery may be needed to relieve pain and improve function. You and your doctor will decide whether surgery is right for you and what type of surgery may be best.

Hand surgery at Ohio State

Our team of hand surgeons dedicates nearly all of its time to treating injuries and conditions of the fingers, hand, wrist, elbow, arm or other upper-extremity concerns. Some of the most common hand surgeries we perform are:

Closed reduction and fixation: This procedure fixes and realigns broken bones, especially in the hand or fingers.
Tendon repair: This surgery fixes torn or damaged tendons to restore movement.
Nerve repair: This operation repairs injured nerves to improve feeling and function.
Surgery to address infection: This surgery, called drainage or debridement, cleans out infections to help healing.
Joint replacement: This procedure replaces a damaged joint with an artificial one.

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A closer look at hand and upper extremity treatment options

While we start most patients with conservative treatment options, surgery might be needed. Hisham Awan, MD, discusses what to expect in both the short and long term.

Types of hand and wrist surgery

Tendon repair

Tendon repair surgeries fix torn or damaged tendons in your hand or wrist. These surgeries help restore movement and function, making it easier to use your hand for daily activities. The procedures involve carefully stitching the torn ends of the tendon back together or replacing the tendon with a graft.

Nerve repair

Nerve repair surgery helps fix damaged nerves in your hand to restore feeling and movement. During the surgery, the doctor either reconnects the healthy ends of a cut nerve or uses a piece of nerve from another part of your body to bridge the gap.

Joint repair or replacement

Joint replacement surgery is removing a damaged joint and putting in a new one. Sometimes, the orthopedic surgeon will not remove the whole joint but will only replace or fix the damaged parts.

Surgical drainage or debridement

Our hand surgeons perform surgical drainage or debridement to clean out infections. This procedure removes infected tissue or fluid from your hand to prevent the spread of infection and help with recovery.

Bone fracture repair surgery

For a simple broken hand or wrist, a splint or cast may be used to protect the bone as it heals. Other fractures may need surgery.

Closed reduction surgery with internal fixation uses pins or wires to hold the bone pieces together without making an incision.
Some fractures need open reduction surgery, where an incision is made to get to the bone pieces. Bone pieces are set in place and may be held together with pins, plates or screws.
External fixation uses a frame on the outside of the hand, attached with pins to the bone above and below the injury.
Bone grafts may be needed if bone is missing or crushed. The bone graft may be taken from another part of your body.

Carpal tunnel release surgery

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve of the wrist. Surgery to relieve carpal tunnel is always done as an outpatient procedure. The doctor will cut the ligament that crosses over the carpal tunnel to lessen pressure on the median nerve. Surgery may not ease all your symptoms. It may take three to four months to gain strength and normal use of the hand after surgery.

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Wide-awake hand surgery

Kanu Goyal, MD, explains the benefits of the wide-awake hand surgery approach, which can take as little as five minutes, including safety, convenience, cost savings and improved outcomes.

Cubital tunnel release surgery

Cubital tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the ulnar nerve at the elbow. The ulnar nerve goes down the arm and lies under the bone of the elbow, known as the funny bone. The nerve is right against the bone at that spot with little padding to protect it. Surgery to relieve cubital tunnel is often done as an outpatient procedure. The doctor may move the nerve to the front of the elbow or place it under more fat or muscle to protect it. Sometimes the bone is trimmed off to ease pressure on the nerve.

Thumb carpometacarpal joint arthroplasty

Arthritis in the thumb may be treated with outpatient surgery if other treatments have not helped. The doctor will make a small incision at your wrist. A bone at the base of the thumb, called the trapezium, is removed. A piece of your own tendon is used in place of the bone to form a false thumb joint. This allows movement of the thumb and stops pain because the bones are not rubbing together.

Surgery for Dupuytren’s contracture

This procedure corrects a hand deformity called Dupuytren’s contracture, caused by the thickening and tightening of the tissue under the skin of the palm and fingers, eventually causing your fingers to curl in toward your palm. The surgeon may cut or remove the affected tissue to allow the fingers to straighten. This outpatient procedure aims to restore finger movement and improve function.

Wrist tendonitis and De Quervain’s tenosynovitis surgery

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis surgery is performed to relieve pain and restore hand mobility caused by inflammation of the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. Your hand surgeon makes a small incision and releases the sheath surrounding the swollen tendons to reduce pressure and allow smoother movement.

Arthroscopic and other minimally invasive hand surgeries

Your hand surgeon may be able to perform certain hand surgeries using arthroscopic or other minimally invasive techniques. Smaller incisions can often mean a quicker and easier recovery for you. Smaller incisions also result in less impact on nearby tissues, which can significantly reduce pain you may experience during recovery.

Replantation

Replantation involves the surgical reattachment of a finger, hand or arm that has been completely severed from the body. This complex procedure requires microsurgical techniques to repair blood vessels, nerves and tendons. The goal is to restore as much function and appearance as possible. Replantation is typically performed in cases of traumatic amputation due to accidents or injuries.

How much does hand or wrist surgery cost?

The cost of surgery varies by procedure. Please call 614-293-2663 to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon near you to discuss treatment options and costs.

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Life-changing wrist surgery: Ron’s story

When Ron started experiencing pain in his wrists, he knew it wasn’t something that would get better on its own. After researching the work being done at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, he found Kanu Goyal, MD, an orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon. Ron explains why he considers coming to Ohio State the best decision of his life.