Nerve repair and reconstruction: Updated methods
Introduction This chapter will provide updates and current status of repair of traumatic nerve injury in the hand, forearm, and upper arms. Outcomes, unsolved problems relating to nerve repair, and…
Improving hand function after cerebral palsy, stroke, or brain damage
Introduction Spasticity, characterized by muscle hypertonia, is linked to a central neurological impairment involving the pyramidal tract. It is caused by a hyperactive stretch reflex mechanism. It may occur in…
Tendon transfers after nerve injuries to the arm and forearm
Introduction A recent epidemiologic study reported an annual incidence of traumatic upper-extremity nerve injuries of 17 persons in 100,000 with an average age of 38 years and a male:female ratio…
Tumors of the hand and upper extremity
Introduction Tumors in the hand and upper extremity are often seen. In most cases, they are benign lesions, although some of these can be locally aggressive. Much more rarely, these…
Neuropathic pain of the upper extremity
Introduction Severe, intractable pain in the peripheral nervous system is caused by three local pathological entities, viz. end neuromas, neuromas in continuity, and scar-tethered nerves, with the symptoms being similar…
Primary flexor tendon repair
Introduction For more than a century, flexor tendon repairs have presented challenges to hand surgeons and have aroused enormous enthusiasm among clinicians and investigators. In the early and middle 20th…
Extensor tendon repair and reconstruction
Introduction Our basis of primary management of extensor tendon injuries, as with flexor tendon injuries, is early repair and early mobilization, with appropriate primary management being more effective than secondary…
Rheumatoid arthritis, tendinopathies, and other connective tissue diseases
Introduction This chapter discusses the current status and presents updates for several commonly seen connective tissue diseases. Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has greatly changed, with fewer patients needing surgical treatment…
Trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis: Current approaches and unsolved problems
Introduction The carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of the thumb, the trapeziometacarpal joint (TMC), is a saddle joint that provides important mobility as well as stability. This joint is exposed to heavy…
Soft-tissue cover of the thumb and fingers
Introduction This chapter discusses soft-tissue cover of defects of the skin and subcutaneous tissue in the thumb and fingers. The distal parts are called the fingertip and thumb tip ,…
