The hand specialists at Duke Orthopaedics and Duke Plastic Surgery are committed to eliminating symptoms due to all causes of hand pain and discomfort. When patients come to us for treatment, they receive care from nationally recognized medical professionals who are committed to their complete recovery. Duke is consistently ranked as one of the top programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Our patients benefit from our experience treating the most complex cases, including:

• Hand Pain and Hand Injury: Normal hand function is fundamental to quality of life. The hand specialists at Duke Orthopaedics and Duke Plastic Surgery are committed to eliminating symptoms due to all causes of hand pain and discomfort, including carpal tunnel syndrome, thumb arthritis, joint dislocations, nail-bed injuries and trigger finger. We pioneered many microsurgical techniques. These innovative procedures are done with high-powered microscopes that allow our surgeons to see vessels and nerves that are too small to be repaired without magnification, and stitches are smaller than an eyelash. As a major referral center, we have gained extensive experience using microsurgery to repair damaged nerves and blood vessels in your hands, fingers and thumbs.
• Wrist Pain and Wrist Injury: Whether a patient is suffering from a wrist fracture, forearm fracture or wrist arthritis, our specialists have the expertise and skill to alleviate wrist pain, increase range of motion, and return patients to normal activities. Our experts have advanced training and skill in diagnosing and treating painful wrist and forearm conditions including carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, wrist fractures, ganglion cysts, tendon injuries, tumors, wrist arthritis, and cartilage tears.
• Hand Transplant: Duke’s hand transplant program is led by one of the world’s leaders in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA), an innovative method of transplanting multiple tissues, such as a hand, as a functional unit. Our comprehensive approach guides our research on hand transplantation, which remains an investigational procedure. It is an option for people who have lost one or both hands.

Addition conditions we treat include:

• Fractures
• Cysts
• Arthritis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Joint dislocations
• Nail-bed injuries
• Trigger finger

Treatments

Our hand surgeons perform all types of surgery, including nerve decompression to relieve pain due to pressure on nerves caused by tumors, tendonitis, the removal of cysts, and nerve and tendon repair. We also offer these advanced surgeries:

• Microsurgery
• Finger and thumb joint replacement
• Thumb CMC surgery

When appropriate, our doctors and physical therapists treat pain and injuries with noninvasive therapies such as customized splinting and rehabilitation exercises.

Learn more about our patient care services on DukeHealth.org.