Hand and wrist treatment

From picking up items to turning doorknobs, your hands and wrists support so many daily activities. Count on our hand doctors to deliver treatments that reduce pain and improve flexibility so you can get back to what you love.

You can find a hand doctor near you to treat a range of injuries and conditions, offering everything from nonsurgical treatments to advanced surgery for hands and wrists with same-day and next-day appointments.

Advanced treatment for the hand and wrist: Why choose Aurora BayCare Medical Center?

Our orthopedic hand doctors and wrist specialists are board-certified and fellowship-trained, providing expert care for wrist injuries, hand pain and other conditions. We offer personalized treatment for work-related, sports-related and traumatic injuries. Program highlights include:

• Proven expertise: Our program is a regional referral center – doctors throughout the region refer patients to us for orthopedic hand and wrist care. Our wrist surgeons perform a high volume of successful surgeries every year.
• Leading-edge treatments: We were one of the first hospitals in Wisconsin to offer minimally invasive carpal tunnel surgery, giving you faster recovery with less pain.
• Superior pain management: We use advanced techniques to block pain before surgery, minimizing the need for narcotic painkillers afterward.

What kind of doctor should I see for wrist and hand pain?

If you’re experiencing hand pain or have suffered a wrist injury, it’s time to see a hand and wrist doctor. These orthopedic specialists have advanced training in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting the bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments of your hand and wrist.

Is a wrist injury orthopedic?

Yes, a wrist injury is an orthopedic condition. Common causes of wrist injuries include sports activities, falls and overuse. Our orthopedic hand and wrist specialists are experts at diagnosing and treating these injuries. They provide personalized care to help you recover quickly and reduce the risk of future problems.

Hand and wrist treatments and services

We focus on nonoperative orthopedic care first, helping you regain strength and range of motion without surgery whenever possible. If surgery is needed, we offer the most advanced techniques, including minimally invasive procedures for faster recovery.

Nonoperative orthopedics

We treat many hand and wrist conditions without surgery. Your personalized treatment plan may include:

• Strengthening routines: Our orthopedic rehabilitation team designs specific exercises to increase flexibility and build strength.
• Sophisticated treatments: Specialists in our regenerative medicine program offer stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma injections. These therapies are known as orthobiologics. They help your body replace cells to heal tissue damaged by arthritis and injury.

Surgical treatments

Our orthopedic surgeons use leading-edge operations to restore function when nonsurgical treatments don’t help. Surgical options include:

Hand and wrist arthroscopy

Using a thin instrument called an arthroscope, our surgeons diagnose and repair damage through small incisions, reducing recovery time and complications. This minimally invasive approach treats tendon, ligament, nerve, bone and cartilage injuries. Recovery time is often shorter and complications are fewer with this type of surgery.

Wrist fusion

In wrist fusion surgery (arthrodesis), our surgeons join (fuse) the hand’s carpal bones to the inner bone of the forearm. They use this approach to relieve pain and create strength in the hand and wrist.

Wrist replacement

Surgeons may perform wrist replacement surgery, also known as wrist replacement surgery, when other treatments don’t relieve pain. Our experts remove damaged bone and replace it with an artificial implant (prosthesis) made of metal and plastic.

These sophisticated implants allow excellent range of motion. You may need to avoid heavy lifting and intense physical activity after total wrist replacement.

Hand and wrist conditions we treat

Your hands and wrists are complex structures with many small bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments, making them vulnerable to injury. Our hand and wrist specialists treat a range of conditions, including:

Arthritis

We treat both osteoarthritis (age-related) and rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune condition), which cause painful joint deterioration.

Neuropathic conditions

Neuropathies are conditions that affect the nerves that carry signals from the brain to the rest of your body. Neuropathies can cause numbness, pain, tingling or weakness and may happen after injury, illness, infection or repetitive motion.

We treat neuropathies of the hand and wrist. These conditions include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome: Nerve damage that results from repetitive motion.
• Cubital tunnel syndrome: Nerve pressure that occurs when there is direct pressure on the nerve.
• Radial tunnel syndrome: Nerve compression that occurs near the elbow.

Fractures and dislocations

Bones in the hand or wrist may break (fracture) or move out of place (dislocation) after forceful contact. This contact can occur during sports, a fall or some other traumatic injury.

Ganglion cyst

Ganglion cysts are benign (noncancerous) lumps or bumps that appear on the hand or wrist. These cysts may fill with fluid and change in size.

Ganglion cysts may result from injury, arthritis or irritation of a joint or tendon. They may or may not be painful.

Sprain

When the hand or wrist bends or twists suddenly, injuries to ligaments, tendons and muscles can occur.

Tendinitis

Repetitive motion or overuse of the hands or wrists can cause inflammation (pain and swelling) in tendons.

Helping athletes recover

If a wrist injury keeps you sidelined, our sports medicine experts can get you back in the game. We’ll create an exercise program to improve strength, flexibility and range of motion.

Managing workplace injuries

When a job injury occurs, we streamline care to make getting back to work as seamless as possible. Our on-site musculoskeletal ultrasound expert offers same-day diagnosis so you can begin treatment right away.

Our team works with your employer to identify work tasks that are appropriate while you heal. Our occupational health specialists partner with your employer to get you back to work safely.