Hand & Wrist Care in Albert Lea
Dexterity — the ability to perform tasks with your hands — is important for quality of life and independence. Whether you’re working at a desk, renovating homes or enjoying athletic activities, fully functioning hands and wrists are essential. You shouldn’t have to live with discomfort, pain or limitations from arthritis, carpal tunnel, fractures, sprains or strains. You can get back to living with a little help from caring, compassionate, technically skilled orthopedic experts.
Our orthopedics and sports medicine team features hand and wrist specialists. These highly trained, knowledgeable surgeons are able to identify and treat conditions of the hand and wrist, including the following:
- Arthritis
- Broken hand
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Dupuytren's contracture
- Nerve lacerations
- Tendinopathies
Arthritis
Do you have swelling, pain and reduced motion in your hands and wrists? If you answer yes to this question, you may be suffering from arthritis. Our trained staff can help effectively manage your arthritis symptoms with medical and surgical therapies.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Using your hands and fingers is something you likely do without thinking, until numbness and tingling occur, which can prevent you from performing daily tasks. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when you have a pinched nerve in your wrist. If splinting and rest haven't helped, our experts will recommend surgery options to restore function in your hands and fingers.
- Carpal tunnel anatomy – A passageway from the wrist to the hand, the carpal tunnel is made of tendons, ligaments and bones. The median nerve passes through the tunnel and provides sensation to your thumb, index finger, middle finger and the thumb-side of the ring finger.
- Carpal tunnel release – During carpal tunnel release, a surgeon makes an incision in the palm of your hand over the carpal tunnel ligament and cuts through the ligament to relieve pressure on the median nerve. The surgery may be done by making one incision on the palm side of the wrist, or by making several small incisions.
Dupuytren's contracture
Breaking your hand or wrist can happen easily during a fall, especially if your bones are thin and fragile from osteoporosis. It’s important to come see us right away if you have a fracture so that we can minimize your pain and get you back to normal function as quickly as possible.
Nerve lacerations
Your peripheral nerves are fragile and easily injured during trauma. If you had an injury that caused a laceration, you will feel numbness, weakness or tingling. If your nerve is lacerated or divided in two, our expert surgeons will reconnect the nerve ends.
Tendinopathies
Inflammation of a tendon can occur in any part of your body, which causes tenderness and pain with any movement you make in that area. If you've tried rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers and are still experiencing pain, we can help. Our skilled providers will talk with you to decide if a steroid injection or surgery is best to relieve your pain and prevent further injury. Conditions that can result from tendonitis include trigger finger and De Quervain's tenosynovitis.
- Trigger finger – Trigger finger generally results from inflammation within a tendon sheath, restricting tendon motion. A bump (nodule) also may form.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitis – A test called the Finkelstein test can help your doctor confirm de Quervain's tenosynovitis. To do this test, first bend your thumb down across the palm of your hand, covering your thumb with your fingers. Next, bend your wrist toward your little finger. If this causes pain, there is a chance you may have de Quervain's tenosynovitis.
