Hand and Upper Limb Surgery

Hand and upper limb surgery covers the fingers, hand, wrist, forearm and elbow, and in many units the shoulder too. Hand surgeons come from orthopaedic or plastic surgery backgrounds and treat bone, tendon, nerve, vessel and skin problems together, often under a microscope.

Function of the hand depends on fine gliding of tendons and joints, so specialised hand therapy after surgery is as important as the operation. Many procedures are done awake under local anaesthetic as day cases.

Conditions this service looks after

• Carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome
• Trigger finger and De Quervain tenosynovitis
• Dupuytren contracture
• Thumb base arthritis
• Ganglion cysts and other hand lumps
• Wrist and finger fractures, including scaphoid non-union
• Cut tendons and nerves
• Wrist ligament injuries and TFCC tears
• Rheumatoid hand deformity
• Congenital hand differences and brachial plexus or peripheral nerve injuries

Tests you may be offered

• Hand examination: Sensation mapping, grip and pinch strength, tendon and ligament tests.
• X-rays: Fractures, arthritis and alignment of the wrist bones.
• Nerve conduction studies and EMG: Confirm and grade nerve compression.
• Ultrasound: Tendons, cysts and nerves, with moving assessment.
• MRI or CT: Scaphoid fractures, ligament tears and bone blood supply.
• Wrist arthroscopy: Both a diagnostic and a treatment tool for ligament and cartilage problems.

Treatments available

• Nerve decompression: Carpal and cubital tunnel release.
• Dupuytren treatment: Needle fasciotomy for mild cords, or fasciectomy for established contracture; recurrence over the years is common with either.
• Thumb base surgery: Trapeziectomy, with or without ligament reconstruction, or joint replacement in selected patients.
• Fracture fixation: Plates for distal radius fractures, screws for the scaphoid, with bone graft for non-union.
• Tendon repair, graft and transfer: Including transfers to restore function after nerve palsy.
• Nerve repair and grafting: Microsurgical repair of cut nerves; recovery is about 1 mm a day.
• Joint fusion or replacement: For arthritic finger and wrist joints.
• Hand therapy and splinting: Custom splints and exercise programmes before and after surgery.

When to ask for a specialist opinion

• Numbness or tingling in the fingers that wakes you at night
• A finger that catches or will not straighten
• Thumb base pain that makes opening jars or turning keys difficult
• Wrist pain persisting weeks after a fall, even if the first X-ray was normal
• Any cut to the hand with numbness or loss of finger movement

Travelling to Türkiye for this care

Short day case operations such as carpal tunnel, trigger finger and ganglion surgery fit a visit of 3 to 5 days. Dupuytren fasciectomy and thumb base surgery need splinting and hand therapy for 6 to 12 weeks, which must be booked at home. Fresh tendon and nerve injuries are emergencies to treat locally within days. Late reconstruction, such as tendon transfers or scaphoid non-union, can be planned abroad with long term therapy arranged in advance.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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