Our specialty-trained hand doctors at North Louisiana Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Clinic are experts in providing experienced care for patients’ hand injuries and conditions.

Hand doctors not only understand the anatomy of the hand, but they also have significant knowledge about the underlying causes of hand issues. Because of this, they can help people who are experiencing hand pain by providing expert diagnosis and treatment options as well as educating them on actions to take to reduce the risk of future pain or injury.

While hand injuries due to one-time accidents are common and can happen to anyone, repetitive stress injuries are also a common reason that people seek out a hand doctor. Not surprisingly, the hand is at particular risk for repetitive stress injuries simply because of its high frequency of use. Office workers are one group that is at very high risk of injury since they use their fingers and hands constantly, including when they type on a computer, do file work, and perform similar tasks over and over.

Seniors are also in a higher risk category for hand pain because their hands have been in use for many years and some of the joints and structures have become worn. However, getting older does not automatically result in hand pain, and hand doctors can help younger patients with hand pain too.

When It’s Time to Seek Hand Care

Take note of the symptoms you are experiencing and communicate those to your doctor so they will have a better understanding of what may be happening. Here are just some of the symptoms that people with hand problems typically have:

• Decreased sensation in the fingers or thumbs
• Elbow pain that travels down to the wrist and hand
• Grinding sensations in the hand or finger joints (known as crepitus)
• Gripping or pinching causes pain
• Lump on the top of the hand
• Pain in the base of the thumb or wrist
• Straightening or stretching fingers is difficult
• Throbbing and aching pain
• Tingling in specific fingers
• Weakness

If any of these symptoms describe your issue, it’s possible that you may have one of these hand conditions or injuries:

• Broken finger
• Broken hand
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• CMC joint arthritis
• Dupuytren’s contracture
• Ganglion cyst
• Mallet finger
• Other hand or finger arthritis (rheumatoid or osteoarthritis)
• Tendon damage
• Trigger finger
• Type of nerve compression syndrome

Hand pain can have a negative effect on your life, leaving you unable to complete everyday tasks. If the pain and underlying condition remain untreated, there is a risk of further injury or damage occurring, which is why it’s imperative to contact one of our specialists and set up a consultation.