A fracture within the complex hand structures should be correctly diagnosed in order to provide the right treatment. Poor diagnosis or incorrect treatment may result in reduced function, long-term discomfort and even deformity. Hand surgery may be necessary to repair fractures of the hand, wrist or arm in extreme cases.

Dr. Asaf Yalif is a board certified hand surgeon as well as plastic surgeon providing cutting edge treatments for the hand and upper extremity. Patients in Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and surrounding locations have an opportunity to receive treatments from Dr. Yalif.

Classification of Fractures

Fractures of the hand may be classified by the angle of force placed on the bone or by the severity of the deformity occurring in the bone.

Displaced

In this case, the bone snaps in two and the fractured ends are in alignment.

Non-displaced

The bone is cracked, but still maintains a straight alignment at the broken ends.

Closed/Simple

The fracture remains confined within the body and does not penetrate through the skin.

Open/Compound

The fracture causes the skin to puncture, which significantly increases the risk of infection.

Comminuted

In this fracture, the bone is broken into multiple piece.

Buckle Fracture

In this case, the ends of the bone are driven into each other, creating compression in the bone.

Stress Fracture

This refers to a hairline crack on the bone.

Dr. Yalif has the necessary training and expertise in cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and hand surgery to provide effective solutions for hand fractures to patients in Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and nearby areas.

Common Fractures of the Arm, Hand and Wrist

The majority of fractures related to the arm, hand and wrist come under the following key categories:

Distal Radius Fracture (Colles’ Fracture)

This fracture is usually caused when a person falls onto the outstretched arm. It leads to a break in the radius or forearm bone, usually about an inch above the wrist. An intra-articular fracture will extend into the joint, while an extra-articular fracture will not.

Distal Ulna Fracture

This fracture is similar to a distal radius fracture, but it involves a fracture of the ulna, which is the second forearm bone.

Fracture of the Finger

Even a minor fracture of the finger should be treated in a timely manner to avoid risks such as long-term stiffness, misalignment, pain and impairment of function.

Hand Fracture

Long bones of the hand, known as the metacarpals, may break to cause a fracture that accounts for one-third of all hand fractures. A ‘boxer’s fracture’ may occur in the fifth bone of the hand leading to the little finger.

Scaphoid Fracture

The scaphoid is a small wrist bone, located where the wrist is bending on the thumb side. This fracture may commonly occur when a person falls onto the palm of the hand.

Thumb Fracture

The thumb has vital role in the function of the hand, which makes it important to address even small thumb injury quickly. Thumb injuries can also increase the risk of arthritis. Thumb is made up of several tiny bones, and most severe fractures of the thumb usually occur near the joints.

For more information about the plastic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Asaf Yalif please call us at 404.822.4402 or click here to schedule a consultation. Offices located in Atlanta, Roswell, and Woodstock, Georgia.

Repetitive motion injuries are among the most common injuries, which typically worsen due to the repetitive actions of everyday life. Particularly, with the widespread use of computers and mobile devices, the incidence of repetitive hand motion injuries has gone up. In extreme cases, hand surgery may have to be performed to correct these injuries.

Repetitive hand motion injuries may also occur due to simple actions such as scrubbing a floor or throwing a ball. More than half of all athletic-related injuries arise due to repetitive motion. Dr. Asaf Yalif is a qualified hand surgeon and plastic surgeon providing treatments for repetitive hand motion injuries to patients in Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and surrounding locations.

Types of Repetitive Hand Motion Injuries

Tendinitis and bursitis are the two most commonly types of repetitive hand motion injuries. It can be difficult to distinguish between these disorders and in many cases they may occur at the same time.

Tendinitis

A tendon is fibrous tissue connecting the muscle to bone. It enables movement in the joints in every part of the body. When an inflammation occurs in the tendon, it is a case of tendinitis. Elbow, such as a tennis elbow, and biceps and shoulders are common sites for tendinitis.

The inflammation usually takes place at the site of insertion into the bone. Tendons run through a lubricating sheath, which may also get inflamed. This condition is called tenosynovitis. Tenosynovitis is very similar to tendinitis, and is treated in a similar way.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, the most common compression nerve disorder, may occur due to tenosynovitis of the wrist. However, this cause-effect relationship has not been conclusively established. Dr. Yalif is a cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and hand surgery expert providing treatments for tendinitis to patients in Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and nearby areas.

Bursitis

A bursa is a tiny sac or pouch present in an area where friction may occur and serves to lubricate or cushion the area between the bone and tendon. Inflammation of a bursa sac is known as bursitis. The elbow is one of the common areas where bursitis can occur. Bursitis may be traumatic, gouty or infectious in nature. Repetitive motion injuries are usually involved with traumatic bursitis. This is the most common type of bursitis among people below 35 years.

Causes of Repetitive Hand Motion Injuries

These injuries occur due to microscopic tears in the tissue. When the body fails to repair the tears as fast as they occur, it will create inflammation, and lead to pain. Repetitive activity, trauma, friction, systemic disease, and crystal deposits are the common causes of repetitive hand motion injuries. The hand surgeon will determine the precise cause before recommending appropriate treatment for these injuries.

Symptoms of Repetitive Hand Motion Injuries

Tendinitis: Pain over the injury site is the most common symptom associated with tendinitis. The skin overlying the inflamed tendon may become warm and red.

Biceps: The painful spot may be in the groove where the arm meets the shoulder.

Tennis elbow: This pain is in the elbow and is reproduced by extending the wrist.

Bursitis: Common symptoms include pain, tenderness, redness, swelling, and decreased range of motion over the affected area.

For more information about the plastic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Asaf Yalif please call us at 404.822.4402 or click here to schedule a consultation. Offices located in Atlanta, Roswell, and Woodstock, Georgia.

Pain is a symptom that informs a person that there is a problem in the body. It is never a good idea to ignore this signal. In case of arthritis, the pain is usually concentrated in the joint areas. This pain can be dull, sharp, stinging, or giving a feeling of tightness with significant discomfort.

Dr. Asaf Yalif  is a cosmetic surgery and hand surgery expert providing treatments for a wide range of conditions, including arthritis pain. Dr. Yalif is a board certified plastic surgeon as well as hand surgeon receiving patients from Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and surrounding locations.

Key Causes of Joint Pain

Some of the common causes of joint pain include the following:

• Inflammation occurring in the tissues in the joints, which could be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis
• The cartilage becoming worn off and the lubricating fluid in the joint getting depleted, which will result in the bones rubbing against each other with every movement – a sign of osteoarthritis
• Build-up of uric acid crystals in the joint, causing inflammation – a sign of gout

The patient should get in touch with a surgeon or another medical professional with experience in addressing pain conditions related to arthritis.

Acute Arthritis Pain

Acute pain arising due to any reason will usually last for a short while. This could be anything ranging from a few seconds when a person gets burned or injured, to a few weeks, as in a back strain. The treatment for acute pain is primarily pain relieving medications such as opioids, analgesics or NSAIDs. In arthritis and related conditions, acute pain will occur during flare-ups when the disease is highly active.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain lasts longer and occurs persistently for at least three to six months. In some cases, the chronic pain will last for a lifetime. Most arthritic pain is chronic. The cause of this pain in rheumatoid and other inflammatory types of arthritis is ongoing inflammation. This could be a result of the immune system attacking the body’s own tissue. In osteoarthritis, this pain is caused due to mechanical damage to the affected bones.

Chronic pain over time can produce neurological changes, which can make the pain increasingly rooted and more difficult to treat. The continuing inflammation and the damaged created by arthritis will make it hard for the body to switch off the pain response over time. This is the cause of ongoing in chronic arthritis patients even when the underlying issue has been treated.

This kind of pain may be treated with drugs that help maintain chemical balance in the brain. Anti-convulsants and anti-depressants are included in such drugs. Experienced hand surgeon and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Yalif provides arthritis pain treatments to patients in Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and nearby areas.

Body Weight

Excess body weight can make a significant impact on the degree of pain a patient experiences from arthritis. The pressure on the joints increases due to extra body weight, particularly in the knee, feet, and hip areas. Losing weight can reduce stress on the joints and decrease pain.

For more information about the plastic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Asaf Yalif please call us at 404.822.4402 or click here to schedule a consultation. Offices located in Atlanta, Roswell, and Woodstock, Georgia.

Problems related to the hands or wrists may not always be addressed with cosmetic surgery, and may require specialized treatment. One such condition is wrist tendonitis, which is a common problem marked by inflammation and irritation of the tendons around the wrist joint.

Dr. Asaf Yalif is a trained hand surgeon as well as plastic surgeon providing cutting edge procedures to treatment conditions such as wrist tendonitis. Dr. Yalif provides these treatments to patients in Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and surrounding locations.

Where does it Occur?

Many tendons surround the wrist joint. Wrist tendonitis will generally occur in one of these tendons, but it may also involve multiple tendons in some cases. Wrist tendonitis often occurs at points where the tendons cross each other or pass over a bony area.

The tendon sheaths contain a fluid called synovial fluid. When this fluid becomes inflamed, the condition of tenosynovitis or tendonitis is created. Although any tendon can become symptomatic, but tendonitis usually occurs in a few specific tendons as an outcome of the anatomy and the specific hand-related activities an individual performs.

Symptoms

Pain in the wrist is the most common symptom of wrist tendonitis. Other key symptoms include:

• Swelling in the wrist area
• Redness and warmth of the tendons
• Grinding sensation when the tendons move

The hand surgery and plastic surgery expert will diagnose wrist tendonitis by identifying the characteristic signs. Depending on the specific tendon that is inflamed, the surgeon may perform tests that involve stretching of the specific tendons to locate the exact source of inflammation. Dr. Yalif receives patients from Atlanta, Roswell, Woodstock, and nearby areas for wrist tendonitis treatment.

Treatments

The provider may recommend an appropriate treatment plan to address the condition of wrist tendonitis:

Immobilization

The wrist may be placed in a cast or splint as a first step. When the painful tendon is rested, the inflammation will usually go down.

Ice Pack Application

Ice therapy may be used to cool inflammation and stimulate blood flow to the area of tendonitis. The earlier this treatment is start, the more effective it may be.

Anti-inflammatory Drugs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help to manage pain symptoms, and more importantly, help to treat the wrist tendonitis. The medications can reduce swelling and inflammation of the soft tissue.

Cortisone Injection

In case of a severe condition of wrist tendonitis, cortisone injections may be recommended. This is a powerful anti-inflammatory treatment that involves directly delivery of the medication into the site of inflammation. The extent of treatment should be carefully monitored because it has steroids.

Surgery

When all other treatment approaches prove to be ineffective in resolving the wrist tendonitis, surgery may be the only option left. Surgery can be used to release the area of tight tendon sheath that is causing the difficult and painful tendon movements.

Sometimes the surgeon may decide to remove the inflammatory tissue in order to create extra space for the tendon to move freely. Patients should also discuss with the surgeon about steps to prevent future flare-ups of wrist tendonitis.

For more information about the plastic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Asaf Yalif please call us at 404.822.4402 or click here to schedule a consultation. Offices located in Atlanta, Roswell, and Woodstock, Georgia.