Hand Surgery

[00:00:07.160] So in-office surgery is just regular surgery. [00:00:10.360] We just do it here in the office. [00:00:12.320] Rather than putting you to sleep and putting your brain to sleep, [00:00:15.760] we just put your hand to sleep. [00:00:17.560] It allows us to do the exact same thing [00:00:19.840] we would do in the surgery center or in the hospital, [00:00:24.040] but we get to do it here in the office. [00:00:26.040] So patients come to me asking about in-office surgery [00:00:28.960] for several different reasons. [00:00:30.760] Usually it's numbness in their fingers or numbness and pain in their hand. [00:00:35.200] Sometimes a finger that's catching or locking or triggering, [00:00:38.880] and sometimes it's a bump on the back of the wrist [00:00:41.440] or the front side of the wrist, [00:00:42.920] or even a bump on the tip of the finger. [00:00:45.160] And those patients asking about in-office surgery [00:00:47.960] are pleasantly surprised when we tell them, [00:00:49.760] "Yes, we can do those surgeries here." [00:00:52.440] So when a patient comes in to be evaluated, [00:00:55.360] they come in, we have X-rays here, if we need to get those. [00:00:59.080] We gather all their medical records ahead of time [00:01:01.600] to make it as easy as possible and as simple as possible for them. [00:01:05.720] They have time with me where we look at their imaging, [00:01:08.960] we look at any test results they've had. [00:01:11.280] And I examine the patient in a very detailed way [00:01:14.120] to help make sure that we make the right diagnosis, [00:01:18.040] and then we come up with a personalized treatment plan for them. [00:01:21.160] So when a patient qualifies for surgery in the office, [00:01:24.880] we set them up with a particular date that works with their schedule. [00:01:29.080] They come in, they can drive themselves to the office. [00:01:33.280] They come into the office, we get them numbed up for the procedure. [00:01:37.240] Then we perform the procedure in our sterile procedure room. [00:01:41.320] Once that patient is done, we make sure that they feel all right [00:01:45.520] and they get up and they drive themselves home. [00:01:48.040] So after in-office surgery, [00:01:50.080] the patient can usually take off the dressing or bandage [00:01:53.560] in about two to three days. [00:01:55.640] After that, they can start taking a regular shower [00:01:58.800] and get back to daily activities as tolerated. [00:02:02.320] Now, depending on the surgery, they'll have more or less discomfort, [00:02:05.760] but it's exactly the same amount of pain [00:02:08.080] that you would experience after having that surgery and being asleep. [00:02:11.880] So the best way for patients to find out if they're candidates for treatment [00:02:15.760] is to come in and get evaluated. [00:02:18.120] There are lots of different questionnaires online that can help a patient identify [00:02:23.400] if they have a certain diagnosis or a certain problem, [00:02:27.080] but really, that one on one discussion and examination with the surgeon [00:02:31.720] is the absolute best way to find out what they have exactly [00:02:36.680] and if they would benefit from surgery.