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Hand Conditions
Steps to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome include the following:
- Stop any activity that you think may be causing finger, hand, or wrist numbness or pain.
- Use hand and wrist movements that spread the pressure and motion evenly throughout your hand and wrist.
- Switch hands and change positions often when you are doing repeated motions.
- Take breaks and rest your hands.
- Do exercises to flex and stretch your hands and wrists before work.
- Use correct posture.
- Avoid using too much salt if you tend to retain fluid.
- Wear a wrist splint to reduce the stress on your fingers, hand, or wrist at times when you cannot control your wrist motion, such as while sleeping.
- Keeping your arm, hand, and finger muscles strong and flexible, and maintaining good overall fitness will also help prevent the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you feel that certain work activities are causing finger, hand, or wrist numbness or pain, call your human resources department for information about different ways of doing your job, changes in your equipment, other job assignments, or the possibility of an ergonomics evaluation of your work space and procedures.
In daily routines at home or hobbies, consider changing activities in which you make repeated finger, hand, or wrist movements. Train yourself to use other techniques that will not stress your hand or wrist.
Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff tendon usually involves:
- Debridement, which includes removing loose fragments of tendon and bursa and other debris from inside the irritated, injured, or torn area of the subacromial space.
- Making more room in the subacromial space so that the rotator cuff tendon is not pinched or irritated. If necessary, this process may include shaving bone or removing growths on the upper point of the shoulder blade.
- Sewing the torn edges of the supraspinatus tendon together to the top of the upper arm bone (humerus).
- Open-shoulder surgery involves a surgeon making a larger incision in the shoulder, 2 in. (5 cm) to 3 in. (7.6 cm), to open it and directly view it as it is repaired.
Complete tears can sometimes be repaired with arthroscopic surgery. However, most surgeons prefer to use open surgery to repair rotator cuff tears. One open-surgery technique, sometimes called "mini-open," allows the doctor to reach the affected tendon by making a small incision to split the deltoid muscle. This method is less invasive and takes less time to heal than the traditional type of open surgery, in which the doctor detaches the deltoid muscle from the upper edge of the shoulder blade (acromion) and reattaches it after the repair, because it takes more time for the deltoid muscle to heal after open surgery. General anesthesia or a nerve block are used for these types of surgical repair. Open-shoulder surgery often requires a short stay in the hospital.
What to Expect After Surgery:
- Discomfort after surgery may decrease with taking pain medications prescribed by your doctor.
- The arm may be protected in a sling, especially when at risk of additional injury.
Virtual Classroom Content Copyright (c) 2006, MDNetlink.com. All rights reserved.
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
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