Hand Conditions and Deformities (Subscribe)  

New Orleans Citywide Rounds A Physician With Osteomyelitis from Infections in Medicine ® 2001 Melissa Wynn, MD, Richard J. Wallace, Jr, MD, Katherine Baumgarten, MD, and Julia Garcia Diaz, MD, Introduction A 51-year-old male physician, previously healthy, was admitted for evaluation and treatment of an infected wrist. Initially, a papule had developed on his right...

Thumb basal joint arthritis is a common condition which often affects both hands. It is painless in some people, but others have great difficulty because of pain and weakness of pinch. Over time, the thumb may draw into the palm and be compensated by stretching and hyperextending the adjacent metacarpophalangeal joint.

There are many variations on the procedure of soft tissue basal joint arthroplasty. In this case, the abductor pollicis longus tendon is split with a custom tendon stripper and used as a distally based graft for ligament reconstruction and interposition.

This woman in her 30's presented with left wrist pain and was found to have inflammatory osteoarthritic changes throughout her wrist, distal radioulnar joint and thumb basal joint. Blood tests were normal, including rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, sedimentation rate, uric acid, and complete blood count. She was treated with nonsteroidal...

Clinical photographs of osteoarthritis hands and digits

Benign tumors of the hand may be categorized using the different anatomic subunits of the hand. Each subunit has potential for disease processes and abnormal growth. Notably, the musculoskeletal, vascular, osseous, perionychial, cutaneous, and soft tissue elements can develop benign lesions that may manifest as localized masses of the hand....

These (physio) lab problems are designed to help students review hand anatomy, to relate their existing knowledge to functional considerations, and to introduce new material.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Rehabilitation Sciences 2001

Although our understanding of human anatomy has grown rapidly, the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) remains one of the least understood joints in the body. Problems of the DRUJ have been called by Palmer as the "low back pain of the wrist". Over the last 15 years, there has been a...

Forearm rotation and stability depend on the normal anatomic relationships about the radioulnar joints (distal and proximal), the interosseous membrane, and the shape of the forearm bones. Injuries to any of these structures result in pain, decreased strength, limited range of motion, and loss of forearm function. This article discusses...

Index to cases presented on eHand

Felons are closed-space infections of the fingertip pulp.
Fingertip pulp is divided into numerous small compartments by vertical septa that stabilize the pad. Infection occurring within these compartments can lead to abscess formation, edema, and rapid development of increased pressure in a closed space. This increased pressure may compromise blood flow...

Major resource on hand and wrist conditions. Requires registration.

In 1939, Kanavel, author of the landmark Infections of the Hand, observed, "In almost all cases of serious infection the difficulty is to make a correct diagnosis both as to the nature of the infection and the position of the pus." Specific infections covered in this article include paronychia, felon,...

Hand infections can vary from routine problems (treated with oral antibiotics, immobilization, and limited incision and drainage)1 to catastrophic surgical emergencies (resulting in significant compromise of hand function). The purpose of this article is to provide a systematic approach to the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of hand infections.
Synonyms and related...

Most hand infections are bacterial and are the result of minor wounds that have been neglected. Human bite wounds are the second most common cause of hand infections. Hematogenous spread of infection from other sites to the hand is rare but can occur. A complete history and physical examination is...