If you think that you have a hand condition, the best thing for you to do is get some treatment right away. The earlier that you catch problems with your hand, the better chance you have of correcting them with fewer problems. When you visit hand surgeons to get an evaluation of your hand problem, you may have to go through certain tests. Before you do, though, you're going to be asked to describe the pain in your hand in as much detail as possible. It's important that you take this seriously, as it will help your doctors figure out what is wrong with you.
One of the first things that your hand doctors will do when they are evaluating you will be to do a physical exam. During one of these exams, your hands, wrist, and arms will be examined thoroughly. Doing so is a means of ruling out other conditions that could mimic the signs of carpal tunnel. Your wrists and hands will be examined to see if they are tender or swollen as well as checked for discoloration and warmth. This physical exam is really important in helping your doctors determine the cause of your pain.
There are a variety of other tests that your doctor might use in order to determine if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. One of the more popular tests is called a tinel test. This is where you doctor will tap on the median nerve, the nerve responsible for carpal tunnel pain, to see if it produces any kind of tingling in your hand or fingers. If it does, then this is usually a good indicator that you have carpal tunnel. If it's confirmed, your hand surgeons will move on to treatment ideas.
When it's confirmed that you do have carpal tunnel, your hand surgeons are going to determine whether or not you need surgery to deal with the condition. This is really going to depend on the severity of your condition and whether or not you have ever tried other treatments. Surgery is not always going to be necessary, but it is something that could be recommended. You just need to be open to your doctors' suggestions, as they will have your best interest at heart. Visit the Brown Hand Center today to get the best treatment possible and make your hand issues go away for good.
Michael G. Brown, M.D., Founder (retired) is internationally acclaimed for his patented BROWN PROCEDURE (expired) for carpal tunnel as reported in the prestigious Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has personally trained others in his techniques and is devoted to ongoing philanthropy, teaching and helping those in need receive proper medical care.