Patient Education
What is a hand surgeon?
As a scientist and surgeon who has devoted his life to studying the hand, wrist, and forearm, I am always quite surprised to hear a patient say, "I have never heard of a hand surgeon! What do you do?"
Our hands serve many purposes. Hands help us eat, dress, write, earn a living, create art, and do many other activities. To do these activities, our hands require sensation and movement, such as joint motion, tendon gliding, and muscle contraction. Nerves have to fire, skin has to bend, bones have to be strong, and fingernails have to help us pick up small objects.
Hand surgeons are specialists who care for hand, wrist or arm joints, tendons, bones, muscles, nerves, skin and fingernails.
What I do is help you return your arm to normal function as fast as possible. I have had many years of specialized training in medicine. Along the way, I have had to pass rigorous exams in medicine, orthopedics, and hand surgery.
There is no other physician or health care provider who has had the specialized training and passed the rigorous exams that a true hand surgeon has.