Do You Need a Hand Doctor?

If you are experiencing problems in your hands or wrists, you may need to schedule an appointment with a hand doctor. While some conditions or injuries can be handled by a regular general practitioner, others need the expertise of a specialist. These physicians have not only gone to medical school, they have had training in orthopedics, as well. Orthopedics is an area of medicine that deals with the skeletal system and all associated muscles, joints and ligaments. Orthopedists may focus on hips, spines, feet, hands or a combination of body areas. Because these appendages are so complicated and are used each and every day in daily living, if there is a problem with them, a specialist may need to step in and provide treatment. Here are some things to think about.

Broken Bones & Other Parts

There are multiple bones, ligaments and muscles in each hand. 29 bones, 123 ligaments and 34 muscles are involved in moving fingers, palms and wrists. Although muscles are needed to move each finger, the musculature is located in the palm and wrists rather than the digits. Fingers are controlled by tendons much like strings on a marionette. These humble muscles that control each finger and thumb are very strong, however. If a person had to, he or she could hold every pound of body weight up with his or her fingers. Think of people who've fallen off a cliff and hold on by the tips of these digits. "Holding on by one's fingernails" is a popular expression for good reason.

Injuries, Conditions & Deformities

Injuries and accidents in these body parts are so common that they make up 33% of all E.R. visits. Individuals suffer from many different conditions, as well, such as arthritis, tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Deformities aren't uncommon either. Babies are born with extra fingers, no thumb or webbed fingers. In fact, approximately 15% of birth defects involve this region of the body.

Unusual Body Parts

These amazing appendages are also a bit unusual. The skin on the palm, for example, doesn't tan like the rest of the body's skin. Fingernails have no feeling and all fingerprints are unique. This is why fingerprints are taken as a crucial identifying piece. Over time, age or too much hand washing can actually begin to erase a person's fingerprints, however.

How to Keep Them Safer

Since these body parts are so important to our daily life, it's important to take good care of them so that fewer trips to the hand doctor are necessary. Some preventative measures include avoiding repetitive movements, wearing gloves when working in the yard or using sharp tools such as construction equipment, being extremely mindful when cooking and using sharp knives and wearing sunscreen to protect the skin from developing cancerous lesions.

We may take them for granted until something goes wrong. From the time a person gets up in the morning to drink coffee, take a shower, brush teeth and drive to work, the hands are in constant motion. By the time bedtime rolls around, these body parts will have performed thousands of tasks. It's important to practice preventative measure to keep them safe and when something goes wrong, to see a hand doctor.