Your body’s hands and wrists are delicate areas. They contain an
intricate network of nerves and blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, muscles,
and bones. Hand and wrist conditions cause pain, loss of sensation, loss
of movement, and impaired function that dramatically impact the activities
of your daily life. Since there are many structures in your hand and wrist
region, disorders must be dealt with carefully.
Dr. Potter is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at ValleyOrtho and has
specialized training for the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of wrist
and hand problems. Through a broad spectrum of hand and wrist care, both
surgical and non-surgical, Dr. Potter and his team help patients return
to work, sports, and daily life as quickly as possible.
Some of the common hand and wrist conditions we treat:
Fractures and traumatic injuries of the hand, wrist and elbow
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Arthritis of the hand, wrist and elbow
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
Dupuytren’s Contracture
Trigger finger
Ganglion Cysts
Ligament tears of the wrist/hand, such as skier’s thumb
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that often causes numbness and tingling
in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger.
These symptoms are caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist
level. Along with sensation changes, the muscles around the thumb can
weaken and patients can sometimes lose the ability to grasp small objects
or sense the difference between hot and cold temperatures.
Trigger finger or trigger thumb occurs when a tendon in a finger or thumb
becomes inflamed. A ligamentous strap, called a pulley, holds the tendon
close to the bone similar to how a fishing line is held on a fishing rod.
Locking and catching can occur when the pulley becomes too thick and the
tendon develops a bump on it that prevents the tendon from gliding through
the pulley smoothly.
Dupuytren’s disease causes tissue under the skin in the palm of the
hand, called the palmar fascia to get thicker and tighter. This can cause
fingers to bend in toward the palm causing functional limitations. It
most often affects the ring and small fingers and may be in both hands.
A ganglion is a small sac (cyst) filled with clear, jellylike fluid that
often appears as a bump on the hands and wrists. Ganglion cysts are usually
small and round and can feel soft, firm or rubbery to the touch.
Most patients notice that the cysts appear suddenly. They may grow as activity
increases because more fluid collects in the sac. Ganglion cysts are not
cancerous.
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