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Month: May 2017

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Conditions General Hands

Addressing Vascular Disorders in the Hand with Compression

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Most vascular disorders do not happen in the upper extremities. Most people have these disorders in their legs or in their feet. However, when vascular disorders do happen in your upper extremities, they are often serious and, if not quickly treated, can lead to lasting problems.

Your arteries are designed to bring oxygen-rich blood from your heart and send it to your hands and fingertips. The veins in your hands and fingertips then take that blood back to your heart so that it can be re-oxygenated and the process continues. In your wrist, there is a pair of arteries that have the job of providing oxygenated blood to your hands. If something causes these arteries to malfunction, you may need to address the vascular disorder using compression.

There are a number of vascular disorders that can affect your hand. The medical community has divided these into five primary groups. They include:

  • Traumatic
  • Occlusive
  • Tumors
  • Vasospastic
  • Compressive

When vascular problems affect your hands, you’re going to notice a number of symptoms. The primary symptom you will experience is pain. A less obvious symptom is a change in the color of your fingertips. When there’s a problem with the flow of blood to your hands, you may develop ulcers that do not heal on their own. Being in a cold environment may be unbearably painful, and you may have a constant sensation of numbness or tingling, especially in your fingertips. Some individuals will experience a localized swelling around the affected blood vessels. Compression treatment may be advised as a way of improving the blood flow in your hands.

Our doctor is going to be able to identify and evaluate the vascular problems that you have by doing a physical examination of you. He will also examine you to see if there are signs of swelling, if your veins are swollen and if there is any discoloration. He will likely check the temperature of your hands as well.

The most common cause for vascular disorders in the hand is trauma. For example, if you get stabbed in your hand with a knife, it may damage your blood vessel. Even a cut that appears to be minor or innocuous can lead to some serious damage.

The same applies to a blunt force injury. Depending on the location of the injury, your blood vessels may swell, which can lead to blood clots. The result of this is that blood will not be able to flow to your fingertips, making them turn white, making them cold and making them very painful. Other injuries that could lead to vascular problems in your hands may not be as serious, but can still prevent blood flow.

During a consultation at Arora Hand Surgery, Dr. Arora may talk to you about available compression therapies that are designed to encourage proper blood flow into your hand. The extent of the therapy you will need and the length of the treatment will vary depending on the injury you have experienced. Contact us today to book an appointment at our office in Warren, Macomb, Howell, or West Bloomfield.

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General Hands

Things to Consider When Treating Hand Injuries

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We use our hands for so many things. A lot of the actions that we do with our hands are automatic. We don’t even think about it. We will gesture or grab something before we even realized that we’ve done it. Just about every person on the planet will sustain some type of injury to their hand at some point in their life. As such, they start to consider their treatment options and want to know what to expect when treating hand injuries.

Some of the injuries that we can have in our hands are directly related to the frequency with which we use them or the motions that we perform with our hands. A lot of people have overuse injuries or wear and tear injuries. Most people will hurt their hands or hurt their fingers while they’re playing sports, engaging in recreation, while on the job, while doing repairs at home or if they fall.

When you play contact sports, your hands are usually the first part of your body to suffer an injury. This is because when you fall, you automatically put your hands out trying to protect yourself from the fall. Children hurt themselves either because of not being aware of their surroundings or because they stick their hands in places where they should not.

Since there are so many ways that you can hurt your hand, it is impossible to give an exhaustive list of treatments that are available, as well as what exactly to expect while treating hand injuries. In most cases, a hand or wrist injury is going to be treated by using first aid techniques. This includes using brace, a splint or, in some cases, a cast. Depending on the severity of your hand injury, our doctor may recommend that you visit a physical therapist. The goal of a physical therapist is to help you restore the mobility of your hand, the flexibility of your hand and its strength.

Depending on the location and the severity of the damage, treating hand injuries may include some form of surgery. Since we are prone to hurt our hands on a daily basis, some people ignore hand injuries, putting off going to the doctor for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, the longer you ignore a hand injury, the more severe the treatment needs to be. This underscores the importance of an individual visiting our office immediately after sustaining a serious hand injury.

During a consultation with Dr. Arora at Arora Hand Surgery, you can learn more information regarding what to expect when treating hand injuries. We have locations in West Bloomfield, Howell, Warren, and Macomb. Contact us today to book an appointment to learn about your treatment options!

Categories
Conditions General

Diagnosing Arthritis

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Diagnosing arthritis is not always a straightforward matter, for there are roughly 100 types. Our doctor will also want to rule out diseases that cause similar symptoms. Some unfortunate patients will even have more than one type, which further complicates matters.

What Will the Diagnosis Involve?

The first step involves taking a very detailed medical history. We will ask about the severity and duration of the symptoms. We will also ask about the patient’s family history and their health habits. We may also ask about the patient’s recreational or travel habits. Some contact sports, like soccer or basketball, involve quick turns that can lead to joint injuries. Similarly, we will also ask about the patient’s occupation and if it requires a lot of standing or repetitive motion.

After that will come a physical exam that will include a very detailed joint evaluation. Our doctor will make note of which joints appear swollen or otherwise abnormal. He will check the joints for range of motion and tenderness.

If our doctor can’t make a diagnosis based on the physical exam and medical history, he will probably order blood tests to look for antibodies or check the level of inflammation. He may also order imaging tests to get a better look at the affected joints. In most cases, he will order an X-ray, but he may order an MRI or ultrasound. Our doctor will look for cartilage loss, changes in the joint, inflammation, tears in soft tissues and other abnormalities.

What is Osteoarthritis?

This is the most common type of arthritis, and it is sometimes described as a “wear and tear” disease because it is generally caused by aging. As a person gets older, the cartilage at the ends of their bones starts to break down. There is, therefore, less cartilage to cushion the joints, and movement becomes painful.

Osteoarthritis can also be caused by obesity or joint injuries. Regardless of the cause, the symptoms associated with the condition include pain, stiffness, swollen joints and difficulty moving the affected joint. Unlike some other types, a patient with osteoarthritis does not feel ill or abnormally tired.

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

This is another common type of arthritis, and it is an autoimmune system disorder. For reasons still unknown to scientists, the immune system attacks and damages the joints. The resultant symptoms of pain, swollen joints and stiffness may develop suddenly or gradually. The patient may also feel tired and have a reduced appetite.

What is Psoriatic Arthritis?

This type is linked to the disease psoriasis, which is also an autoimmune disorder. Psoriasis affects the skin, and most patients with psoriatic arthritis develop the skin symptoms first. Patients with this type of the condition generally develop it when they are between 30 and 50 years old. They usually develop swollen toes and fingers.

Treating Your Condition

If you have arthritis, make an appointment at Arora Hand Surgery to learn about your treatment options. We have offices in West Bloomfield, Warren, Howell, and Macomb. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!

Categories
Conditions General Hands

Common Causes of Hand Problems in Children

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You cannot overestimate how important the human hand is when it comes to development and the ability to achieve and complete tasks. There are a lot of congenital defects that may affect a child’s hands. There are a few hand problems in children that are very common, and they range from minor issues to some that are major and may require the child to have some sort of surgical correction.

Congenital problems with the hands stem from something that went wrong as the child was developing in the mother’s womb. It is important to recognize that as a child is developing, there are thousands of different processes that are taking place at the same time for every part in the body.

Arm development begins somewhere between four to six weeks after pregnancy. Over time, signals are sent that lead to the development of the bones, muscles and tissues that eventually end up being the hand. If at any time during this process just one step is confused or just one step is thrown off, a congenital hand problem can develop.

Some of the more common hand problems in children include:

  • webbed fingers
  • fused fingers
  • missing hands or fingers
  • extra fingers
  • fetal band syndrome.

Many people are surprised to learn that just about one out of every 20 children is going to have some kind of hand problem. Many of these hand problems are so minor that doctors do not need to do anything to correct them. However, others are so severe that if doctors do not take immediate steps to correct them, they can lead to problems for the child down the road.

As an example, if a child has webbed or fused fingers, this can be easily fixed through surgery not too long after the child is born. Or if the child has an extra digit, in most cases, surgery can be used to correct this. Most congenital hand problems in children can be treated using some form of surgery.

When treating hand problems in children, the end goal is to help the child have as normal a life as possible. If your child has an issue with his or her hand(s), schedule a consultation at Arora Hand Surgery, with offices in West Bloomfield, Howell, Warren, and Macomb. Contact us today to book an appointment to learn about the available treatment options.

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Stories

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Dr. Aroras office from my first call to schedule my appointment was friendly. Walking in the first day, I felt like I was in a nice atmosphere. Dr. Arora was EXCELLENT in taking great care of my hand injury. He was gentle and very understanding to the concerns I had about my hand. His expertise was admirable and I would recommend anyone with an injury to their hand to his office to be under his care. Because of him, I have healed faster than expected and will make an 100% recovery! Thank you Dr.

Jackie S.

I first thought I was going to have to have painful injections or surgery, but Dr. Arora suggested physical therapy may do the trick. I was doubtful, but I agreed to do it. Now, my pain is gone, and with the help of an ergonomic keyboard at work to keep my hands in the correct position, I am virtually pain free. The therapy strengthened my wrists and shoulders, and built more flexibility into my wrists.

Jerry T.

My experience with this doctor was positive from the outset. Dr. Arora was kind and spent a great deal of time with me. Staff was friendly. The office was nice and bright.

Ariel G.

Very friendly and helpful Great staff!!! Doctor Arora was very professional and did great work. I was very happy with everything!

L B.