General Info

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1. How can I make an appointment?

   To make an appointment with our office you can use this website or you can call. We sure would appreciate you using the website. Simply click the “Request appointment” button on the top of any page, fill out a request form and we will contact you and try to work around your schedule. Please allow up to 24 hours for our staff to contact you once the request is submitted. Thank you.

2. How do I get a refill on my medication?

   In order to refill your medication, we ask that you contact your pharmacist or pharmacy. Please ask them to fax a request to our office and we will be happy to refill the prescription if it is the appropriate time. For more information or help with your prescription refill, please contact our staff.

3. How do I ice my injury?

   A lot of patients ask about how to ice an injury. There are two ways to ice an injury. The first is the traditional use of a cold pack, a bag of peas, or a compression device. Typically this is 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, being careful not to burn the skin with the cold icepack. The second is the use of an ice cup. Often a Styrofoam or Dixie cup is filled with water and placed in the freezer. Once it is hard, remove the top of the ice cup. Hold the base of it over the injured area for five minutes . This will typically freeze it enough to provide some relief.

4. What is a MRI?

   MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is similar to an x-ray. Although it does not involve radiation. It gives us a very accurate picture inside your hand. X-rays are used to look at bones, however most injuries involve the muscles, tendons, ligaments, or even cartilage. MRI gives us an opportunity to look at these structures.

5. What is cortisone and when does the cortisone kick in?

   I may recommend cortisone for your hand,elbow, or shoulder. Cortisone is a very strong anti-inflammatory, almost like a super Ibuprofen. The difference is that it is injected right into the joint. Typically this includes numbing medication that works immediately in the injuried area. It actually helps us make a diagnosis. Then it will wear off in four to five hours. You may be sore for a couple of days. The cortisone will take effect in three to five days, and typically will take up to two weeks to have its maximum effect.

6. Will a cortisone shot hurt?

   A lot of patients ask me if a cortisone injection will hurt. The answer is yes. However, it is nothing like what you hear. The rumors about cortisone shots are that it is going to hurt really bad, and I can tell you, with the use of numbing medication and a cold spray at times, the cortisone injection will certainty be bearable.

7. Will I need X-rays?

   When making your appointment, you may have a question as to whether you need X-rays, MRI, CAT scan, or other testing. It is very important that, if you have had any of these tests, you bring them with you. Do not just bring a report from the radiologist or radiology center. We’ll obtain X-rays here in the office, and if necessary, recommend an MRI. If your insurance company allows, we may be able to perform that MRI right here in the office and review it together.

8. What Results Can I Expect?

   Our goal as hand surgeons is to take a hand that has been injured by trauma or disease and restore that hand to is maximal functional potential. It is specialized training, skill and experience that allows us to do everything necessary to achieve this goal. If such steps are taken, we can restore the hand to as close as perfect as possible. It is very important for the patient to understand that it simply may not be possible to achieve a perfect result and have a hand that appears and functions as though there was never a problem. We do not have the power to turn back the hands of time as if the injury never happened, but we do have the skills to provide you with the best hand surgical care available anywhere. Simply put, years of training, experience and thousands of hand surgical cases have taught us what to do and how to do it. Failure to seek out the appropriate specialist to perform the operation or failure to follow postoperative instructions, in effect, ensures the hand will not function as well as if the appropriate treatment is received and instructions are followed. Most hand operations require the patient to take an active role, following surgery, in the rehabilitation of the hand. If the patient does not understand this and does not understand the concept of a realistic expectation, then frustration and dissatisfaction is inevitable. This is not to say that the patient should not have high expectations. In fact, an ideal patient has a good understanding of the severity of the problem, high expectations and a high degree of motivation. These patients receive the best postoperative result and are appreciative of the surgeon and, indeed, the surgeon is appreciative of such patients.

9. Achieving Maximal Functional Results

   The goal of hand surgery is to achieve a maximal functional result after treatment of an injury or treatment of a diseased hand. An absolutely perfect hand is not always a realistic expectation as it may not be possible to obtain such a result. The hand surgeon and hand therapist work together with the patient to take all the necessary steps to achieve a maximal functional result and make the hand as perfect as is possible. In order to obtain this maximal functional result, the patient’s cooperation is absolutely mandatory and instructions of the surgeon and therapist must be followed precisely. The time required to reach a point of maximal improvement (length of recovery) depends on the particular procedure performed and also varies from patient to patient. The normal physiologic response to surgery is an inflammatory response that peaks between the fourth and sixth week after surgery. At this time scar tissue and wound tenderness is usually at its peak. Some patients have a more vigorous inflammatory response than others; these patients tend to form more scar tissue, have more joint stiffness, require more intensive therapy, and take longer to recover fully. It is important for the patient to understand this prior to surgery so the patient will not have the unrealistic expectation of having a fully recovered, perfect hand shortly after surgery. As long as the recovery process is continuing, the hand will not function normally and one cannot engage in normal day-to-day activities. Again, the best possible result is achieved when the surgeon, hand therapist and patient all work together to do everything appropriately to make the hand function perfectly or as close to perfect as is reasonably possible.