The hand contains a variety of functional structures in a tightly restricted space. A detailed clinical examination will clarify the cause of your complaints. Either the tentative diagnosis will be confirmed analytically or a precise diagnosis will require further examination. Following the clinical examination your physician will be in a position to assess whether further diagnostic examinations are necessary.

Once the diagnosis has been confirmed using the appropriate diagnostic tools, your physician will explain the nature of your disorder and inform you about its prognosis and associated treatment options. No therapy may be required, depending on the specific disorder (e.g. in case of a symptom-free ganglion). Conservative therapy options are often considered at the start of therapy. Depending on your symptoms, pain or inflammation management medication, special splints, ergotherapy or physiotherapy can be used.

Depending on the diagnosis, there are minimally invasive options such as puncture or cortisone infiltration as well as invasive surgical options such as endoscopic or open surgical procedures. The treatment consultation will give you insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the respective therapy option.

Before each therapeutic intervention, your physician will make sure that you have understood the explanation and that all your questions have been clarified. Once you have given your consent you will receive the appropriate therapy.

Conservative therapy

Depending on the clinical picture, there are very different treatment options. Therapeutic progress or success is monitored either in a standardised way – such as X-ray check-up of an immobilised fracture – or an optional way (e.g. after puncture of a ganglion). The aim of the check-ups is to reaffirm the healing process or improvement of symptoms, or otherwise to be able to assess or plan a change in therapy.

Surgery

Surgery is only considered useful if it is very likely to lead to a better functional result than conservative therapy. Surgery is a good option if its probable benefit greatly outweighs the risk involved (e.g. in the case of a severely displaced or open fracture or the severing of a nerve in a healthy patient).

The necessity of the surgical procedure is only relative if a less invasive measure is likely to lead to an equivalent therapy result or the surgical risk is high. You thus have the right to be properly informed before each surgical procedure: Before the operation your doctor will discuss with you in detail the type of procedure, its possible benefits and risks, the expected course of treatment, and possible alternative treatments. Your personal involvement is very important in ensuring that the healing proceeds as desired. As early as the planning stage, you will receive all important instructions, a list of foods rich in Vitamin C (PDF Vitamin C), the prescription of the medications recommended after the operation, and the planned check-up appointments.

You will also be given the ergotherapy prescription, if this is considered useful in your case. This gives you time to think everything over in peace before proceeding with surgery and prepare yourself in a relaxed manner. It is important that you accept the surgical procedure as a good solution to your problem and have no unaddressed doubts or questions. The surgical procedure itself is performed on an outpatient basis at Clinique Moncor or on an in-patient basis at the Daler Hospital or Clinique Générale.

Check-up appointments / termination

Your physician will evaluate the healing process or the success of treatment or rehabilitation during the check-up appointments following conservative or surgical therapy. This is where the above-mentioned diagnostic options come in:the detailed discussion about the course of therapy with your physician, the clinical examination and, if necessary, further examinations.

Your physician will inform you of his assessment as well as discussing the options for continuing therapy, a change of strategy or termination of therapy.

Therapeutic surgical post-operative care following a complication-free standard procedure, such as splitting the roof of the carpal tunnel (carpal tunnel syndrome), often ends with the removal of the sutures two weeks after surgery.

If you develop severe or painful scarring, please do not hesitate to contact us again in order to benefit from the therapeutic options for scar reduction.