Your hand,my expertise.

Go to the nearest emergency department immediately. Wrap the amputated part in gauze or a clean cloth moistened with saline or clean water, seal it in a plastic bag, and place that bag in ice water. Never put the part directly on ice. Press firmly on the wound to control bleeding. Replantation works best when done within hours.

Get help the same day for a finger or hand that has been cut off or crushed, a deep cut with numbness or a finger that will not bend, bleeding that does not stop with firm pressure, a finger that is pale, cold or blue, a bone that looks bent or is poking through the skin, and a red, swollen, throbbing finger or hand, especially after a bite or a puncture wound. These need treatment within hours, not days.

For any injury involving tendons, nerves or blood vessels, numbness or weakness in the hand, a finger that will not bend or straighten, or a fracture of the hand or wrist. Hand surgery is a dedicated subspecialty, and early specialist care often makes the difference in how well a hand recovers.

Please carry your previous reports, scans and prescriptions to every visit: X-rays, MRI or ultrasound images and their reports, nerve conduction study results, a list of your current medicines, and earlier surgical notes if you have had treatment before.

No. Many conditions, including early carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, De Quervain's and many fractures, respond well to splinting, hand therapy or injections. Surgery is recommended only when it offers a clearly better result.

It depends on the procedure: from a few days for a carpal tunnel release to several months for tendon or nerve repair. You will get a clear, week-by-week rehabilitation plan before surgery, not after it.

Press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth and keep the hand raised above the level of your heart. Do not put powder, turmeric or ointment on the wound. Then check whether every finger can bend and straighten and whether the skin beyond the cut feels normal. If a finger will not move or feels numb, a tendon or nerve may be cut. These are best repaired early, so see a hand surgeon the same day.

Yes. Many wrist fractures, including breaks of the scaphoid bone, still allow some movement. Pain at the base of the thumb or on the back of the wrist after a fall should be checked with an X-ray. A scaphoid fracture can be missed on the first X-ray, so if the pain continues you may be asked to wear a splint and have another scan.

No. Come as you are and bring any scans you already have. After examining your hand, the doctor will tell you whether a test is needed, and which one: an X-ray, ultrasound, MRI or nerve conduction study. This saves you from tests you don't need.

The tendon that bends the finger catches in its tunnel at the base of the finger, so the finger clicks, locks or gets stuck bent, often worse in the morning. Early cases usually improve with rest, a splint or a steroid injection. If it keeps coming back, a small procedure to release the tunnel usually fixes it for good.

This is usually mallet finger: the tendon that straightens the fingertip has torn or pulled off a small piece of bone. Most heal without surgery in a splint that keeps the tip straight, worn day and night for about six to eight weeks. Treatment works best when it starts early, so get it checked within a few days.

A common cause is arthritis of the joint where the thumb meets the wrist. It often starts with pain on pinching, opening jars or turning keys. Splints, hand therapy and injections help many people. When pain persists despite these, surgery can relieve it.

The most common cause is a ganglion cyst: a harmless, fluid-filled swelling that grows from a joint or tendon sheath and can change in size. Many need no treatment. If it hurts, presses on a nerve or bothers you, it can be drained or removed. Any lump should still be examined once, to be sure what it is.

This is often Dupuytren's contracture: thick cords form under the skin of the palm and slowly pull the ring and little fingers down. It is not painful and is not caused by injury. Treatment is considered when you can no longer lay your hand flat on a table or the bend gets in the way of daily life.

A common cause is De Quervain's tenosynovitis, a swelling of the tendons that move the thumb as they pass the wrist. It hurts to lift, grip or carry, and it is common in new mothers who lift a baby many times a day. Rest, a thumb splint and sometimes an injection settle most cases. A small release procedure helps if it does not.

Pain on this side, especially when turning a door handle or pushing up from a chair, often comes from the TFCC, a cartilage cushion in the wrist that can tear in a fall or wear with age. It is checked with an examination and often an MRI. Many tears settle with a splint and therapy; others are repaired by wrist arthroscopy (keyhole surgery).

Numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers that wakes you at night is a classic sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, when the median nerve is squeezed at the wrist. A night splint helps in early cases. If numbness becomes constant or the hand gets weak, a short carpal tunnel release relieves the pressure before the nerve is damaged.

This points to cubital tunnel syndrome: the ulnar nerve, the "funny bone" nerve, is pressed or stretched at the inner elbow. Avoiding leaning on the elbow and keeping it straighter at night often helps. Weakness or wasting of the hand muscles is a reason to be seen soon, as surgery may be needed to free the nerve.

The most common cause is tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), a strain of the tendons that lift the wrist, where they attach at the elbow. Despite the name, most people who get it do not play tennis; it comes from repeated gripping and lifting. Resting from the activity that causes it, stretching and strengthening exercises, and a forearm strap help most people within a few months.

The elbow stiffens more easily than most joints, so early, guided movement matters. Many fractures are fixed so that you can start moving the elbow within days. If an elbow is already stiff after an old injury, therapy, splints or a release operation can often bring back useful movement.

Surgery performed under an operating microscope with very fine instruments and sutures, used to rejoin blood vessels and nerves that can be less than a millimetre wide. It makes replantation, nerve repair and tissue reconstruction possible.

That depends on the operation. Many hand procedures are done with only the hand or arm numbed, so you are awake but feel no pain. Longer operations may need a general anaesthetic. The type of anaesthesia is decided with you before surgery.

Tendons, joints and scars in the hand stiffen quickly if they are not moved the right way at the right time. Hand therapy, with exercises, splints and scar care, protects the repair while bringing back movement and strength. Following the plan often matters as much as the operation itself.

Desk work is often possible within days of a small procedure, while manual work and driving usually wait until you have a safe, firm grip, which can take a few weeks after a fracture or tendon repair. You will be given a timeline for your own operation and job.

Timing depends on the condition. Many differences present from birth, such as joined or extra fingers, are treated in the first two years, while the hand is developing. An early visit, even in the first months of life, lets the treatment be planned at the right age.