Hand Surgery

Why choose UCLA Health for hand surgery?

Our Hand Center is a multispecialty collaboration between our hand surgeons in orthopaedic surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery. We specialize in diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating patients who have hand injuries or disorders.

Highlights of our program include:

Coordinated care: At the first visit, each patient meets with a hand surgeon and undergoes specialized testing. From there, we coordinate care with any other necessary subspecialists, such as radiologists, rheumatologists, neurologists or pediatricians. You meet with all these specialists in one convenient visit.

Improved outcomes: Our team works with multiple specialists and offers specialized hand clinics to optimize outcomes. For example, we have a dedicated hand therapist who works with patients after surgery. You return to the same center for hand therapy, increasing ease of access and care coordination.

Highly ranked care: The UCLA Health emergency center is a Level 1 trauma center where we treat patients with hand injuries. We also provide care at outpatient hand clinics. Our hand specialists constantly work to improve care, especially for difficult diagnostic or reconstructive cases.

Our specialties

Our hand surgeons work with multiple experts to offer specialized consultations for:

Children’s congenital hand anomalies: This team includes a hand surgeon, pediatrician, geneticist, social worker, occupational therapist and prosthetist. We offer comprehensive diagnosis and surgical reconstruction.

Hand arthritis: A hand surgeon, hand therapist and rheumatologist work side-by-side to evaluate patients with arthritis. We help restore function through medical treatment, splinting or surgical reconstruction.

Peripheral nerve injuries and brachial plexus: Our hand surgeons and neurologists work together to diagnose and treat patients with peripheral nerve injuries of the shoulder, arm and hand. We may offer nerve grafting or tendon transfers.

Wrist pain: Hand surgeons and radiologists work closely to offer a full spectrum of imaging techniques. We perform a comprehensive evaluation to find the source of wrist pain and offer treatment to bring relief.

Conditions hand specialists treat

We perform all types of hand surgery for complex and traumatic injuries, including:  

Dislocations: Occurs when one of the wrist or hand bones is forced out of its usual position, potentially damaging surrounding tissue and nerves

Extensor tendon injuries: Injuries to the bands of connective tissue that run along the top of the hand and wrist, often caused by a cut on the back of the hand or a jammed finger

Flexor tendon injuries: Injuries to the bands of connective tissue that run across the wrist and palm, often caused by a cut on the palm side of the forearm, wrist or hand

Fractures: Any break in the bones of the forearm, wrist or hand

Peripheral nerve injuries: Damage to the nerves that carry information between the brain and the arms and hands

We also care for patients with ongoing (chronic) conditions, including:

Arthritis: Inflammation and tenderness in one or more joints, possibly caused by an autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis) or cartilage deterioration (osteoarthritis)

Carpal tunnel syndrome: Compression of the median nerve, which runs through the passageway in the wrist and palm side of the hand (carpal tunnel)   

Congenital hand deformities: Any irregularity in the hands or fingers that’s present at birth

Cubital tunnel syndrome: Compression or stretching of the ulnar nerve, which runs from the elbow through the forearm and hand

Dupuytren’s contracture: Gradual thickening of the skin in the palm of the hand, eventually leading to one or multiple fingers contracting toward the palm

Radial tunnel syndrome: Compression of the radial nerve, which starts in the neck and runs through the arm

Tumors: Masses of irregular cells that grow uncontrollably and can be cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign)

Hand surgeries we offer

Our hand surgeons use advanced techniques that promote excellent outcomes. Surgeries we offer include: 

Amputation: Removing all or a portion of a finger or hand, often to keep a life-threatening infection from spreading

Fracture repair: Fixing a broken bone by placing pins, screws, plates or rods to hold the bone in place while it heals

Microsurgical replantation and revascularization: Reattaching an amputated hand or finger and restoring blood flow

Needle aponeurotomy: Straightening bent fingers due to Dupuytren’s contracture

Nerve decompression: Making an incision in a ligament to release pressure on nerves

Nerve grafting: Repairing a damaged nerve by taking a healthy nerve and rerouting it to the damaged one

Tendon transfers: Repairing a damaged tendon by replacing it with a working muscle and tendon from elsewhere in the body

Wrist arthroscopy: Inserting a tiny camera inside the wrist joint to examine or operate on tissues

Meet our team

Our hand surgeons use advanced, leading-edge techniques to treat a full range of hand injuries and conditions. We provide emergency and outpatient services, coordinating with multiple specialists to comprehensively care for patients.