A wrist arthroscopy is surgery which is done using a small camera called an arthroscope, introducing it through minimal incisions in the skin. Normally, two incisions are made that allow the wrist doctor to view the entire joint on a television screen.

This technique also allows you to visualize the structures around the wrist joint (tendons, ligaments and nerves).

Wrist arthroscopy and endoscopy allow the cartilage of the wrist bones to be directly inspected. Through minimal incisions in the skin, arthroscopic instruments are introduced with which the lesions found can be repaired.

Arthroscopy is a non-aggressive technique, performed by the best wrist surgeons, that allows direct visualization of the joint. In this way, some pathologies of the hand and wrist can be diagnosed and treated more precisely.

Arthroscopy hand and wrist surgery

The wrist arthroscopy operation lasts between 15 and 60 minutes, depending on the complexity of the pathology being treated. It is performed using loco-regional anesthesia of the arm and, generally, the patient is discharged a few hours after the intervention or the next day.

Hand and wrist rehabilitation

Postoperative pain after wrist arthroscopy is mild and can be controlled with analgesics. Typically, the patient can regain mobility within a few days after wrist surgery.

As it is a minimally invasive technique, recovery is faster than in open surgery. It may be necessary to carry out some rehabilitation treatment sessions with a physiotherapist in a specialized center.

• Stiffness or restricted mobility of the wrist
• Fractures or loose joint bodies
• fibrocartilage lesions
• Injuries to the cartilage of the wrist bones
• Wrist osteoarthritis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tendon or nerve entrapments in the wrist
• Wrist or hand synovitis
• Rhizarthrosis

Wrist endoscopy is possible as long as the patient has not undergone a open carpal canal surgery. This surgical intervention is carried out by a wrist endoscopy specialist, which allows the patient to recover in a short period of time thanks to the fact that it is a minimally invasive technique.

This is an operation in which only local anesthesia is applied to the hand and hospital rest is not necessary after the operation.

This surgery is performed to release and relieve carpal tunnel. The endoscope is inserted through an incision that allows the exact location of the obstruction to be observed, to finally repair the damage caused with the appropriate surgical instruments.

One of the most common hand injuries is that of the metacarpal bone. In many cases, immobilizing the patient's joint is sufficient. However, on other occasions, it is necessary for the patient to undergo surgery.

What are the metacarpal bones of the hand?

The hand is made up of several groups of bones: distal phalanges, middle phalanges, proximal phalanges, metacarpals or metacarpals and carpals or carpus.

There are five metacarpal bones, one for each finger, this bone is the one that joins the proximal phalanges with the carpals. This bone has three parts: head, diaphysis and base.

Types of metacarpal fracture

Metacarpal fractures are classified based on the part of the bone where they are located. If it has occurred in the part of the knuckle, it is called a head fracture and if it is located below the knuckle, it is called a subcapital fracture. These two types are the most complex.

A fracture at the base of the finger would be a base fracture. The fracture located in the center of the metacarpal bone is called a diaphyseal fracture.

Fracture of the 5th metacarpal

This fracture occurs in the little finger of the hand, it is the most common of all since it is the one that usually occurs due to trauma. It is popularly known as the boxer fracture.

What metacarpal fractures usually require surgery?

Typically metacarpal fractures that require hand surgery are usually:

• Damaged
• Intra-articular
• open
• Spiroid
• Comminuted
• Subcapitals
• Irreducible fractures
• oblique

What is rhizarthrosis?

Rizarthrosis is a type of osteoarthritis that damages the trapezio-metacarpal (TMC) joint, located in the area of the thumb of the hand.
It is a degenerative alteration of the joint itself, and it affects the daily life of the patient who suffers from it, since it does not allow them to normally perform the action of joining the thumb with the fingers.

Cartilage can suffer degeneration due to various factors such as age or overexertion.

Symptoms of rhizarthrosis

• Intense and frequent pain in the thumb area.
• Swelling in the affected area.
• Impediment or difficulty in carrying out daily activities.
• Stiffness in the joint itself.
• Abnormal noises when moving the joint.

How to treat rhizarthrosis?

In conservative treatment, anti-inflammatories, physiotherapy and rehabilitation stand out.

There is also the surgical option, which consists of a minimally invasive intervention through arthroscopy or arthroplasty, performed by our team of pioneer specialists in this type of intervention.

Advantages of wrist and hand arthroscopy

The fundamental advantage over open surgery is the minimal aggression of the tissues in its approach. In addition, it provides a direct view of the joint, ligaments, tendons and nerves; which allows greater precision in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries.

The patient has a faster recovery with less postoperative wrist pain and a lower risk of infections.

It is very important that wrist arthroscopy be performed by a traumatologist specializing in hand and wrist surgery, with extensive experience in arthroscopy, since the wrist is surrounded by nerves, ligaments, tendons and important blood vessels that must be well known to avoid injury.

Doctor Elgeadi's team has wrist specialists who master this technique.

How much does a wrist and hand arthroscopy cost?

The price of hand or wrist arthroscopy depends on the operating room time required, the surgical material used and the days of hospitalization.

Most medical societies have full coverage if a hand or wrist arthroscopy is required, depending on the wrist traumatologist.