Hand Surgery Education
Patient-friendly explanations, physician-level deep dives, and recovery guides from Dr. Loredo and the Loredo Hand Care team.
Hand Health Daily
One condition a day, in plain English and Spanish, straight from our daily patient-education posts. Signs, what is happening inside the hand, and how it is treated.
Gain an hour Sunday. Use it to listen to your hands.
Clocks fall back Nov. 1. Use the hour to check night numbness, a finger that catches or locks, or a weaker grip.
Read articleOn Día de los Muertos, we remember the hands that held us.
On Día de los Muertos, we remember the hands that held us. Marigolds, candles and the stories of the people we love.
Read articleThe only skeleton we want to see is a healthy one.
On Halloween: carving tips, and when a cut needs prompt care. Tendons and nerves can be injured even when the wound looks small.
Read articleThumb base arthritis: when is surgery considered
Thumb base arthritis: when is surgery considered?
Read articleThumb-side wrist pain that keeps coming back
Thumb-side wrist pain that keeps coming back?
Read articleBurned your hand? The first 10 minutes matter
Burned your hand? The first 10 minutes matter
Read articleBroken hand or wrist: cast, pins or plate
Broken hand or wrist: cast, pins or plate?
Read articleForearm ache and numb fingers, but not at night
Forearm ache and numb fingers, but not at night?
Read articleOuter elbow pain after pickleball or tennis
Outer elbow pain after pickleball or tennis?
Read articleFinger stuck bent when you wake up
Finger stuck bent when you wake up?
Read articleThumb pain isn't "just getting older."
On World Arthritis Day: Thumb pain is not "just getting older."
Read articleCarpal tunnel surgery through one small incision
Carpal tunnel surgery through one small incision
Read articleNumb ring and small fingers? How the elbow nerve is released
Numb ring and small fingers? How the elbow nerve is released
Read articleJammed finger that won't straighten
Jammed finger that won't straighten?
Read articleHand pain: wait, call, or go to the ER
Hand pain: wait, call, or go to the ER?
Read articleHand surgery under a microscope
Hand surgery under a microscope
Read articleHurt your hand at work
Hurt your hand at work?
Read articleAn old wrist injury that aches years later
An old wrist injury that aches years later?
Read articleKnobby, stiff finger joints
Knobby, stiff finger joints?
Read articleCut your finger and now it won't bend
Cut your finger and now it won't bend?
Read articleJammed finger or broken bone
Jammed finger or broken bone?
Read articleFound a lump on your hand
Found a lump on your hand?
Read articleNumb hands while pregnant? Thumb pain after the baby
Numb hands while pregnant? Thumb pain after the baby?
Read articleForearm ache that isn't tennis elbow
Forearm ache that isn't tennis elbow?
Read articleWrist pain in one spot every time you move it
Wrist pain in one spot every time you move it?
Read articleCan't lay your palm flat on the table
Can't lay your palm flat on the table?
Read articleA bump on your wrist that comes and goes
A bump on your wrist that comes and goes?
Read articleInner elbow pain when you grip or lift palm-up
Inner elbow pain when you grip or lift palm-up?
Read articleNumb pinky after long bike rides or power tools
Numb pinky after long bike rides or power tools?
Read articleJammed a finger and now the tip droops
Jammed a finger and now the tip droops?
Read articleFingers turn white, then blue, in the cold
Fingers turn white, then blue, in the cold?
Read articlePain on the pinky side of the wrist when you twist
Pain on the pinky side of the wrist when you twist?
Read articleWaking up at night to shake your hand awake
Waking up at night to shake your hand awake?
Read articleNumb ring and little fingers? It may start at your elbow.
Numb ring and little fingers? It may start at your elbow.
Read articleWrist pain on the thumb side when you lift the baby
Wrist pain on the thumb side when you lift the baby?
Read articleForearm pain and creaking a few inches above the wrist
Forearm pain and creaking a few inches above the wrist?
Read articleOuter elbow pain when you shake hands or lift a mug
Outer elbow pain when you shake hands or lift a mug?
Read articlePain at the base of your thumb opening jars or turning keys
Pain at the base of your thumb opening jars or turning keys?
Read articleDoes your finger click, catch, or lock
Does your finger click, catch, or lock?
Read articlePatient Education Videos
One short video a week on a hand, wrist, or elbow problem. Each one is narrated by Sarah, an AI-generated presenter, and every clinical fact comes from our own condition and procedure pages.
Video: Does your finger catch, click, or lock?
Trigger finger in about a minute: the tendon snagging on the A1 pulley, three warning signs, and how it is treated.
Watch videoVideo: Does your hand go numb at night?
Carpal tunnel syndrome in about a minute: the median nerve pinched at the wrist, three warning signs, and how it is treated.
Watch videoVideo: Does the outside of your elbow hurt?
Tennis elbow in about a minute: wear and tear in the tendon on the outside of the elbow, three warning signs, and how it is treated.
Watch videoVideo: Does your forearm ache and your fingers go numb?
Pronator teres syndrome in about a minute: the median nerve squeezed in the upper forearm, three warning signs, and how it is treated.
Watch videoVideo: Does your thumb hurt when you open a jar?
Thumb basilar joint arthritis in about a minute: worn cartilage at the base of the thumb, three warning signs, and how it is treated.
Watch videoPost-Op Recovery Series
Day-by-day recovery guides for the most common hand surgery procedures.
What to Expect After Carpal Tunnel Surgery
A week-by-week guide to endoscopic carpal tunnel release recovery, from the first hour after surgery through six months of continued improvement.
Read articleWhat to Expect After Cubital Tunnel Surgery
Day-by-day recovery after endoscopic cubital tunnel release. First 48 hours, sling care, return to office work in 1 to 2 weeks, manual labor at 4 to 6 weeks.
Read articleTrigger Finger Release Recovery: Day-by-Day Timeline
Same-day full motion, days 1 to 3 wound care, week 1 typing return, week 4 full strength. The shortest recovery in hand surgery.
Read articleDe Quervain's Release Recovery Guide
Bandage care, suture removal at 10 to 14 days, scar management, return to baby holding for postpartum patients, full recovery at 4 to 6 weeks.
Read articleCMC Arthroplasty Recovery: Healing Through 6 Months
Thumb spica splint weeks 1 to 6, hand therapy weeks 2 to 12, light grip at 6 to 8 weeks, full strength at 3 to 6 months. Realistic expectations.
Read articleReturning to Work After Hand Surgery: A Patient's Roadmap
Office work timelines, manual labor timelines, FMLA paperwork, work restrictions, communication with the employer, when to push and when to rest.
Read articleCondition Explainer Series
Patient-friendly deep dives on common hand and elbow conditions.
Early Signs of Carpal Tunnel You Should Not Ignore
Night numbness, dropping coffee cups, weak pinch, and the flick sign. Why catching it early matters and when to see a hand surgeon.
Read articleTrigger Finger: Signs You Need to See a Hand Surgeon
The five signs that warrant a specialist evaluation, what happens at the visit, and what to expect from treatment options.
Read articleWhen to See a Hand Surgeon for Trigger Finger
Catching versus locking, the corticosteroid injection lifecycle, when surgery is the right path, and red flags that should not wait.
Read articleIs It Cubital Tunnel or a Pinched Neck Nerve?
Same symptoms, different sources. How a hand surgeon distinguishes ulnar nerve compression at the elbow from cervical radiculopathy.
Read articleThumb Arthritis: When Injections Stop Working
The cortisone injection lifecycle, why repeat injections become less effective, and when to consider surgical CMC reconstruction.
Read articleHow to Tell a Ganglion Cyst from a Tumor
The features that distinguish a benign ganglion from a more concerning mass. Red flags, when imaging helps, and when biopsy is needed.
Read articleMucous Cysts: Why They Appear and What They Mean
The DIP osteoarthritis connection, the nail groove sign, why aspiration alone fails, and the role of osteophyte removal in surgical excision.
Read articleDistal Radius Fractures: Should You Get Surgery?
Cast versus volar locking plate (ORIF). When alignment can be cast-managed, when surgery restores anatomy, and how recovery compares.
Read articleScaphoid Fractures: Why They Are Dangerous
Retrograde blood supply, the missed initial X-ray, snuffbox tenderness, percutaneous screw fixation, and SNAC wrist progression.
Read articleIntersection Syndrome vs De Quervain's
Two wrist tendinopathies that look similar but are anatomically distinct. Location of pain, provocative tests, and treatment overlap.
Read articleTennis Elbow vs Golfer's Elbow
Lateral versus medial epicondylitis explained. Where the pain is, which provocative tests reproduce it, and why neither requires the named sport.
Read articleMallet Finger and Jersey Finger: When to Worry
Two fingertip tendon avulsions with very different urgency. Splinting versus surgery within 7 to 10 days, and what happens if untreated.
Read articleNon-Surgical Treatment Series
Splinting, injections, hand therapy, exercises, and ergonomics that often resolve hand and elbow problems without surgery.
Night Splints for Carpal Tunnel: Do They Actually Work?
How splints work, the evidence base, proper fit, OTC versus custom, how long to try them, and when splinting is no longer enough.
Read articleWhen a Cortisone Injection Is the Right Choice
Which conditions respond, expected duration of relief, the risks, why we limit injections, and how to think about injection versus surgery.
Read articleHand Therapy After Surgery: What to Expect
Who needs a Certified Hand Therapist, typical session frequency, splinting, scar work, and how surgical outcome depends on the home program.
Read articleHome Exercises for Trigger Finger
Tendon glide sequence, passive flexion stretches, finger massage, frequency, and what NOT to do when triggering is severe.
Read articleHow to Prevent Carpal Tunnel from Computer Work
Wrist position, keyboard and mouse setup, break frequency, wrist rests done right, voice dictation, and the medical risk factors that ergonomics cannot fix.
Read articleErgonomic Tips for Hand Pain at Work and Home
Ergonomic strategies by profession, tools that reduce hand stress, grip techniques, glove use, and recovery between repetitive tasks.
Read articlePatient Education Series
How our practice operates: surgical timing, technique choices, and the credentials behind the care.
Why Same-Week Hand Surgery Matters for Your Pain
How surgical delay worsens outcomes for time-sensitive cases, and how a focused subspecialty practice structures the schedule to remove the wait.
Read articleWhat Minimally Invasive Really Means in Hand Surgery
Endoscopic versus open technique, when each is appropriate, single-port versus two-port carpal tunnel release, and what to ask your surgeon.
Read articleBoard Certification: What It Means for Your Care
The boards Dr. Loredo holds, what each adds, how to verify a surgeon's credentials, and what to ask when comparing surgeons.
Read articleHand Anatomy Series
Patient-friendly explanations of the nerve, joint, and muscle anatomy behind common hand conditions.
The Median Nerve Explained
The course of the median nerve from the cervical spine to the hand, what it innervates, and the four main compression sites.
Read articleThe Ulnar Nerve and Why It Matters
The course of the ulnar nerve, why compression causes weakness so dramatically, Froment's and Wartenberg's signs, and claw hand explained.
Read articleThe Basal Joint of the Thumb
The saddle-shaped CMC joint, why thumb function is so essential, and why arthritis is so common at this most-used joint in the hand.
Read articleNew articles are published on a regular cadence. Check back for the latest hand, wrist, and elbow education from Dr. Loredo.