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Advantages of Early Hand Surgery - Thursday, June 23, 2011

If your child was born with a congenital hand deformity, you may want to consider surgery sooner rather than later. The most common congenital hand defects are syndactyly and polydactyly. In syndactyly, two or more fingers are fused together. Sometimes the fingers are joined simply by the skin, and other times the bones themselves are fused.

In polydactyly, a child is born with an extra finger or fingers. Treatment involves not only removing the extra fingers, but also balancing the action of the tendons and muscles.

In all cases, the goal of surgery for congenital hand deformities is to make help your child have the best hand function possible. Early reconstructive surgery helps with this. By age four or five, a child is learning pre-academic skills that include grasping a pen, pencil, or crayon to ensure maximum control and mobility. A child's ability to learn and retain this skill depends on having the same physical structure prior to and after learning this skill. Thus, if a child is to undergo surgery for polydactyly or syndactyly, it is best performed prior to this crucial time.

If your child was born with a congenital hand deformity and you want to learn more about your surgical options, please schedule a consultation at The Centre for Working Hands today.