Hand and Wrist

Your hands and wrists allow you to work, play, and perform everyday activities. Hand and wrist pain can cause disruptions in those activities at home and at work, seriously affecting your quality of life. For professional athletes, writers, mechanics, package handlers, and other workers who rely on their hands for their livelihood, a hand or wrist injury could also mean loss of income. Our hand and wrist specialists offer the latest diagnosis and treatment options, along with care centered on your individual needs, to restore function and get you back to your life and lifestyle.

Why Choose Trinity Health Hand and Wrist Services?

Our surgeons and therapists have been treating patients with forearm, wrist, and hand conditions across northwest North Dakota for over 10 years. Our goal is to provide patients with the most comprehensive, high-quality care possible, delivered by caring professionals. Board-certified medical/surgical staff, certified hand therapists, and clinical and administrative teams work together to optimize each patient’s functional recovery through skilled, compassionate care in a welcoming, friendly atmosphere.

Hand and Wrist Conditions We Treat

The hands and wrists are involved in nearly every daily activity, from brushing your teeth to driving to work. At some point you may have experienced a minor injury like pain or swelling to the hand, wrist, or finger that heals on its own. However, sometimes more serious injuries occur from falls or recreational activities (acute injuries), or even everyday wear and tear (overuse injuries).

Acute injuries are caused by direct impact, a fall, or a twisting, bending or jamming of a limb. Overuse injuries happen when repeated activity or too much stress is placed on a joint or tissue when carrying out an activity.

With so many small bones, nerves and ligaments, our hands and wrists are prone to overuse and injury. Here is a list of common hand and wrist conditions:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Ganglion cysts
• Fractures
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Finger sprain or fracture
• Tennis elbow
• Trigger finger
• Wrist fractures (including distal forearm fracture)
• Wrist sprains and tendonitis

Trinity Health’s hand and wrist specialists manage all traumas and diseases affecting the hand, wrist, or upper limb that affect hand function, such as:

• Traumatic injuries including fractures, tendon injuries, digit amputation, nerve lacerations, and blood vessel lacerations
• Workplace and overuse injuries, which include carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and DeQuervain’s Tendinosis
• Arthritis-related deformities such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• Infections from diabetic complications or from injuries of the hand or wrist
• Tumors of the bone and soft tissue, producing deformities, pain and or loss of function

Hand and Wrist Treatments

We offer a full range of nonsurgical and surgical treatment options for hand and wrist conditions. Our specialists work to understand your lifestyle and your wishes so we can help you choose treatments that are right for you. After making a diagnosis, our surgeons will design a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan based on your individual needs to eliminate the source of any pain, stiffness, and limited mobility.

For example, treatment for a finger, hand, or wrist injury might include first-aid, medication, application of a splint or cast, occupational therapy, or in some cases, surgery. Treatment depends on the location, type, and severity of the injury, when the injury occurred, your age and health condition, and other factors.

Nonsurgical Treatments

Our certified hand therapists are highly specialized in therapeutic treatments and have advanced training for the forearm, hand, and wrist. They offer therapies to treat your injury or disease without hand or wrist surgery, or therapeutic rehabilitation to complete full treatment if you do have surgery. Our therapists treat each patient with professionalism and respect to help you recuperate quickly and recover use of your forearm, wrist, and hand. They work closely with our hand surgeons to monitor the effectiveness and results of treatment to make sure you return to a productive lifestyle.

Nonsurgical treatment services include:

• Conditioning prior to returning to work
• Desensitization following nerve injury
• Development of home exercise programs
• Pain control
• Preventive, non-operative treatment
• Scar management
• Sensory re-education after nerve injury
• Splint fabrication
• Training for daily living activities
• Wound management

Trinity Health also provides rehabilitation to help you achieve optimal function of hands and upper limbs. Services include mobilization and exercise; fluid-therapy; therapeutic ultrasound; electrical stimulation (such as TENS and EMS); splinting and pressure garment fabrication; management of edema, scarring and pain; and programs on joint protection, work conditioning, and ergonomics.

Nonsurgical Procedure for Dupuytren’s Contracture

Dupuytren’s contracture is a disease that leads to flexion deformities of the fingers. Trinity Health is proud to offer XIAFLEX®, an innovative nonsurgical technique to dissolve the cord that is causing the finger to bend and return the extension to the fingers.

XIAFLEX®, the only FDA-approved nonsurgical treatment, is a prescription medication that is injected directly into the Dupuytren’s cord. Within 24-hours after the injection, a release is performed. This procedure can be done in the convenience of the Trinity Health hand and wrist surgeons office.

Contact 701-418-7470 to find out if XIAFLEX® is a treatment option for you.

Surgical Treatments

Our hand surgeons routinely perform endoscopic and open release carpal tunnel surgery, joint replacement surgery, microvascular and peripheral nerve surgery, distal radius wrist fracture surgery, hand reconstruction, and minimally invasive techniques so you experience complete healing. They lead the way in progressive care and use advanced techniques such as arthroscopy. They also use state-of-the-art instruments for better precision, smaller incisions, and a more positive patient experience. Trinity Health’s hand and wrist surgeons perform complex procedures as well, such as nerve and wrist reconstruction.

Make an Appointment

Don’t let a hand or arm condition keep you from working or enjoying your favorite activities any longer. Call us at 701-418-7470 to request an appointment with one of our specialists today.

We accept all major and minor health plans as well as worker’s compensation and self-insured companies.