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Tag Archives: hand injury

Non-urgent private elective surgery put on hold

Due to the worsening case numbers, NSW Health has requested all non-urgent elective surgery in the private sector be put on hold starting Monday 23rd August. This is in conjunction with public hospitals ceasing elective surgery 4 weeks ago. This means that only Category 1 patients such as fractures or other emergency operations can still continue. All other elective operations will now have to be deferred, with no end date set at this stage. The reason for this move is to free up general ... Read More

August 18, 2021 By Jai Sungaran in Hand & Wrist

How much does it cost to have my hand or wrist operation?

Estimating the cost of hand and wrist surgery is a difficult question to answer without a proper clinical assessment. The item numbers used depend on the specifics of a patient's condition and presentation. It also depends on the approach. For example, an open operation may use a different item number to an arthroscopic or “key-hole” operation. However every patient should be aware that there is no hand or wrist operation that you have to pay for in Australia, if you have a Medicare ... Read More

March 6, 2021 By Jai Sungaran in Hand & Wrist

Nerve transfer surgery

Dr Sungaran is looking forward to presenting his research on nerve transfer surgery at the upcoming Australian Orthopaedic Association conference in Canberra this year. The moderators for this session are such experienced Surgeons, it will be exciting to receive their feedback. Nerve injuries can have devastating consequences to function. If left untreated the chance of recovery can be poor and time is crucial to prevent further muscle damage and weakness. Nerve transfer surgery is at ... Read More

September 18, 2019 By Jai Sungaran in Developments, Hand & Wrist, Research

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…

As Surgeons we are trained to "fix" a problem. If a bone is broken we can use plates and screws to realign it and relieve pain. If someone cuts their finger, we can repair their nerves, tendons, and arteries to restore its appearance and function. If you have an arthritic joint, chances are we have a replacement that we can implant to improve your motion. But one of the hardest things to do as a Surgeon, is to tell a patient that you cannot help them with an operation. Just think about ... Read More

June 22, 2019 By Jai Sungaran in Developments, Hand & Wrist, Injections, Joint pain, Nerve injury, Research, Teaching, trauma, Work injury

Hand exercises while in a cast can improve grip strength

During this morning's first session at the Australian Hand Surgery Society annual meeting, Dr. Sungaran presented his study on grip strength in older patients treated for a wrist fracture with a cast. This was a prospective, randomised controlled trial (PRCT) which is regarded as high level evidence that the outcomes are of clinical significance. The main finding of this study was that grip strength was noticeably better in patients who had a hand exercise program even while they were in ... Read More

April 4, 2019 By Jai Sungaran in Developments, Hand & Wrist, Research, Teaching, trauma

What is your motivation to get well?

A chronic injury to your hand can be overwhelming. The immediate pain and disability with the acute injury can be explained, but what if it is ongoing. This is a difficult problem to treat, and even harder to live with. Chronic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, CRPS, RSI, reflex sympathetic dystrophy are all different names for the same problem. There are multiple causes and risk factors for developing chronic pain, and we are becoming better at identifying these early. The adage ... Read More

February 7, 2019 By Jai Sungaran in Arthritis, Hand & Wrist, Joint pain, Nerve injury, Rehabilitation, Sporting injury, trauma, Work injury

What type of anaesthetic should I have for my hand surgery?

Anaesthesia was a major advancement for surgery as it conquered the fear of pain during procedures. General anaesthesia was first used successfully in 1846 and has come a long way since. It is a safe and reliable option for many operations. However, there are multiple different options for anaesthesia during surgery including local anaesthesia, regional blocks and conscious sedation. Currently there is even a push in some centres for WALANT or Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia with No Tourniquet ... Read More

December 12, 2018 By Jai Sungaran in Hand & Wrist, Joint pain, Nerve injury, Rehabilitation, Sporting injury, trauma, Work injury

I think I’ve just “jammed” my finger…

Finger injuries are common in sport, especially ball sports. One pattern of injury is the direct blow to the tip of the finger by a ball. As the joint is hyperextended the force goes through the volar plate. This is a thick ligament that prevents further hyperextension at the PIP joint (proximal interphalangeal joint). It is also common for a part of the bone to be torn off by the volar plate. This is called an avulsion fracture. Often these injuries can be managed with a custom made ... Read More

August 14, 2018 By Jai Sungaran in Hand & Wrist, Joint pain, Sporting injury, trauma, Work injury

How does Private Health Insurance affect your treatment.

There has been renewed interest in Private health insurance due to the upcoming increase in premiums as of April 1. Another reason has also been the much criticised changes by BUPA to it's health cover. But do you actually need to have private health insurance to receive treatment in Australia? The simple answer is, no. And that in itself is something we should all be grateful for. Our Health system has many flaws but the fact that every Australian has access to free health care for ANY ... Read More

March 13, 2018 By Jai Sungaran in Arthritis, corticosteroid, Elbow, Hand & Wrist, Injections, Joint pain, lacerations, Nerve injury, Rehabilitation, Sporting injury, Tendon, trauma, Work injury

3-d printing replacement bones – the future is here!

In an article published last month in the Journal of Hand Surgery (Eur), a research group in Switzerland reported on the first use of a 3D printed bone replacement with amazing results. They used a 3D printer to recreate the scaphoid bone made out of alumina ceramic (same material as some hip replacements) and re-implanted it back into the body to undergo testing. Granted the study was performed in a laboratory rather than real life, but the implications for the future are ... Read More

February 25, 2018 By Jai Sungaran in Developments, Hand & Wrist, Robotics

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