Hand Surgery Education
Patient-friendly explanations, physician-level deep dives, and recovery guides from Dr. Loredo and the Loredo Hand Care team.
Post-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 articleDupuytren's: Injection vs Needle vs Surgery
Three modern treatment options compared: collagenase (Xiaflex), percutaneous needle aponeurotomy, and open fasciectomy. Recovery and recurrence.
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 articleTriple Board Certification: What It Means for Your Care
The three 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.