Congenital hand differences can affect a child’s health and growth. These differences can limit the use of their hands or fingers, restricting functional development. Conditions that affect the hands can be disabling when children begin to explore the world around them or interact with others. Many children need plastic surgery to correct congenital hand differences. 

How Hand Surgery Helps Pediatric Patients

Seeing a pediatric hand expert is essential when your child needs congenital hand surgery. Some conditions are mild, such as an abnormally long finger. But other conditions are more severe. If your child is born with conditions that concern you, seek a pediatric surgeon to correct the condition. Getting the opinion of a surgeon before the condition becomes severe is essential for ensuring your child receives the correct treatment, observation, therapy, and surgery.

Pediatric surgeons are trained to treat many malformations in your child’s hand. They’re even trained to treat complex conditions such as:

• Congenital Hand Differences: Congenital hand differences are malformations present at birth, such as extra fingers, abnormally long fingers, or abnormally short fingers.
• Neuromuscular conditions: Many neurological conditions can cause hand and finger issues. Autism, Parkinson’s, and hereditary neuropathy are a few conditions.
• Sport-related injuries: The hands can become injured during sports and other activities.
• Soft tissue reconstruction: Soft tissue lesions, such as Ganglia, can be corrected with surgery. 
• Traumatic upper extremity injuries: Hand and finger fractures and breaks sometimes need surgery to correct. 
• Burn reconstruction: If a burn is severe, the skin and tissue may need reconstruction.
• Nerve injuries: Anatomical and posture-related problems can cause nerve damage in children. Trauma, falls, accidents, and repetitive stress can cause nerve damage.
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis in adults is a lifelong, chronic condition. Children often outgrow arthritis but can develop bone and muscle development. 
• Tumors: If a child develops a malignant tumor in their hand, surgery may be needed to remove it.
• Lower extremity reconstruction: Repairing soft tissue or bone injuries is another common surgical practice.

When your child’s hands function correctly, they can live fulfilling lives and explore the world around them. Surgeons can correct defects present from birth or are caused by childhood injuries. Congenital hand differences can interfere with hand development. But these malformations and injuries can affect overall development. If a child cannot interact with the world around them, it can stunt their development. Not all pediatric hand differences require surgery. Some injuries require casts or bandaging. Surgery must correct the issue if the injury or condition is severe enough. Many lesions found in children are benign masses, so if one is found, there is no cause to worry.

Scheduling a Pediatric Surgery for Congenital Hand Differences

The surgeons at Lake Country Plastic and Hand Surgery are trained to correct congenital hand differences in children. Not only are our surgeons capable of performing complex surgeries to correct conditions in your child, but we can also help guide you in caring for your child after surgery. Call us for an appointment. It’s never too early to look out for your child’s developmental health.