A Lump in Your Palm That's Slowly Pulling Your Finger Down
Dupuytren's contracture is progressive, genetic, and one of the most fascinating conditions in hand surgery. The Viking disease connection, the table-top test, and why treatment is most straightforward before the finger is completely bent down — not after.
Arm and Hand Numbness That Isn't Coming From Your Wrist
Not all hand numbness is carpal tunnel. Thoracic outlet syndrome is one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in upper extremity medicine — overlapping with carpal tunnel, cervical disc disease, and rotator cuff pathology. The pectoralis minor connection and the self-test you can do right now.
Will Wearing a Wrist Brace Make You Weaker?
One of the most common concerns from patients who need a brace but are reluctant to wear one. True disuse atrophy requires prolonged near-complete immobilization — not a wrist brace worn during symptomatic activities. The correct use case, and when the brace becomes the problem.
Your Fingertip Is Drooping After an Injury — This One Is Time-Sensitive
Mallet finger is one of the most commonly undertreated hand injuries — not because it is complex, but because the window for non-surgical treatment closes quietly while people wait to see if it resolves on its own. It does not resolve on its own.
Your Finger Keeps Locking or Catching — Is It Trigger Finger?
Trigger finger is a specific mechanical problem with a specific solution — and the sooner it is addressed, the simpler that solution tends to be. A corticosteroid injection resolves it completely in the majority of early cases. Do not normalize a finger that catches.
Pain at the Base of Your Thumb — Arthritis, Tendon, or Something Else?
CMC arthritis vs. De Quervain's tenosynovitis — two conditions that hurt in the same neighborhood but require completely different treatment. The Finkelstein test and CMC grind test that tell you which one you're dealing with.
You Jammed Your Finger — Sprained or Broken?
"If you can move it, it's not broken" is wrong. Movement tells you whether the tendons are working — not whether the bone is intact. Here's what actually tells the difference, and the mallet finger window you cannot afford to miss.
You Fell on Your Outstretched Hand — Now What?
We call it a FOOSH — Fall on an Outstretched Hand. Pain level immediately after impact is a terrible predictor of fracture. Here's what actually tells you which category you're in — and the anatomical snuffbox test every outdoorsperson should know.
Numbness in Your Ring & Little Finger — When to Ignore It, When to Act
The four-stage progression of ulnar nerve compression at the elbow — and when the window for conservative treatment starts closing. Includes the Finkelstein test and a stage-by-stage breakdown of what symptoms mean at each point.