Your mission, if you’re considering hand surgery, is to sift through the hundreds of hand surgeons in NJ to find the perfect hand surgeon for you. If that sounds daunting, we’re here to help with some guidelines to assist you in selecting the right hand surgeon. It’s pretty easy to weed out the vast majority of surgeons, because you need a true hand specialist.
Check Out Your Hand Surgeon’s Educational Background
To find hand surgeons in NJ with top skills, you must check out their educational background. Where did the surgeon get his or her training? It does matter if your surgeon attended an elite, well-known medical school. However, remember that an Ivy-League degree isn’t the only indication of a top hand surgeon.
Look for Specialization and Additional Focused Training
You’re not looking for a general surgeon, despite the fact that elite hand surgeons are first trained in general surgery. You need the surgeon who’s gone beyond general surgery to focus their education, training and experience on the hand.
Hands are important and complex structures (to say the least), so you must look for special qualifications. When your hand surgeon’s background shows extra years of training in a specialty, gained after becoming a general surgeon, that’s an excellent sign that you are on the right track.
What areas should the additional surgical training and experience be in?
Education for top hand surgeons in NJ will have included training and experience in orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery. Reconstructive surgeons are often also skilled in microsurgery. These qualifications should put a surgeon near the top of your list.
Even if you’re not in need of reconstruction of the hand or fingers, this knowledge indicates that the surgeon has deep understanding of the complicated hand anatomy and physiology. Hand surgeons in NJ with such deep knowledge could make the difference between a so-so outcome and the very best outcome from your hand surgery.
Ailments Treated by Hand Surgeons in NJ
- Basal joint arthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendonitis
- Trigger finger
- Nerve compression syndromes and injuries
- Ganglion cysts
- Many other ailments of the joints, tendons and ligaments
- Many hand conditions, once corrected with surgery, improve motion and decrease pain in surrounding areas as well, like the wrist, forearm, elbow and upper arm.
If your hand ailment has not responded to non-surgical treatments such as medications, cortizone injections, bracing or splinting, you may be a good candidate to benefit from hand surgery.
Minimizing Risks and Maximizing Your Hand Surgery Outcome
We suggest you go ahead and choose a hand surgeon you think is overqualified. That additional expertise can make your surgical procedure go that much more smoothly and help limit the risk of complications.
There are risks in any type of surgical procedure of course—and they cannot be completely eliminated. But when you choose an experienced and skilled surgeon, that person will know how best to handle any complications that might come up. These are the NJ hand surgeons you need on your side for best results.
How Your Consultation Helps You Pick the Right Hand Surgeon
When you meet with a NJ hand surgeon, you should use the opportunity to ask questions about any of the above mentioned qualifications to learn more about the surgeon’s experience. Of course, you should come with a list of questions you might have about your hand problem and possible solutions.
Also, be sure to observe how well you and the surgeon understand each other and communicate. Not every surgeon and every patient are an ideal match. Choose the surgeon who gives you a good feeling about:
Communication
Choose a hand doctor who communicates clearly. Make sure he or she is able to explain your diagnosis and the recommended hand surgery solution completely. Your surgeon should let you know about any treatment options. Make sure the surgeon informs you about risks that apply in your specific case.
Top NJ hand surgeons will always let you know what to expect during recovery and what the final results of your surgery will be. What will your surgery specifically accomplish for you? It’s crucial to understand this so that you and your surgeon are on the same page, with the same expectations.
Focus on You
Choose hand surgeons in NJ who take time to answer your questions without rushing you or being unnecessarily vague in their answers. Choose the surgeon who shows interest in your unique needs and goals, and one who listens to you.
Make sure your surgeon and his or her staff are willing to cooperate with your insurance company, if you have coverage for the procedure. Your surgeon might be asked to submit documents or test results, etc. and you want someone quite willing to do this, without slowing the process.
Dedication
Do you believe your surgeon will do his or her very best for you? Or do you feel like case #3665? Choose only hand surgeons who seem genuinely interested in your wellbeing. This is an important component of trust and confidence in your surgeon, which is essential for the best hand surgery results.
Scheduling a Consultation
At Cohen/Winters Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery in Bergen County, we advise our patients as we would our family members. We are truly committed to helping improve lives through surgery. Our hand specialist, Dr. Janet Yueh, would be happy to offer you a personalized consultation so you can learn more about your condition and what hand surgery might do to improve it. Just contact us!
