Dr. Paul Kobza
hand and upper extremity surgery
Frequently Asked Questions
I have Carpal Tunnel, how long will I be out of work?
The Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release procedure is only a 15 minute procedure and would require only a couple of days of light duty status. There is also a restriction of lifting less than 10lbs for about 20 days. After 10 days the stitches would be removed and two weeks later the patient would be released to full duty.
I cut my Tendon on a piece of glass, what treatment am I looking at?
First, an examination would be performed to verify if the tendon was completely lacerated or only partially lacerated. If the tendon is completely lacerated the finger would not be able to move on its own and would require surgery. Tendons need to be repaired within 14 days of the original injury. If the tendon is not repaired within the time line the tendon will contract upon itself and be un-repairable. A substitute tendon would have to be utilized at that point by grafting from themselves or from a donor. The recovery time is 4 weeks of light duty and then return to full duty.
I broke my hand, when can I go back to work?
If you do not require surgery you would wear a splint for approximately 3 weeks with weekly x-rays to verify the healing. If the fracture requires surgery then the patient would need to be off for about a week. Then depending on the type of work you do could go back to work with a modified light duty for about 3-4 weeks, then after the x-rays confirm that the fracture has healed the patient would be released back to full duty.
I hurt my shoulder playing sports, what can you do for me?
There are a number of things that can be done before surgery would be considered. First an extensive exam would be performed to determine the extent of the injury. Most shoulder injuries respond very well to steroid injections. If the injections do not get rid of the pain the doctor may then want to request an MRI to verify if there is a tear in the tendon in the shoulder commonly referred to as the Rotator Cuff. If there is a tear the doctor has two ways of fixing the injury. The most popular and minimally invasive procedure is an Arthroscopy, a small incision is used to repair the tear the, patient has minimal pain and scarring with this procedure. If the Rotator Cuff tear is too large to be repaired through the Arthroscopy then the doctor would have to make a slightly larger opening to repair the tear. In any case the patient would be in a sling for about 4 weeks to protect the repair, and then could go to a light duty status for 4 weeks, with an estimated complete recovery time of about 12 weeks.

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