The Hand and Upper Limb program offers care for children with common conditions like fractures and sprains as well as for those with complex medical needs who are living with rare hand and limb differences. The program combines the affiliated specialties of plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery to provide customized care plans that address all aspects of hand and upper limb needs.
Children are still growing, transitioning through different stages of cognitive, motor and psychological development. The affiliated hand and upper limb team approaches each patient’s condition in terms of both their immediate medical concern and their long-term physical and developmental growth to provide the appropriate care for every patient. It is the program’s mission to help children feel independent, confident, and fulfilled as they live and grow.
Combining Specialized, Complex Care with Compassion
The affiliated specialists diagnose and treat hand conditions and limb differences with the most current technology for reconstructive surgery and splinting. The multidisciplinary team focuses on monitoring developmental progress throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Program Overview
Comprehensive Care
We diagnose and treat upper limb concerns caused by nerve, tendon, muscle, or joint problems, as well as by trauma or congenital conditions. Patients have access to the comprehensive care – from diagnosis to surgery to therapy – with one team. Children can receive all the care they need within the program through collaboration between the multidisciplinary program team and affiliated physicians.
Trauma and Injury
Affiliated hand and upper limb surgeons are highly skilled in treating both acute injuries and post-traumatic growth deformities. The focus is on meeting the child’s immediate medical needs and then transitioning to a long-term rehabilitation program to ensure functional use of the hands and arms.
Fetal Consultations
Needs may be identified in the womb during prenatal ultrasound examinations. If a provider notices a limb difference or deficiency during routine screening, they can reach out to the program team to arrange a consultation meeting with the family. The goal is to provide information and work together so that when the baby is born, there is a plan in place. When parents are better informed, they are in a more confident position to understand their child’s needs and the treatment ahead. The goal is to provide information and work together with The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital so that when the baby is born, there is a plan in place.
The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, affiliated with maternal-fetal medicine specialists with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, is a national referral center and an international leader in fetal diagnosis, fetal intervention and comprehensive fetal care for infants with congenital anomalies or genetic abnormalities. In collaboration with pediatric sub-specialists at McGovern Medical School, the affiliated Fetal Center team offers patients a complete range of prenatal testing and fetal interventions with a coordinated program for mother and child before, during and after birth.
Family Support
Parents and other family members play an important role in caring for children with hand and limb differences. The compassionate multidisciplinary team educates families on the child’s condition and how they can best provide support. Treating hand differences may require multiple doctor’s appointments, occupational therapy appointments, and surgeries, depending on the child’s specific needs. We understand the strain this can place on families, and we are here to support you, as well as your child.
About the Team
In the Hand and Upper Limb program, a multidisciplinary team is dedicated to working together to meet specific health needs and goals. In addition to caring for children’s physical health needs, the team also focuses on emotional and developmental needs. The team can provide emotional support resources to children and their families to help them grow and develop as confident, active members of their communities.
Depending on a child’s condition, their care team may include:
- Pediatric orthopedic surgeon
- Pediatric plastic surgeon
- Nurse practitioners
- Nurses
- Casting technicians
- Occupational therapists
- Social workers
- Child Life specialists
- Medical assistants
Conditions We Treat
The program treats rare, complex conditions as well as common childhood injuries. The collaborative team can diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions including:
- Aphalangia and amniotic band syndrome
- Arthrogryposis
- Brachial plexus injury
- Camptodactyly
- Carpal/wrist fractures
- Central deficiency and symbrachydactyly
- Clinodactyly
- Distal radius fractures
- Finger fractures (phalangeal/phalanx fractures) and dislocations
- Flexor tendon injuries
- Ganglion cysts
- Macrodactyly
- Madelung’s deformity
- Metacarpal fractures and dislocations
- Multiple hereditary exostosis
- Nail injuries
- Polydactyly
- Scaphoid fractures
- Syndactyly
- Tendon injuries
- Thumb hypoplasia/pollicization
- Trigger finger and trigger thumb
- Upper limb lengthening and deformity correction
- Upper limb spasticity from cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury
- Radial and ulnar longitudinal deficiency
- Radioulnar/metacarpal synostosis
- Vascular malformations
- Wrist/carpal dislocations and ligamentous injuries
A Unique Approach to Hand and Upper Limb Care
If your child is facing a congenital hand difference or injury, it is important to be treated by a specialized team that works with these complex issues every day. The affiliated physicians have vast experience treating children with rare and complicated conditions and are uniquely qualified to treat the whole child, both physically and emotionally.
Children in the Hand and Upper Limb program benefit from a truly collaborative environment, where physicians, surgeons, nurses, social workers, Child Life specialists, and occupational therapists are in constant communication to ensure the best possible care. Hand and limb differences often present social and emotional needs for young patients. We blend medical and social-emotional care together into one plan so children can grow and develop with confidence and independence. Each member of the care team brings unique expertise and experiences to support patients in all aspects of treatment, therapy, and long-term development.
Birth to Adulthood
Some patients no longer require medical care once they are finished growing, while others have conditions that need lifetime care. When a child needs care once they reach adulthood, we provide a seamless transition within the Memorial Hermann Health System to continue treatment without losing progress.
Contact Us
If your child is facing a hand or upper limb injury or limb difference, or if you are a provider who needs to provide a referral, please contact us.
To contact Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, please fill out the form below.
Located within the Texas Medical Center, The Fetal Center is affiliated with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, UT Physicians and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.