Expert Reconstruction After an Unexpected Injury.

Falls and accidents can cause complex hand and wrist trauma, creating uncertainty and anxiety about your future. We provide a comprehensive history and physical assessment and, when indicated, advanced surgical solutions focused on restoring form, function, and your quality of life. 

Navigating Your Recovery After a Traumatic Injury.

A sudden fall or accident is a shocking event, and the resulting injury can leave you with significant pain and a deep fear of permanent disability. We understand your concerns. Our practice is dedicated to providing expert care for the effects of severe trauma, offering a clear path from injury to recovery and helping you regain the function essential to your life.

Understanding Your Injury.

• Fractures: A fracture is any break in a bone. These can range from simple cracks to complex breaks where the bone is shattered or pierces the skin. Proper alignment and stabilization are key to healing correctly. 
• Dislocations: A dislocation occurs when the bones of a joint are forced out of their normal position. This can cause pain, instability, and damage to the surrounding ligaments and nerves. 
• Soft Tissue Trauma: Accidents often cause significant damage to the soft tissues, including the tearing of ligaments (which connect bone to bone) and tendons (which connect muscle to bone). 

Our Specialized Approach to Trauma Reconstruction.

Treatment of acute injuries need to be managed in a hospital setting where emergency departments can stabilize a condition and dedicated trauma operating rooms can provide initial surgical management.  Once that acute treatment is completed and you are discharged from hospital however, subsequent revisions or reconstructions are deemed “elective surgery”. This leaves patients often waiting months or longer for the secondary reconstructions needed to fix fractures that healed in the wrong position or not at all, tendons that have become stuck in scar tissue impeding joint motion, or unsightly scars that need revision. Accessing care for these later reconstructive efforts doesn’t have to wait for months or years. 

Complex Fracture Repair

• It is said that “every fracture has its own personality” and no one solution exists for all fractures. Dr. French uses advanced techniques, including plates, screws, and wires, to precisely realign and rigidly stabilize the broken bone fragments. This surgical fixation ensures the bone heals in the correct position, restoring strength and alignment to your hand or wrist. 

Bone Grafting

• In cases of severe trauma where there is bone loss, a bone graft may be necessary. This is a surgical procedure where bone is transplanted to the injured area to fill the gap and stimulate healing. Bone grafting can be essential for rebuilding the structure of the hand or wrist after a complex fracture. 

Microsurgery for Trauma

• Falls and accidents can damage the tiny, intricate nerves and blood vessels in your hand. Dr. French uses microsurgery—a highly detailed technique performed under a microscope—to meticulously repair these delicate structures. This is critical for restoring sensation, circulation, and motor function after a severe injury. 

The Expertise Required for Complex Reconstruction.

A traumatic injury isn’t just a broken bone—it’s a complex problem that can affect bone, nerves, tendons, and skin simultaneously along with your sense of self as a person. Optimal recovery requires a specialist with a unique combination of skills. Dr. French’s background in plastic surgery, combined with his Harvard fellowship in Hand and Microsurgery, can provide help. This expertise allows him to not only fix the fracture but to holistically reconstruct the hand, addressing all damaged tissues to restore maximum possible function and helping the whole person to heal. 

Important Notice for Acute Injuries 

If you have sustained a severe, traumatic injury, please go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 immediately. Our practice provides specialized consultation and surgical reconstruction for patients once their condition is stable.