Hand Trauma Surgery London

Your Surgeon – Dr Shan Shan Jing

Dr Shan Shan Jing is a Consultant Plastic, Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgeon with specialist training in hand surgery, peripheral nerve surgery and reconstructive microsurgery. She holds both British and European Diplomas in Hand Surgery and has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of traumatic injuries involving tendons, nerves, bones, joints and soft tissues.

Her approach to hand trauma is functional and reconstructive. The question is not only which structure is damaged, but how the injury affects movement, sensation, stability, scar position and the patient’s ability to use the hand.

Treatment planning also takes rehabilitation into account from the beginning. A technically successful repair still needs protection, appropriate movement and hand therapy to give the hand the best opportunity to recover.

Which Hand Injuries May Need Specialist Assessment?

Not every hand injury needs surgery. Specialist assessment becomes particularly important when there may be damage to structures that control movement, sensation, circulation or stability.

• Deep cuts or lacerations affecting the hand or fingers
• Tendon injuries causing loss or weakness of finger or thumb movement
• Nerve injuries causing altered or absent sensation, weakness or loss of function
• Selected hand or finger fractures
• Joint or ligament injuries affecting alignment or stability
• Soft-tissue loss requiring reconstruction
• Complex injuries involving several structures
• Persistent functional problems after a previous hand injury or repair

Emergency advice: Severe bleeding, an open fracture, vascular compromise, amputation, a pale or cold digit, or sudden significant loss of movement or sensation requires emergency assessment. These injuries should not wait for a routine private consultation.

Hand Trauma Surgery Cost in London

There is no single price for hand trauma surgery because the treatment required can range from a focused repair to complex reconstruction involving several structures.

Cost depends on the diagnosis, imaging or investigations, the operation required, anaesthetic and facility needs, and the likely follow-up and rehabilitation pathway. Dr Shan Shan Jing’s current cosmetic fee guide does not list a fixed hand-trauma surgery fee.

Where private treatment is appropriate, the clinical team can provide relevant fee information after specialist assessment.

Recovery After Hand Trauma Surgery

Recovery depends far more on what has been injured and repaired than on the label ‘hand trauma surgery’. A tendon repair, nerve injury, fracture and soft-tissue reconstruction each have different priorities and timescales.

Early Protection

Dressings, elevation, splinting or restrictions may be needed to protect repaired tissues and control swelling.

Controlled Movement

Movement may be introduced early for some injuries and deliberately restricted for others. The rehabilitation plan depends on the repair.

Hand Therapy

Therapy can be central to restoring movement, reducing stiffness, managing scars and protecting healing tendons, nerves or joints.

Return to Work

Timing depends on hand dominance, the injury and the patient’s job. Manual work, fine hand use and desk-based work can require very different restrictions.

Longer-Term Recovery

Strength, dexterity, sensation and scar behaviour can continue to change over many months. Major injuries may leave lasting limitations despite appropriate treatment.

Planning Around Function, Reconstruction & Work

1. Defining the Injury

The history, timing of injury, wounds, imaging and previous treatment are reviewed.

2. Examining Function

Movement, tendon function, sensation, circulation, joint stability and soft-tissue condition are assessed together.

3. Prioritising Repair and Reconstruction

The plan considers which structures need repair, how tissues can be covered safely and how alignment or stability can be restored.

4. Building in Rehabilitation

Splinting, hand therapy, scar management and the patient’s work requirements are considered before surgery rather than added as an afterthought.

What Happens During Hand Trauma Surgery?

There is no standard hand trauma operation. Surgery is determined by the structures injured and may involve wound exploration, tendon repair, nerve repair or reconstruction, fracture or joint treatment, soft-tissue reconstruction, or several of these in the same procedure.

In complex injuries, the sequence matters. Circulation and viable tissue may need to be secured first, followed by skeletal stability, tendon or nerve repair and soft-tissue coverage. The final plan depends on the injury found at assessment and, in some cases, at surgical exploration.

The operative plan is discussed alongside the expected rehabilitation, because protection and movement after surgery are part of the treatment rather than separate from it.

Aftercare and Hand Rehabilitation

Follow-up checks wound healing, circulation, repaired structures, movement, sensation and scar behaviour. Splints or dressings may be changed as healing progresses.

Hand therapy may begin early or be delayed depending on what has been repaired. The balance is between protecting healing tissue and preventing avoidable stiffness or loss of tendon glide.

Work, driving, sport and lifting are discussed in functional terms. Advice is based on the injury and the demands placed on the hand rather than a generic recovery timetable.

Risks of Hand Trauma Surgery

Risks arise from both the original injury and the surgery required to treat it. Significant trauma can leave permanent functional change even when repair and rehabilitation proceed as planned.

• Bleeding or haematoma
• Infection
• Delayed wound healing or tissue loss
• Scarring, scar sensitivity or tethering
• Pain or persistent discomfort
• Stiffness or reduced range of movement
• Reduced grip, pinch strength or dexterity
• Altered or incomplete recovery of sensation after nerve injury
• Tendon adhesion, rupture or reduced tendon glide
• Problems with fracture or joint healing
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Need for further surgery or revision treatment
• Anaesthetic-related complications

Emergency advice remains important: severe bleeding, open fractures, vascular compromise, amputation or sudden major loss of movement or sensation requires urgent emergency assessment.