Hand & Upper Extremity Services

Injury to the hand, wrist, or elbow presents an impairment to living a full, active life. Our hands serve a role in nearly all daily tasks. From taking care of ourselves at home to performing work duties and activities, we tend to underappreciate the function of the hand until an injury occurs. The hand and upper extremity experts at Iowa Ortho specialize in this unique area of the body and will assess your condition and create a custom treatment plan to get you back to your active lifestyle.

Hand surgeons are trained in the field of either orthopedic, plastic, or general surgery and then go on to receive additional training in hand and upper extremity surgery. Injuries to the hand and upper extremities often involve several different tissue, bone, ligament, and muscle structures that require this very specialized set of skills. Hand surgeons not only diagnose and treat injuries of the hand, but also injuries of the wrist, elbow, arm, and sometimes even all the way up to the shoulder.

The Iowa Ortho hand team treats adults and children of all ages and injuries and provide the full spectrum of hand care options. Our team of experts includes five board-certified physicians – Dr. Benjamin Paulson, Dr. Ze-Hui Han, Dr. Scott Shumway, Dr. Michael Gainer, and Dr. John Heineman. Each of our hand experts conducts their clinic in several metro locations, making it convenient for our patients to receive high-quality hand care, close to home.

Your first clinic visit with an Iowa Ortho hand specialist will include x-ray imaging followed by an in-depth exam and discussion of treatment. It is important to remember that not every visit to a hand surgeon will result in surgery. Typically, our specialists will discuss conservative hand treatment options such as injections, bracing, and physical therapy as a first line of care. Surgery will be discussed if conservative treatment options do not improve hand function or provide pain relief. Each patient case is different and we will work with you to determine the best plan of care, suitable for your injury and lifestyle.