Hand Program

Treatments

It can be heartbreaking to watch your child experience a hand or upper extremity disorder. Children’s National is one of few programs in the Washington, DC, area offering an array of specialized treatments. Our team’s sole focus is helping your child achieve long-term maximum functioning.

Hand and Upper Extremity Treatments at Children’s National

The hand program at Children’s National delivers care and treatments that improve your child’s quality of life. Our orthopaedists specialize in pediatric hand disorders and offer a level of precision and expertise that is not widely available.

Our experience caring for a high volume of patients allows us to perform common and complex treatments with a high success rate. We always use a conservative approach, which may or may not include surgery.

Your Child’s Treatment May Include

Bracing therapy: Braces are devices that hold the moving parts of a hand or arm (fingers, wrists, elbows and shoulders) stable in order to promote healing or reduce swelling.
Home exercises: Our physical and occupational therapists may give your child special exercises to perform at home. We select exercises based on your child’s diagnosis with the goal of helping him or her strengthen muscles and improve functionality. Learn more about rehabilitation medicine.
Botox^® injections: Botox^® is a medication made from a special form of bacteria (botulinum toxin type A). We carefully inject safe doses of Botox^® into muscles and surrounding tissue to help increase flexibility and range of motion.
Surgery: From tendon transfers to nerve grafting, Children’s National offers a broad array of surgical treatments.

If surgery is right for your child, his or her procedure is just one step in a comprehensive treatment plan. Our entire team comes together to meticulously coordinate each step of your child’s care. From pre-operative care through surgery and recovery, we all work together to help your child achieve the best possible outcome.

Highlights of Surgery

Seamless coordination: We work closely with physical and occupational therapists in developing pre- and post-surgical therapy programs. Our attention to your child’s progress helps him or her achieve the best possible outcome.
Minimally invasive expertise: We’re nationally recognized experts in pediatric minimally invasive orthopaedic surgery. We use pediatric-specific techniques with a focus on protecting your child’s physical development. This includes special precautions to protect special bone segments (growth plates) that control your child’s growth potential.
Research: We have partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genetics Program to examine the genetic link to certain hand deformities. The goal of this work is to improve care and treatment for these conditions.
Comfort: We help your child stay as comfortable as possible before, during, and after surgical treatments with the help of our multi-specialty pain medicine program. Learn more about anesthesiology, sedation and perioperative medicine.
Support: Using child-friendly language and a compassionate approach, we help your family mentally and emotionally prepare for your child’s surgery. Learn more about child life services.

Visual Resources to Prepare for a Visit

Our Autism Behavioral Consult team has compiled visual resources that any family can review with their child to make them more comfortable before all types of doctor's visits.

View visual supports and resources