In the perspective of being a Hand Surgeon who specializes in conditions of the hand & wrist, I would strongly advise an individual with wrist pain to see a Hand Surgeon. The reasons are detailed below:
A hand surgeon in Singapore is a specialist doctor who has undergone a grueling 6-year post-graduate training programme dedicated to surgery in the hand and wrist, as well as microsurgery related to:
- nerves,
- blood vessels and
- free-tissue transfers.
At the end of the training, the candidate doctor has to pass a rigorous examination to qualify as a specialist. The Specialist Accreditation Board, under the Ministry of Health, then enters the doctor into the Register of Specialists in Hand Surgery.
It is common knowledge that for one to excel and be an expert in any subject, one has to clock in a minimum of 10,000 man-hours into it. In Singapore, Hand Surgery is a separate speciality on its own and it is neither a subspecialty of Plastic Surgery nor Orthopaedic Surgery, which is the case in most Western countries.
A hand surgeon trained in Singapore would have clocked above and beyond 10,000 hours in seeing and treating conditions of the hand and wrist. A hand surgeon is thus the authority in dealing with conditions of the hand and wrist.
Just as how a Formula One car requires specialist mechanics, engineers and technicians to maintain, repair and reconstruct damaged parts, the hands and wrists are just as demanding. A hand surgeon is able to accurately diagnose and offer non-surgical and surgical treatment for any ailments in the hand and wrist. A partner hand occupational therapist works alongside the hand surgeon, just like a fellow pit crew member in a Formula One team, to rehabilitate the limb and restore normal function and strength. The Hand Surgeon is thus fully knowledgeable and equipped to offer the full range of treatment options for hand and wrist pain.
In my clinic, patients with wrist pain frequently get seen and assessed by myself, receive the appropriate treatment, obtain a custom-moulded wrist splint and undergo a hand therapy session all within an hour in a one-stop establishment. A Formula One car would not be adequately serviced and repaired in a general car workshop, neither would a Rolex watch be entrusted for disassembly anywhere else but a Rolex Service Centre.
