10 Hypotheses in Hand Surgery.

Hand Clin · Aug 2022 · Review

Tang JB

Department of Hand Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 West Temple Road, China

Hand & Upper Extremity

SUMMARY — THE REDUCTIONAn expert opinion piece proposes 10 unproven hypotheses on hand surgery practices (nerve compression, tendon repair timing, splinting, etc.) to spur further research.
Abstract, as published

I have put together 10 topics and labeled them as hypotheses, which outline my preferred practices. The topics relate to questionable nerve compression, double crush syndrome of nerves, motion therapy after surgery, delayed primary tendon repair, proximal pole fracture of the scaphoid, short splint, and indications for postoperative hand elevation. I found no proof whether my preferred methods are better than or inferior to alternative methods that others use. The 10 hypotheses are presented to stimulate thinking, clinical observation, or investigations and highlight several areas of research. Investigation into these hypotheses may avoid unnecessary treatment or improve postsurgical comfort for patients and long-term outcomes of treatment.

Featured in the 2026-07-25 issue.

← Clinical Management of Olecranon Bursitis: A Review.The Role of Exosomes in Upper-Extremity Tissue Regeneration. →

The Reduction is a free email digest of newly published orthopaedic literature — a handful of new papers in the subspecialties you choose, each summarized like this one. Subscribe free or browse the archive.