We had the opportunity to sit down with Vince, a patient of Dr. Ajul Shah, who described what it was like to undergo a Wide-Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) Tendon Repair, a cutting-edge treatment for tendon injuries.
“I knew that I was in good hands with Dr. Shah.”
Vince described his hand injury as a “freak accident,” after he cut his non-dominant small finger on a piece of broken glass and suffered a “Zone 2” tendon laceration. He was quickly sent to the emergency room, where he was directed to Dr. Shah for specialty treatment. With any hand injury, time is of the essence. Dr. Shah states that “a hand specialist needs to evaluate your hand injury as quickly as possible. If there is a delay, there’s a possibility that the tendon repair may not be able to be performed at all.”
Luckily, Dr. Shah and his team were quick to perform a wide-awake tendon repair on Vince’s finger. This new cutting-edge technique for tendon injuries allows the surgeon to repair and test the strength of the tendons in real-time. After the tendons are repaired, the patient is woken up from anesthesia and has the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the surgeon in the operating room.
With the help of the patient, Dr. Shah can test the integrity, strength, and glide of the tendons by asking the patient to perform simple finger and hand movements. This advanced procedure has tremendous benefits that include lower rates of tendon rupture, less stiffness and scar tissue, a quicker recovery, and, most importantly, better motion and strength down the road.
After surgery, Vince spent months undergoing rigorous rehabilitation with a hand therapist, Liz Strickland. Under her guidance, and after the completion of his treatment, Vince is experiencing incredible results! He is back to doing the activities that he enjoys the most, which include golfing and jiu-jitsu. To learn more about his story, please view his testimonial below.
For more information about our program for hand and upper extremity surgery, please click here.