Hand tendon, repair - How hand tendons are repaired

Before the cut tendons in your hand are repaired, X-rays of your hand, wrist and forearm may be taken to check for things such as fragments of glass (if the tendon was cut by broken glass) or other damage, such as a fracture, that may also need to be repaired.

Tendon repair is not usually regarded as emergency surgery, but is generally carried out as quickly as possible after the injury – usually within a few days.

This is because the longer the tendons remain ruptured, the more scarring will develop on the end of the tendons. This could reduce the range of your hand movement after surgery.

Depending on the nature of your injury, you may be given antibiotics and a tetanus jab before surgery to prevent your hand from becoming infected.

Extensor tendon repair

Extensor tendon repair is usually performed under a regional anaesthetic. This is when an injection is used to make part of your body totally numb. For hand surgery, regional anaesthetic is injected into base of the neck or top of the shoulder to numb the whole arm.

If your tendon was damaged due to a wound, the wound will be thoroughly cleaned. An incision may be made in your hand to make the wound larger and the two ends of the ruptured tendon will be stitched together.

The wound will then be closed with stitches and a rigid splint (a support to protect the hand) made of plaster is usually fitted to stop you moving your hand and damaging the repaired tendons.

If nothing else has been damaged, extensor tendon repair surgery can take around 30 minutes to complete.

Flexor tendon repair

Flexor tendon repair is usually performed under a regional or general anaesthetic.

A tourniquet will be applied to your upper arm to stop the blood circulating and to make it easier to perform the operation safely. A tourniquet is like a blood pressure cuff used to constrict (squeeze) the arm and temporarily cut off the blood supply.

The surgeon will then extend the wound, or make an incision if there is no wound, to locate the damaged tendons. They will bring the two ends of the damaged tendon together, before stitching them to each other.

The wound in the hand is then closed with stitches and a rigid plaster splint usually applied to protect the repaired tendons.

A simple flexor tendon repair takes 45-60 minutes. Complex surgery for more severe injuries could take much longer.

Read more information about recovering from hand tendon repair and the complications of hand tendon repair.