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BSSH - The British Society for Surgery of the Hand
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Glossary

This glossary provides a list of the most commonly used terms in hand surgery.

Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia refers to the practice of administering medications either by injection or by inhalation (breathing in) that blocks the feeling of pain and other sensations, or that produce a deep state of unconsciousness that eliminates all sensations, which allows medical and surgical procedures to be undertaken without causing undue distress or discomfort.
Anaesthetic
A drug or gas that is given to someone before a medical operation to stop them feeling pain. An anaesthetic that affects the whole of your body by making you unconscious is called a general anaesthetic and an anaesthetic that affects only a part of your body is called a regional or local anaesthetic.
Brachial Plexus
The Brachial Plexus is a network of nerves that originate in the neck region and branch off to form most of the other nerves that control movement and sensation in the upper limbs, including the shoulder, arm, forearm, and hand.
Collagenases
Collagenases are enzymes that break the peptide bonds in collagen. They assist in destroying extracellular structures in the pathogenesis of bacteria such as Clostridium. They are considered a virulence factor, facilitating the spread of gas gangrene.
Dupuytren's Disease
A condition in which there is fixed forward curvature of one or more fingers, caused by the development of a fibrous connection between the finger tendons and the skin of the palm.
Intra-articular Fractures
Intra-articular fractures are those in which the break crosses into the surface of a joint. They always result in some degree of cartilage damage. In addition to the usual considerations in fracture management, the relative position of the bone fragments and their relationship to ligament attachments are critical.
Metacarpo-Phalangeal Joint
The metacarpo-phalangeal joints (MCP) refer to the joints between the metacarpal bones and the phalanges of the fingers. That means the MCP joint is the knuckle between the hand and the finger.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones wears down over time.
Osteophytes
Bone spurs or Osteophytes, are bony projections that form along joints, and are often seen in conditions such as arthritis. Bone spurs are largely responsible for limitations in joint motion and can cause pain.
Physiotherapy
The treatment of disease, injury or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery.
Polydactyly
Polydactyly is a congenital condition where there are extra fingers or extra toes
Proximal inter-phalangeal joint
The proximal inter-phalangeal joint is the first joint in the finger nearest to the hand.  It is commonly injured in ball sports such as netball, basketball and football.  It is notorious for taking a long time to recover.
Splint
A device used for support or immobilization of a finger/thumb. It can be used in multiple situations, including temporary immobilization of potentially broken bones or damaged joints and support for joints during activity.
Tenolysis
Tenolysis is surgery to release a tendon affected by adhesions. A tendon is a type of tissue that connects muscle to bone. An adhesion happens when scar tissue forms and binds tendons to surrounding tissue.
Tinel’s Sign
Tinel's sign is a way to detect irritated nerves. It is performed by lightly tapping (percussing) over the nerve to elicit a sensation of tingling or "pins and needles" in the distribution of the nerve.
Ulnar Nerve
A large superficial nerve of the arm that is a continuation of the medial cord of the brachial plexus, passes around the elbow superficially in a groove between the olecranon and the medial epicondyle of the humerus and continues down the inner side of the forearm to supply the skin and muscles of the little-finger side of the forearm and hand.
Volar (palmar) Plate
The Volar Plate or probably better referred to as the 'palmar plate' can be defined as a very thick ligament that prevents hyperextension of the proximal inter-phalangeal joint from occurring. If there is enough force during hyperextension, the disruption may cause a rupture of the Palmar Plate at its insertion on the middle phalanx of a finger.
What is the James Lind Alliance?
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds the infrastructure of the James Lind Alliance (JLA) to oversee the processes for Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs). PSPs aim to help patients, carers and health care professionals work together to agree which are the most important treatment uncertainties affecting their particular interest, in order to influence the prioritisation of future research in that area – in this case relating to common conditions affecting the hand and wrist.

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The staff of the BSSH Offices are not medically trained and cannot give advice about medical conditions.
You should contact your consultant, GP or Specialist Nurse for medical advice in the first instance.

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