A speedy recovery at hand at Bayhealth

Years of typing took a toll on Richard Van Emburgh’s hands. In his former career, he managed transportation and logistics for a global corporation, which involved lots of work with his hands – first on a manual typewriter, then a computer.

After he and his wife moved to Delaware, they looked forward to enjoying their retirement years while working around the house and gardening together. But over time, Van Emburgh had lost considerable strength and mobility in his right hand. This made even the simplest tasks using his dominant hand much harder than they needed to be.

Van Emburgh could barely close his hand around objects without pain, and he could only bend his fingers about 20 degrees. His primary care doctor referred him to Bayhealth orthopedic surgeon Andrew Park, MD. Specializing in hand and upper extremity surgery, Park sees patients at Bayhealth Orthopedics Sussex Campus in Lewes, Milford and Dover practice locations.

Park found that Van Emburgh had a severe form of carpal tunnel syndrome arising from pinched nerves in the hand. The most common symptoms are weakness, pain and numbness in the hand and arm.

“Not all cases of carpal tunnel require surgery,” said Park. “We always try other measures first and see what works for each patient.” Bayhealth has a dedicated outpatient rehabilitation team with several specially trained, certified hand therapists. They work with the orthopedic specialists to carry out personalized treatment plans.

While Van Emburgh said he was impressed by the expertise of the hand therapists who worked with him, the therapy was not improving his symptoms. He knew it was time to consider surgery.

“I liked how knowledgeable Dr. Park was and how he took his time in listening to me, examining me and thoughtfully considering the specifics of my condition,” Van Emburgh said. “Over the years, my wife and I have had a lot of experiences with doctors at many reputable health systems. Dr. Park is one of the best I’ve had.”

Park performed a successful carpal tunnel surgery on Van Emburgh using local wide-awake techniques rather than general anesthesia. This was performed as an outpatient procedure at Bayhealth Surgery Center in Dover.

"The tissue covering the tendons that bend his fingers surround the nerve had become inflamed and caused a lot of swelling, which occasionally happens with severe carpal tunnel. I surgically removed this inflamed tissue and decompressed the nerve so he didn’t have to continue living with the pain and limitations he had,” said Park. “Using local anesthesia is a good choice in some cases. There is always some risk with general anesthesia, particularly in patients with other health conditions. It also may be advantageous for the patient because of the ease of scheduling, and the steps before and after surgery.”

Van Emburgh found the local anesthetic approach to be comfortable and convenient for him. He liked being able to avoid lab work and the pre-surgical testing required for general anesthesia. Also, he didn’t have to fast beforehand and could safely drive himself home soon after the procedure.

He was thrilled with the overall experience and outcome. “Bayhealth’s Surgery Center was a very nice place and very well-run. Dr. Park did a fantastic job. I would recommend him to anyone,” said Van Emburgh.

Several follow-up visits with Park have confirmed Van Emburgh’s quick, solid recovery. He was back mowing his lawn again just a couple weeks after surgery. He’s glad to now do activities like that without any difficulty or pain.

“I’ve always had great experiences with Bayhealth, and this was no different,” said Van Emburgh. “I felt complete trust in Dr. Park and everyone else at Bayhealth who helped take care of me.”

To find an orthopedic physician or other specialist, go to Bayhealth.org/Find-a-Doctor.