Hand infections can cause serious problems and symptoms, both before and after the infection is resolved. They can result in stiff hands, weak hands, and loss of tissues such as skin, nerve and bone.  It is important to visit a hand surgeon immediately and get early treatment if you have signs of one of these hand infections.

Do your fingers turn pale when taking items out of the freezer? Is there stiffness and pain in your fingers in mildly cold weather, followed by redness and swelling as they warm up?  If so, you may have Raynaud’s Disease, or Raynaud’s phenomenon. But how do you know the difference? Or if you know you have it?

Splinters, slivers, and other material in the hand may be a simple problem, but they can also need treatment by a doctor and, in special circumstances, a hand surgeon. In this article, hand surgeon Jeffrey C. Wint, MD from the Hand Center of Western Massachusetts answers your questions about splinters, slivers, and other foreign bodies.