From the perspective of human evolution, the emergence of hands has become an indispensable existence for human beings. In addition to helping us hold, pinch, and use things, our hands are also creative. It can be said that the thumb function accounts for more than 50% of the hand functions. If the thumb is not well developed, it will have a great impact on the use of the hand.
Some time ago, a baby with "mirror hand" came to my clinic and was brought to my clinic by his parents. His right hand function was very poor and he could only rely on clamps. At first, he was very reluctant to show me his hands. The father of the child even tried to comfort him by saying, "Give him some candy to eat and go shopping later!" But it didn't help much, so the mother gently grabbed him. I shook my wrist and counted from 3 to 10. Not long after I finished counting, he smiled at me. When I was watching the movie, this little guy was particularly interested in the pen on my desk. He kept reaching out to get it and making ummm sounds in his mouth. It was so cute!
Mirror shadow hand, a rare finger deformity
Mirror shadow hand has a relatively low incidence compared with other hand deformities. The clinical manifestation is that the affected hand has no thumb, and the fingers on both sides are similar in shape and grow symmetrically. This is also The origin of the name Mirror Hand.
When is the best time to treat mirror hand?
Because the mirror hand lacks a thumb, although there are many fingers, they only have the function of bending and clamping, and have no palm-to-palm function. They cannot pinch, but can only hold. In the clinic, this child has 7 fingers and it is difficult to grasp and hold some things. And the function of the thumb is established from 6-8 months. Therefore, the optimal treatment time should be around 6 months.
How to operate the mirror hand?
Although the mirrored hand looks like it has many fingers, there is actually only one chance for surgery. Because during the operation, the skin, soft tissue, and bone tissue used are limited. If it is not done well the first time, it will be very troublesome to have a second surgery to correct it, and the child will suffer a lot.
Mirror shadow hand surgery is usually done in two stages. The first phase is to establish a better shape for the affected hand and open the tiger's mouth wider. After the second stage of surgery, functional exercises will be carried out to allow the hand to move and complete actions such as palm alignment.
In short, for mirror hand, a relatively rare hand and foot deformity, you should go to a regular hospital for treatment as soon as possible. Before having surgery, you may wish to consult several doctors to find the most suitable solution to avoid adverse effects on later recovery and care.
I am Chen Jianghai from the Department of Hand Surgery at Xiehe Union Medical College. Regarding the problem of hand and foot deformities, you can leave a message.
