Looking for a hand specialist in Orlando usually means you have already tried the obvious things. You rested it. You wore the drugstore brace. Maybe your primary care doctor took an X-ray and told you it looked fine. And it still is not right. Orlando Hand Surgery Associates is a dedicated hand and upper extremity practice with offices across Central Florida.Request an appointment online or call (407) 841-2100.
Hand Specialist, Hand Doctor, Hand Surgeon: What Is the Difference
Practically speaking, not much. The physicians here are trained in the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder, and the majority of what they do is non-surgical care. "Hand surgeon" describes the training. "Hand specialist" and "hand doctor" describe what most patients are actually looking for, which is someone who works on hands all day rather than someone who works on everything and sees hands occasionally.
That distinction matters more than the job title. Hand and wrist anatomy is unforgiving. Eight carpal bones, dozens of tendons, three major nerves and a set of ligaments that all have to work together for something as ordinary as turning a key. Problems in that anatomy are frequently misread by generalists, not through carelessness but because the patterns are subtle and the volume is low.
What We Treat
- Carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve compression.
- Tendonitis of the hand, wrist and elbow.
- Trigger finger.
- Dupuytren's contracture.
- Arthritis of the hand, thumb base and wrist.
- Fractures of the fingers,hand and wrist.
- Tendon and ligament injuries.
- Ganglion cysts.
- Sports injuries.
- Work-related and repetitive strain injuries.
- Traumatic injuries requiring reconstruction or microsurgery.
- Tennis elbow, golfer's elbow and cubital tunnel syndrome.
- Rotator cuff and shoulder conditions.
Most Visits Do Not End in Surgery
This is worth saying plainly, because it is the thing that keeps people from booking. The majority of patients seen here are treated without an operation. Splinting, corticosteroid injections, hand therapy and changes to how you use the hand resolve a great deal.
Surgery is a specific tool for specific problems: a fracture that will not hold its position, a nerve compressed long enough that waiting causes permanent damage, a tendon that has ruptured, a contracture that has progressed. If surgery is recommended to you, ask what happens if you do nothing, and ask what the recovery actually involves. Those two answers should be clear.
Our Physicians
Offices: Downtown Orlando, Winter Garden
Offices: Downtown Orlando, Deltona
Offices: Downtown Orlando (Thursdays), Winter Garden (Mondays and Fridays), Kissimmee (Wednesdays)
Offices: Downtown Orlando, Winter Garden (Wednesdays), Kissimmee (Mondays)
Offices: Deltona and Winter Garden
Offices: Downtown Orlando
Dr. Ferreira is a fellowship trained sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon who was born in Recife, Brazil, and raised in Orlando, FL. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Central Florida and went on to attend medical school at Florida State University.
Offices: Downtown Orlando, Winter Garden, Kissimmee
Dr. Robert “Cole” Schmidt, MD, returns to Central Florida to join Orlando Hand Surgery Associates after completing his fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the Florida Orthopedic Institute in Tampa.
Offices: Downtown Orlando, Winter Garden, Kissimmee
Four Offices
When You Should Not Wait
Your First Visit
Most patients do not need a referral, though some insurance plans require one, so check yours before booking. Bring any prior imaging, your insurance card and a list of medications. Be ready to describe when the problem started and what makes it worse. That history frequently narrows the diagnosis faster than the X-ray does.
To see a hand specialist in Orlando, request an appointment online or call (407) 841-2100.