What Is Poland Syndrome?
10. Hand Treatments
Because finger impairments can affect quality of life, they are generally given priority over abnormalities in the chest area. For mild cases, treatment without surgery can be successful. Doctors may recommend stretching exercises to improve range of motion or place the fingers in splints or casts to encourage them to grow straight. There is no treatment for abnormally small hands or short fingers that otherwise function well.
To separate fused fingers, a surgery called syndactyly release is recommended when a child is one year old or older. During this procedure, an incision is made between the fingers, and the wound covered with flaps of skin left over from the incision or with skin grafts from elsewhere in the body. Cases in which the thumb or pinky are fused are considered more serious and require surgery at an earlier age to ensure normal growth of the surrounding fingers.
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