Medical Disclaimer

Last updated 7 September 2026.

What this website is

The clinical pages on this site are general patient education about conditions of the hand, wrist, peripheral nerves and upper limb. They are written to help you understand a problem, prepare questions, and know when something needs to be looked at.

What it is not

Reading this site does not create a doctor–patient relationship, and nothing here is personal medical advice. General information cannot account for your history, your examination findings, your imaging, or the particular pattern of your symptoms. Two people with the same diagnosis frequently need different treatment.

Nothing here should be used to diagnose yourself, to rule a diagnosis out, to delay assessment, or to decide for or against an operation. Those decisions follow an assessment.

Urgent problems

Some hand and upper-limb problems are time-critical. Seek same-day medical assessment if a finger or hand is cold, pale, blue or has lost feeling after an injury; if a cut has left you unable to bend or straighten a finger; if a wound was caused by a bite, or by paint, grease or any high-pressure injection — however small the mark appears; or if a hand is becoming more painful, swollen and tight rather than settling.

In an emergency, attend an emergency department. Do not wait for a clinic appointment and do not use a web form.

Accuracy and review

Clinical content is prepared for the practice and reviewed by a qualified clinician before it is presented as reviewed. Medicine changes, and a page reflects understanding at the time of its last review. Where a page has not yet completed clinical review, it does not carry a reviewer’s name.

External links

Links to other organisations are provided for reference. The practice does not control and is not responsible for their content.

Outcomes

No outcome is guaranteed anywhere on this site. Descriptions of recovery are typical patterns, not promises, and individual results vary with the condition, its severity, the treatment chosen and factors outside anyone’s control.