Expert Hand Care Close to Home

Expert Hand Care Close to Home: MaineGeneral Orthopaedics

When hand pain or injury keeps you from doing the things you enjoy, knowing where to turn makes all the difference. MaineGeneral Orthopaedics offers expert, compassionate hand surgery and care close to home.

Your hands contain many small bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves and blood vessels all working together to give your hands range of motion. Minor problems can have a big impact on your daily life. That's why MaineGeneral has assembled a fellowship-trained team of hand surgeons: Drs. Elaine Balutis, Mark Spencer and John Thaller. Each bring specialized expertise and advanced training to every patient they see.

"Hand surgery can be complex," says Dr. Thaller. "You're dealing with small ligaments, tendons and bones. The focus and care we provide for our patients is at top of mind for us. I'm proud of the hand surgery team that we've built and the expert care that we provide."

The scope of what this team treats is impressive. Dr. Balutis describes treatments extending from "all the way from the fingertips to the elbow," covering soft tissue injuries, nerve conditions, trauma, sports-related injuries and even congenital deformities in children. Dr. Spencer adds that the team handles everything from bones, tendons, ligaments and joints, seeing cases "as simple as trigger finger releases to more complex trauma cases."

Conditions treated by the team include arthritis of the hand, wrist and elbow; carpal tunnel release; joint replacement; nerve and vascular reconstruction; fractures and arthroscopic procedures. Whether your need is elective or time-sensitive, MaineGeneral Orthopaedics is ready to help.

Care That Puts Patients First

What sets the MaineGeneral hand surgery team apart goes beyond their technical skill, it's their patient-centered philosophy. Dr. Balutis believes in working with patients as partners: "What matters is what the patient wants, what they need and what they think is best for them. I give patients as much information as I can, so they are able to make informed decisions."

Dr. Spencer shares that same commitment. "My goal is to give everyone high-quality, compassionate care; to inform them, educate them, give them all the treatment options moving forward and let them ultimately make the decision."

One additional benefit unique to MaineGeneral is the ability to perform certain procedures right in the office, something many patients genuinely appreciate for its convenience and comfort.

Your Neighbor, Your Ally, Your Surgeon

Dr. Balutis says it best: "Part of being in this community is being a resource, an ally, a friend and a surgeon to anyone that lives in this area." That spirit of community commitment runs through everything the MaineGeneral Orthopaedics hand surgery team does.

If hand, wrist or elbow pain is slowing you down, you don't have to live with it. Expert care is closer than you think.

To learn more or schedule an appointment with MaineGeneral Orthopaedics, call (207) 621-8700 or visit http://www.mainegeneral.org/hand-surgery.