Hand Surgery

It is not common knowledge that the specialist field of hand surgery falls under the domain of plastic surgery.

Hand surgery is one of the most intricate areas within the specialty of plastic surgery.   Mr Chester regularly performs hand surgery as part of his plastic surgery practice. His NHS hand surgery practice is based at the Birmingham Hand Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where he has been a consultant for more than 16 years. Mr Chester is Clinical Lead (Head of Department) for hand surgery.   He completed his hand surgery training as part of his plastic surgery registrar rotation in the West Midlands and also as a Hand Fellow at the prestigious Pulvertaft Hand Unit in Derby.  He regards himself as very fortunate to have such a diverse plastic practice. He feels that his hand surgery interest complements other areas of his work, due to the delicacy and meticulous surgical technique required for this specialty. Mr Chester is supported by hand therapists to optimise the outcome for his patients.

Mr Chester has numerous publications in hand surgery and is renowned nationally for his expertise in soft tissue reconstruction following serious blast injuries but treats a large range of hand surgery problems. Mr Chester is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH), and is registered with all major insurance companies. 

Mr Chester prides himself on his communication skills and likes to tailor management plans to suit the needs of his patients. He is regularly referred patients for second opinions and provides surgical and non-surgical treatments for a number of conditions.

Mr Chester treats the following hand surgery problems:

Nerve compression including carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome, which are causes of tingling in the fingers

Arthritis of the hand –  painful joints

Functional problems and deformity following previous hand injuries including tendon reconstructions, release of scarring

Soft tissue tumours including ganglia, mucous cysts, benign lumps

Nail problems – deformity, injury, tumours under nails

Dupuytren’s disease- progressive contracture of digits. He is able to employ plastic surgery techniques such as skin grafts

Neuromas – painful nerve lumps

Tendinopathy – trigger finger, De Quervain’s (inflamed tendons to the thumb)

Please note that Mr Chester is not routinely able to provide a service for patients with new injuries – please attend A&E or see your GP.

Please click here to make an enquiry regarding a hand problem

For further information on the conditions listed above, please click on the link below to the  Patients’ section of the BSSH website
https://www.bssh.ac.uk/patients/conditions/

For any enquiries or to book an appointment with Mr Chester please get in touch with his secretary