hand pain

You have a few options for finding a good hand specialist in your area; let's see if we can help.

1. Do you know what type of hand specialist you need? They range from occupational and physical therapists to medical doctors with specialized training in orthopaedic surgery.
2. Have you checked with your health insurance, as I am sure they have requirements about who you can see. This will limit your search quite a bit, as you may need to stay within your network, you may need to have a specific referral from a physician, or a diagnosis.
3. I found a few places for you to begin your search online, both allow for searches within your state:
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) in LA
- Hand Therapy Certificate Commission (HTCC)
4. Depending on what type of hand pain you are experiencing, you will likely be referred to either a physical therapist or a medical doctor. I believe the highest qualification in this area would be a:
- medical doctor who is board certified (both with the American Board of Medical Specialties and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)
- has a "certificate of added qualifications in surgery of the hand"
- practices primarily and exclusively in the area of the hand

The other type of certification a hand specialist (who is not a medical doctor) can receive is a CHT (Certified Hand Therapist) from the HCCT (listed above).