Dr. Alejandro Badia
According to the National Institutes of Health, carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common wrist conditions that exist with over 3 million cases reported yearly. The everyday symptoms that are easily ignored include burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand or your fingers (especially in the thumb and index), the feeling of swelling without it being apparent, or the feeling of pins and needles, hand clumsiness or hand and wrist weakness. Although many people suffer from this condition, most do not know that there is a minimally invasive procedure that can eliminate these symptoms.
This syndrome, which affects the hand and wrist, is caused by excessive pressure on the median nerve, which then causes a numbness and tingling feeling in the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. This can be due to fluid retention or swelling (during pregnancy or after trauma /injury), tendon irritation (excessive or repetitive hand use), nerve changes (diabetes, hypothyroidism, or alcoholism), inflammation from different types of arthritis, bone changes from arthritis, cysts or tumors. More severe cases may even experience different degrees of pain and discomfort as the muscle in the thumb becomes weak and decreases in size.
Dr. Badia in Surgery
Dr. Alejandro Badia renowned Upper Extremity and Hand Surgeon, Medical Director of the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and founder of OrthoNOW in Doral, Florida, specializes in minimally invasive procedures such as carpal tunnel release, which reduces pressure on the median nerve to alleviate the problem. The median nerve runs from the forearm to the hand along with flexor tendons through the carpal tunnel, which is composed of transverse carpal ligaments and carpal bones. It controls thumb movement and provides sensation from the palm side of the thumb to half of the ring finger.
“Endoscopy is minimally invasive, meaning patients are able to start their recovery sooner. By leaving little to no scarring, it reduces the risk of infection, which allows the patient to return to their life quickly and with a minimal amount of discomfort,” said Dr. Badia.
Unlike open procedures, which are most common in the Caribbean, endoscopic procedures are much less painful, and the recovery and rehabilitation is a lot shorter. Patients from the Bahamas often travel to Miami for this reason. The procedure is done with local anesthesia and requires a three-day stay. Patients who undergo the procedure are able to use their hand immediately.
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Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS is a hand and upper extremity surgeon at Badia Hand to Shoulder Center, a fully integrated clinical facility for the upper limb, including Hand, Wrist, Shoulder and Elbow, located in Doral, Florida. Dr. Badia was educated at Cornell and NYU, trained in orthopedics at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Medical Center, followed with a hand/microsurgery fellowship in Pittsburgh and trauma fellowship in Germany. He has served as worldwide president of the International Society for Sport Traumatology of the Hand (ISSPORTH) and co-founded the Miami Anatomical Research and Training Center (M.A.R.C.), the world’s largest surgical cadaveric training lab and The Surgery Center at Doral, an elite state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center.
Dr. Badia has published numerous articles, written multiple book chapters, and has been an invited speaker or lecturer in nearly twenty-five countries. He is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS) and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as numerous other international hand surgery and arthroscopy associations. Additionally, Dr. Badia served as honored professor at the prestigious Philadelphia Hand Course. For 10 consecutive years, Dr. Badia has been on the editorial review board of the Techniques in Upper Extremity Surgery, comprised of International key opinion leaders in upper limb surgery. Dr. Badia runs an active international hand fellowship, serves on the editorial board of two hand journals and for eight consecutive years, organized a two-day conference and learning symposium for surgeons/therapists devoted to upper limb arthroscopy and arthroplasty.
After years of a successful medical career and a renowned international speaking legacy, he saw a need for specialized orthopedic urgent care centers to immediately assess and treat a range of orthopedic and sports injuries and founded OrthoNOW®, the only orthopedic urgent care center franchise in the country. He serves as Medical Director of the franchise’s flagship location in Doral, Florida which has a team of orthopedic specialists on staff that treat broken bones, sprains, torn ligaments and muscles, cuts, sports and workers compensation injuries.
Dr. Badia, a two-time South Florida Business Journal Top 100 Power Leaders in Healthcare and a Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive Leader by Diversity MBA Magazine, has also been honored with Legacy Awards from Today's Work Comp Professionals and The Doral Business Council. OrthoNOW® was named a “Top Ten Franchise Opportunity” in healthcare by Entrepreneur Magazine and featured in the following media: Franchise Times, Orthopedics This Week, South Florida Business Journal, Franchise USA Magazine and The Miami Herald.
Source: Katalyst Marketing Group
