Regain Your Grip on Life
At FLEX Institute, we know that maintaining healthy joints in your hand is crucial for an active lifestyle and overall well-being. These joints are essential for performing everyday tasks, from holding a cup of coffee to typing at a computer. Pain in these areas can affect anyone, from athletes to office workers, disrupting daily activities and diminishing quality of life. Seeking specialized care ensures you receive the precise treatment needed to restore functionality and comfort.
Expert Care for Your Hand
The FLEX Hand Team is renowned for its collective expertise in treating hand, wrist, and elbow conditions.
With years of experience and advanced training, our specialists are dedicated to providing personalized, innovative treatments tailored to each patient’s unique needs. Our approach ensures that you receive compassionate care and effective solutions, helping you return to your daily activities with improved function and comfort.
Embrace a life free from pain with specialized care at FLEX Institute. Our comprehensive approach to treatment ensures you regain the full use of your hand, empowering you to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.
Anatomy & Function
Your hand is an intricate structure composed of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that work harmoniously to allow you to perform fine motor skills. However, your hand is especially susceptible to injuries from overuse or trauma. Conditions like tendonitis and arthritis can result from repetitive motions or natural wear and tear, highlighting the importance of understanding these complex joints.
Common Issues
- Arthritis: Causes pain and stiffness in joints due to wear and tear.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Nerve compression leads to hand numbness and weakness.
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: Pressure on the elbow nerve causing tingling sensations.
- DeQuervain’s Tenosynovitis: Causes thumb tendon inflammation, making it painful to grasp or pinch objects.
- Dupuytren’s Contracture: Results in fingers curling inward, complicating tasks that require an open hand.
- Fractures and Dislocations: Results from trauma, causing severe pain and restricted movement, often disrupting daily tasks.
- Ganglion Cysts: Fluid-filled lumps around joints and tendons.
- Trigger Finger: A condition where fingers catch or lock when bent.
Advanced Treatment Options
Carpal Tunnel Release
Carpal Tunnel Release is a surgical procedure designed to alleviate pressure on the median nerve within the wrist, which is often compressed due to repetitive motions. By cutting the ligament that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel, the surgery provides relief from pain, numbness, and tingling. This minimally invasive procedure significantly enhances hand function, restores sensation, and allows for improved dexterity, enabling patients to return to daily activities with renewed comfort.
DeQuervain’s Release
DeQuervain’s Release surgery targets the inflamed tendon sheath in the wrist, relieving pressure to reduce pain and swelling associated with thumb movement. By carefully releasing the sheath, the procedure restores smooth thumb and wrist function. Patients experience notable pain reduction and an improvement in thumb dexterity, enabling them to perform gripping and lifting tasks comfortably and confidently.
Distal Biceps Tendon Repair
Distal Biceps Tendon Repair is a surgical procedure to fix tears at the elbow and restore arm strength and flexibility. This operation involves reattaching the torn tendon to the bone and securing it for proper healing. Patients benefit from regained arm strength, improved range of motion, and the ability to resume activities that require lifting, reaching, and rotating, ensuring a return to normal daily functions.
Ganglion Cyst Excision
Ganglion Cyst Excision is a minimally invasive procedure that removes fluid-filled cysts typically found near joints or tendons in the hand or wrist. This surgical option is aimed at eliminating pain and restoring mobility affected by the cysts. By carefully excising the cyst, the procedure minimizes recurrence while preserving surrounding tissues. Patients experience relief from discomfort, enhanced joint function, and a return to normal hand and wrist activities.
Trigger Finger Release
Trigger Finger Release is a quick surgical intervention for freeing a constricted tendon sheath that causes fingers to catch or lock in a bent position. By making a small incision to release the affected tendon, this procedure restores smooth finger movement. Patients benefit from immediate pain relief and regain normal hand function, allowing them to perform everyday tasks without the inconvenience of finger stiffness or locking.
Ulnar Nerve Transposition
Ulnar Nerve Transposition surgery involves relocating the ulnar nerve to prevent it from becoming compressed or irritated at the elbow, a condition often causing numbness and tingling in the hand. This procedure alleviates discomfort by repositioning the nerve, resulting in reduced pain and improved strength and flexibility. Patients benefit from enhanced hand and arm function, allowing them to engage in activities without the hindrance of persistent nerve-related symptoms.
Our Hand Doctors
Michael Acurio, MD, has been a cornerstone of the FLEX Institute since 1996, earning recognition as a highly skilled and innovative leader in orthopedic care throughout the region. His journey to the medical field was driven by a lifelong aspiration to become a physician. Although he initially considered a career in ophthalmology during medical school, Dr. Acurio soon discovered his true passion for orthopedics while working alongside his future senior partner, Dr. Clint McAlister.
Dr. Acurio’s practice is uniquely diverse, encompassing three key areas: 1) hip and knee replacements, 2) upper extremity and hand procedures, and 3) general orthopedics. His comprehensive training has equipped him with the expertise to address a wide array of orthopedic conditions, a versatility he continues to embrace after nearly three decades in practice.
Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Acurio is a devoted family man, proud father and grandfather to five children and five grandchildren. He is actively involved in the Shreveport-Bossier City community, supporting the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, local youth athletics, and various charitable organizations. In his leisure time, he enjoys scuba diving, running, and creating cherished memories with his family.
Dr. Acurio provides patient consultations at the FLEX Institute in Bossier City, where he continues to deliver exceptional orthopedic care.
Read Dr. Acurio’s full bio here.
Meet Neal Cooper, MD, a proud Shreveport native and a leading expert in minimally invasive procedures for hand and wrist conditions.
After an illustrious career as an orthopedic hand surgeon in the United States Army, Dr. Cooper returned to join the Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana. His military service was marked by his dedication during some of the most challenging conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing care to wounded service members from the front lines to various evacuation points. He held leadership roles at major Army medical facilities, including Walter Reed and Brooke Army Medical Centers, and served as the Chief of Orthopedic Surgery for the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq.
Dr. Cooper is board certified in both hand surgery and orthopedic surgery, and he is a fellow of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS). He has a special interest in carpal tunnel syndrome and is renowned for performing more minimally invasive endoscopic carpal tunnel releases than any other surgeon in the state.
Driven by the belief that his specialty can significantly enhance a patient’s quality of life swiftly, Dr. Cooper is wholeheartedly committed to delivering compassionate and effective care to his patients.
Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Cooper cherishes his personal life with his wife, Nancy. Childhood sweethearts, they have been married for over 30 years and are the proud parents of three children—Suzanne, William, and Nathan. After living around the world, the Coopers decided there truly is no place like home, returning to Shreveport-Bossier City to be closer to family and lifelong friends. Dr. Cooper’s dedication to his community and his patients is reflected in every aspect of his practice, making him a beloved figure both professionally and personally.
Read Dr. Cooper’s full bio here.
