Pediatric Hand Care at Children's Hospital Colorado

About the Hand and Upper Extremity Program

Pediatric orthopedic hand specialists at the Hand and Upper Extremity Program focus on the evaluation and treatment of children from infancy to adolescence with differences and injuries of the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow and shoulder. Our pediatric hand specialists deliver individualized care plans that can include surgical and non-surgical options.

When we need to perform surgery, members of our team are readily available to assist with rehabilitation. This includes occupational hand therapists whose expertise covers orthopedics, burn, trauma and other medical specialties.

Hand and Upper Extremity Program services include:

• Radiology
• Surgery
• Hand therapy
• Orthopedic casting

Hand and upper extremity conditions we treat

We treat patients with:

• Hand and upper extremity differences (such as brachial plexus birth palsy, arthrogryposis and cerebral palsy)
• Hand and upper extremity injuries (such as spine, fingertip, nail bed, tendon and nerve injuries)

Other specific conditions we treat can include:

• Amniotic band syndrome
• Camptodactyly
• Cleft hand
• Clinodactyly
• Complex elbow injuries
• Foreign body
• Finger thumb hypoplasia/aplasia
• Ganglion cyst
• Hand and upper extremity fractures
• Madelung deformity
• Macrodactyly
• Mallet finger
• Polydactyly or extra fingers
• Radial dysplasia or radial longitudinal deficiency and radial club hand
• Radioulnar synostosis
• Scaphoid fracture
• Symbrachydactyly
• Syndactyly or joined fingers
• Trigger finger and trigger thumb
• Ulnar longitudinal deficiency or ulnar club hand

Why choose us for pediatric hand care?

The Hand and Upper Extremity Program is a branch of our Orthopedics Institute, and Sarah Sibbel, MD and Frank Scott, MD co-lead the Program. When it comes to correcting hand and forearm deformities, their team’s outcomes are among the best in the nation.

Here, nearly all treatment services are located in one place, and our pediatric hand specialists work to create a seamless experience for every patient and their family. From X-ray to casting and splinting to rehabilitation, kids get the comprehensive care they need.

Pediatric hand specialists and surgeons

Our pediatric hand specialists evaluate, diagnose and treat children nearly every day. They are specially trained in pediatrics and sensitive to the needs of a growing child. This is important because pediatric orthopedics is different than adult orthopedics. Our pediatric hand surgeons must complete extensive education, which makes our orthopedic providers experts in their field.

Constantly innovating

Our pediatric hand specialists constantly think outside the box. For instance, Children’s Colorado pediatric hand surgeon Dr. Sibbel evaluated a patient whose bones were broken some years before. In the time since the original break, the bones had grown and twisted to adapt to one another, a process called remodeling.

Assessing remodeling on an X-ray can be difficult, which is why Dr. Sibbel used a 3D-printed model. This innovative technique helped her plan in advance each cut of the intricate process she would use to surgically straighten the bones — a process that needs to correct past growth, as well as anticipate future growth.

Contact the Hand and Upper Extremity Program

For appointments at Anschutz Medical Campus, South Campus or North Campus, call 720-777-6600.