The Hand Owner's Manual

Author: Roy A. Meals, M.D.

ISBN 978-1-60264-845-6 (eBook)

219 pages

Do I have carpal tunnel syndrome? Is knuckle cracking dangerous? Which is better for a sprain, heat or ice? The reader will find answers to these and hundreds of other questions in "The Hand Owner's Manual." Dr. Meals shares his 30-year experience of preventing and treating hand conditions that commonly include pinched nerves, broken bones, and arthritic joints. Practical information abounds for athletes and musicians as well as for all who use computer mice, kitchen knives, and steering wheels. Should prevention fail, Dr. Meals describes clearly how the hand's various tissues heal, allowing the owner to understand treatment options, to avoid surgery if possible, and to maximize recovery.

"The Hand Owner's Manual" also heightens the reader's appreciation for the hand's vast influence on the entire human story. Dr. Meals light heartedly answers interesting and diverse questions such as why identical twins have different fingerprints, how much professional musicians actually practice, what it is like to be a hand model, and how the term southpaw originated. The book is a lively, informative, and comprehensive celebration of the human hand, which Aristotle described as the tool of tools. As such, he would surely recommend this manual for all owners.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Meals' fascination with the hand's complex, compact anatomy began early in medical school. He quickly realized that hand surgery matched his lifelong interests in using tools and building models, the more intricate the better. He learned the nuances of orthopedic surgery and hand surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital before joining the faculty at UCLA, where he continues to practice and teach. Dr. Meals is past president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and has been a longstanding deputy editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery. His eight previous books include What's Inside Your Hand (a hand anatomy coloring book for children) and One Hundred Orthopedic Conditions Every Doctor Should Understand. Interest in tool use has also contributed to his development of 12 medical inventions. Decades of patient interactions, extensive and eclectic reading, and worldwide travel have provided Dr. Meals with the material for this book. When he is not working, Dr. Meals is likely gardening, hiking, or cycling, but probably even then thinking about hands.