PhD Thesis Determines that “Hand Surgery Enhances Life Quality for those with Spinal Cord Injuries”

Patient's hand before surgery (photo credit: University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy)Johanna Wangdell, a PhD student at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, wrote her thesis on the benefits of hand surgery for survivors of cervical spinal cord injuries. Johanna’s is the first study to focus on the “patient viewpoint” of the benefits of such surgeries. Johanna interviewed every patient that had hand reconstruction surgery at Sahlgrenska Univsity Hospital since 2003; Salgrenska has pioneered this procedure and has been performing and enhancing it since the 1970s. According to the results of her research, the majority of patients are extremely satisfied with the results of the surgery.  As Johnanna discovered, “The surgery doesn’t only deliver a physical benefit in the form of increased gripping strength. The ability to eat independently, to carry out household chores and leisure activities offers mental rewards which benefit our social life, our daily habits and the roles we perform. Knowing that you can handle things yourself…is, in many cases, invaluable.” 

Patient's hand after surgery (photo credit: University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy)While patients report increased ability and satisfaction with the surgery, it is not conducted very frequently outside of Sweden. While 4 of 10 spinal cord injury survivors receive the hand surgery in Sweden, the number is only 1 of 10 in the United States. As a result of her study, Johanna hopes that her research “will contribute to the surgery becoming available much more widely, both in Sweden and the rest of the world.”

Click the following link to learn more about Johanna Wangdells research on The University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy website: “Hand surgery enhances life quality for those with spinal cord injuries”