How long has Dr. Badia been in practice?
Dr. Badia co-founded the Miami Hand Center in 1995 when he joined Dr. Jorge Orbay and was later joined by Drs. Roger Khouri, Eduardo Gonzalez, and then Steven Alex. This came directly after performing a traveling fellowship in Europe for complex hand trauma and a hand fellowship in Pittsburgh in 1994. In 2008, Dr. Badia founded the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center in order to satisfy the needs of his international patients as well as traumatic work injuries. The Doral location facilitates both these objectives in a centrally located facility near MIA airport.

Are you a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon?
Dr. Badia is board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and also possesses a certificate of added qualification CAQ in hand surgery.

Do you only treat hands?
The practice is limited to surgery of the hand and upper extremity, which includes the wrist, elbow and shoulder area. He also performs microsurgery and arthroscopic surgery but limited to the upper limb. His associate, Dr. Scott Buckel, treats lower extremity problems as well and also has a particular interest in shoulder surgery.

Do you perform surgeries alone?
Most of the surgeries are performed with the assistance of Debra Krol, PAC who is a physician assistant that works closely with Dr. Badia in all phases of treatment including initial consultations and post op visits. He occasionally collaborates with one of his colleagues from the Miami Hand Center if the complexity of the case warrants this.

Can CTS resolve with therapy?
Severe pain resulting from tendon inflammation in carpal tunnel syndrome can be alleviated with anti-inflammatory modalities performed by hand therapists or medication, including the form of a corticosteroid injection in the wrist. However, true nerve compression that is confirmed by nerve conduction studies often needs surgical release in order to achieve a complete and long lasting cure.

Will the injection of cortisone to alleviate inflammation cause weight gain?
This is one of the many myths of cortisone and patients should understand that only high dose intravenous or oral steroids (cortisone-like substances) would cause side effects such as weight gain, hair growth or blood sugar elevation. A small injection in a joint or around a tendon sheath will not cause any significant side effects unless applied inappropriately or excessively.

What causes CTS and can it be prevented?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a compression of the median nerve in the carpal canal of the wrist. There can be many causes but in the majority of cases the cause is not clear. We do see this with high incidence in certain groups, which indicates there may be some hormonal involvement that leads to tendon inflammation/thickening and thus secondary compression of the nerve. There is no scientific evidence that typing or computer use causes this condition although it is noted that many repetitive activities may exacerbate this condition. It is also noted that symptoms worsen during sleep, while talking on the phone and even driving indicating that certain positions of the wrist can lead to median nerve compression symptoms. More about this condition can be learned in "Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome".

Can I have surgery on both hands at the same time?
This should only be done with endoscopic carpal tunnel releases and traumatic injuries to both hands that require urgent treatment. However, in most elective cases, it is best to stage the carpal tunnel surgeries 4-6 weeks apart as that allows the patient to have one hand free without a dressing and with good strength as the operated hand recovers. Occasionally, bilateral surgery for CTS is performed when a patient travels a great distance to have this performed and a 2nd visit would be difficult.

What is the recovery time for most procedures?
Hand surgery can entail as simple a procedure as a carpal tunnel release or foreign body removal which would allow immediate near full use of the hand, or as complicated as a wrist laceration involving all tendons and nerves which can take up to a year for an adequate functional recovery.

What hospitals are you affiliated with?
Dr. Badia is on staff at many hospitals in Dade County but is most active at Baptist, South Miami, Doctors, Kendall Regional, Hialeah and Mercy Hospitals. Nevertheless, most routine hand procedures are performed at the Surgery Center at Doral Ambulatory Surgical Center.

Do you have on on-site surgical facility?
Yes, the Surgery Center at Doral will be soon medicare approved and has contracts with all major insurance carriers that Dr. Badia and other on-staff surgeon who there. This includes many workers compensation carriers and international insurances.

What are your office hours?
Badia Hand to Shoulder center is open weekdays from 8 AM to 6 PM although at least one of the doctors is available on off hours in order to handle emergencies. The ambulatory center is frequently active late at night due to the management of emergency hand and upper limb injuries.

Do all surgeries require general anesthesia?
Hand and upper extremity surgery rarely requires general anesthesia and Dr. Ricardo, the director of anesthesia, is very experienced at local and regional block anesthesia. This means you will feel absolutely no pain or discomfort and intravenous sedation will also help you relax or even sleep if you desire. Your surgical anesthesia will be discussed in detail with Dr. Ricardo or his colleagues in a pre-operative visit.

What is the difference between an orthopedic surgeon and a hand surgeon?
An orthopedic surgeon specializes in medical and surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system. This includes all bones, muscles, tendons and joints. A hand surgeon is a sub specialist in treatment of the hand and often the upper extremity as well. Dr. Badia is an orthopedic surgeon who also performed specialized training to limit his practice to the hand and upper limb. Occasionally, hand surgeons receive their fundamental training in plastic or even general surgery. Someone with this more specialized training should generally perform complex surgeries of the hand, wrist and elbow.