Carolina Hand Surgery Assocs PA

She was assigned to Dr. Abrams. Long story short, further surgery was required and although she has lost some range of motion she has no pain and has been released to normal activity. Throughout, Dr. Abrams was very kind to explain what was going on in detail and took time to answer any questions we had.

.

.

X-Rays were taken of both hands in various positions and my right shoulder, also in various positions.  Dr. Lechner reviewed the X-Rays with me and showed me the cause of some of the discomfort and also diagnosed a case of bursitis in my right shoulder. He gave me an injection for the bursitis and scheduled an appointment in four weeks for a follow-up.  He told me that if my hands were still sore then, he would make an appointment for me with the doctor in his practice that specializes in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  He also looked at the wrist guard that I had been using for my hands at night and told me that it was better than the ones that they have and he wanted to know where I got it.  We I told him I found it at Walgreens he said to get another one for my other hand and wear them both at night.  While I must look pretty strange when I go to bed, both my hands seem to feel better this morning.  His caring and advise as well as planning for any possible problem when I see him in four weeks makes me feel very secure and alleviates my anxieties about future treatment.

They listened to my complaints and offered solutions that the other doctor (Carolina Hand) did not even suggest as possibilities. All the other Dr. offered was a brace and then surgery.

Pretty much the only thing Dr. Thompson does for tendinitis is diagnosis. He had no treatment for me and told me just to rest. ... it felt hopeless. His bedside manner was really bad. I was pretty distressed and tendinitis is a big problem for me because I am in college right now for music. I started to tear up at one point and he just tried not to make eye contact with me and I could tell he just wanted to leave the room. I could tell it made him feel really awkward, but working in sports medicine I would think that he should be used to people having life altering injuries that affect their lifestyle. I asked him to code my visit as a cheaper option if possible because I have high deductible so I usually pay totally out of pocket. After he did this and did the paper work for my visit while I was trying to talk to him I told him I had more questions that I had written down and he was like 'you can't ask a whole lot of questions now that I coded your visit the cheapest I could.' He told me that I did not need surgery so he could not help me. Besides giving me no hope for healing from the diagnosis he gave me, the diagnosis was wrong!!!
About 3 months later I went to another practice in Greenville SC for the same problem and a 2nd opinion. They diagnosed me with radial tunnel syndrome which can often mimick lateral epicondylitis but the pain is in a distinctly different place on the arm. Also I find it odd that they diagnosed me with tendinitis when I never had any visible swelling. Not only was Dr. Thompson rude and uncomfortable with someone who was distressed with their injury, his practice charged me $775 for a diagnosis that was incorrect! Included in that $775 was a nerve conduction study to rule out neuromuscular disorders. The 2nd specialist I went to in Greenville said this test was not necessary when diagnosing radial tunnel syndrome, as the test can show no abnormalities even if you have radial tunnel syndrome. Also Dr. Thompson gave absolutely no treatment or treatment plan... It seems from other reviews that Dr. Thompson is good with things that are straight forward that need surgery, but for this slightly enigmatic diagnosis he had no insight. I am sorry I wasted so much time and money visiting Dr. Thompson's office.
Perhaps other physicians at this practice are much better, the office staff, scheduling, wait time, and facility were great.

I really liked him. He was very professional and he knew what he was doing. He took his own x-rays and pointed out where the break was in the large bone in the arm and I could see it. I had been to the emergency room and they didn't see it. He did a couple of surgeries on my wife including carpel tunnel and rotator cuff surgery. My wife was originally his patient and he helped me find a certain type of orthopedic doctor that I was looking for.

The overall experience at Carolina Hand and Wrist was smooth and professional. No waiting, the office was pleasant, the staff was friendly and efficient. Couldn't be better.

He is terrifc.  Open, kind and clear, he is a good listener and I really respect his talent and opinion.  He is open to input.

From the start, Dr. Thornburg was polite, professional and very thorough in explaining what could be causing my problem as well as the pros and cons of moving forward with surgery. He was punctual on the morning of the surgery and again professional and friendly following the surgery, letting my fiance and I know he felt it had gone successfully and giving us "next steps" as far as recommended follow-up care. It hasn't even been a week since the surgery was performed (stitches are still in) and I can already see TREMENDOUS improvement in the tendon's functionality as well as overall mobility of my finger/hand. I didn't have very high hopes for such a marked improvement so I'm thrilled to see the success, especially in such a short time frame. I have no doubt that with continued agressive physical therapy that I will be very pleased with the end result. I will visit Dr. Thornburg for any future hand issues and highly recommend!

He was remarkable and conservative.  For a hand surgeon he didn't suggest surgery right away which is great.  He took time, took x-rays and paid attention.  I wasn't billed $800 for showing up.  He had recently reattached a highschool girls hand and it's functional.

Began having severe pain in left wrist. Referred to Carolina Hand by my general practitioner. Seen by Dr. James Thompson, who took Xrays and made an appointment to the practice's neurologist. Despite a high level of pain, appointment was for approximately a month out because neurologist was on vacation. Referral to another neurologist would have been more expedient. Neurological tests showed no carpal tunnel.

On followup visit, Dr. Thompson discounted pain as likely psychological, glibly pronounced that while he didn't know what the problem was, whatever it was didn't require surgery, and made no recommendations for further diagnostic or treatment options. The practice refused to allow me to change to another of its doctors as well.

Since my visit, the practice has moved to a new facility. The facility it was in at that time, however, had apparently been left to deteriorate until the new one opened, with conditions I would liken more to a budget veterinarian's office than a medical office.

My wrist pain and other join pain continued to increase, and several months after my visits to Carolina Hand, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and have since been under care of a rheumatologist.

From my first encounter with his office staff until I completed my treatment  few months later I was pleased. The waiting room was a little less than optimal, but it did not inhibit my excellent treatment. I have had no problems with my wrist since seeing him for treatment.

See above

The surgery was excellent. It was performed by Dr. Lechner. I am doing wonderfully well now. They are very professional and very easy to talk to. The staff and everybody that I saw went out of their way to take good care of me. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. They kept everything very low key and relaxing for me.

A technician took x-rays of both hands. The doctor examined me and scheduled me for EMG's to determine the extent of the carpal tunnel syndrome. He suggested I keep wearing the right hand wrist splint at night. I was quite pleased with the appointment.

He is excellent. He is a good listener and very skilled. He offered methods alternative to surgery.