2026 ASSH/ASHT On Demand CME Webinar: Electives in Hand Surgery-Syllabus

Syllabus
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The 2026 ASSH/ASHT On Demand CME Webinar: Electives in Hand Surgery is a comprehensive, internet-based continuing medical education program offering 4.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and ASHT Continuing Education Units. It covers a wide range of upper extremity conditions with expert-led presentations combining didactic and case-based formats, designed for both surgeons and therapists. The course's core topics address surgical treatments and hand therapy management of complex pathologies in the hand, wrist, elbow, and nerve injuries.<br /><br />Key highlights from the sessions include:<br /><br />Hand Surgery: Updates on flexor tendon repair emphasize core repair principles with recent biological insights, motion protocols, and increasing use of wide-awake techniques (WALANT). Therapy focuses on early motion choices balancing rupture prevention and adhesion management. Management of unicondylar phalanx fractures reviews surgical fixation options like Kirschner wires and screws. Rehabilitation of finger fractures considers tendon adhesions, soft tissue tightness, and joint capsule issues. Treatment strategies for mangled hand injuries stress systematic debridement, realistic salvage goals, stable coverage, and early therapy involvement. Catastrophic hand injuries require multi-disciplinary communication, orthotic use, functional goals, and addressing psychosocial impact.<br /><br />Wrist Surgery: Advances in scaphoid fracture diagnosis and management stress early surgical fixation in select athletes for quicker return to play. Treatment options for scaphoid nonunions include modern fixation techniques and arthroscopic bone grafting. TFCC injury treatment decisions depend on stability and ulnar variance, with nonoperative care prevailing for many cases. Therapy protocols focus on pain-free motion, strengthening, proprioception, and staged sensorimotor control exercises. Athletic wrist injuries cover sport-specific mechanisms, weightbearing imaging for diagnosing instability, and rehabilitation principles emphasizing graded load, functional training, and return-to-play criteria.<br /><br />Elbow Surgery: Management of distal humerus fractures covers epidemiology, imaging, classification, surgical approaches (posterior, lateral column), and fixation principles (parallel vs orthogonal plating). Nonoperative treatment is reserved for elderly or low-demand patients. Complications such as stiffness, heterotopic ossification, nonunion, and ulnar neuritis are discussed. Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) vs open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) outcomes are compared, with TEA favored in elderly with poor bone quality. Therapy emphasizes gentle early motion progressing to strengthening.<br /><br />Elbow therapy includes posttraumatic stiffness management focusing on early referral, interventions to improve motion, pain management, psychosocial aspects, and neuromuscular control.<br /><br />Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) management highlights nonoperative treatment with bracing, physical therapy, and graded exercise progression, plus advanced surgical and injective modalities as needed.<br /><br />Nerve Compression and Repair: Pronator syndrome, a proximal median nerve entrapment, is explained with anatomy, clinical tests, imaging, and management strategies including conservative care and surgical decompression. Cubital tunnel syndrome failures of simple decompression are analyzed with revision surgery principles and adjunctive methods like electrical stimulation to enhance nerve regeneration. A therapist’s perspective outlines thorough diagnostic frameworks, whole-patient assessments, and the importance of interdisciplinary communication.<br /><br />Nerve laceration repair emphasizes urgency in motor nerve repair, tension-free coaptation methods—traditional suturing vs emerging sutureless techniques—and managing nerve gaps with autograft or allograft. Evidence supports brief post-repair electrical stimulation to accelerate regeneration.<br /><br />Postoperative nerve therapy involves phased rehabilitation focusing on protection, early mobilization, reinnervation, maturation, sensory re-education, and functional training. Patient education, outcome tracking, and addressing complications like neuroma or CRPS are crucial.<br /><br />Overall, this webinar series integrates cutting-edge surgical techniques, evidence-based therapy protocols, and multidisciplinary collaboration to optimize outcomes in complex hand and upper extremity pathologies.
Keywords
ASSH/ASHT CME
Hand Surgery
Upper Extremity Conditions
Flexor Tendon Repair
WALANT Technique
Scaphoid Fracture Management
Distal Humerus Fractures
Lateral Epicondylitis Treatment
Nerve Compression Syndromes
Postoperative Nerve Rehabilitation