Hand Tendon Repair
Hand tendon repair is microsurgery to reconnect tendons in the hand, fingers or wrist that have been cut or torn, restoring the ability to bend (flexor) or straighten (extensor) the fingers. It is used after lacerations, crush injuries or ruptures, and aims to recover movement, grip and function with the help of specialist hand therapy.
Medically reviewed by the Florence Healthcare medical team · Last reviewed June 2026
Overview
Tendons are the cords that connect muscle to bone and allow the fingers to bend and straighten. When a flexor or extensor tendon is cut or ruptured — often from a knife or glass laceration, a crush injury or a sports injury — the affected finger can no longer move properly. Repair is delicate microsurgery: the surgeon locates the cut tendon ends, which may have retracted, and joins them with fine sutures, repairing any associated nerve or blood-vessel injury at the same time. Whether the repair is done in one stage or, for older or complex injuries, with a tendon graft is decided by the surgeon.
Outcome depends heavily on protected, supervised rehabilitation, because a repaired tendon must move enough to glide and prevent stiffness while being protected from rupture as it heals. Hand therapists guide a staged splinting and exercise program for several weeks. For patients travelling from abroad, a dedicated coordinator arranges appointments, a clear plan and a transparent cost estimate before travel, and our surgeons can review photographs, X-rays and reports remotely first so the right plan is in place before you travel.
Who is a candidate?
- People with a cut or torn flexor or extensor tendon causing loss of finger movement
- Patients with a tendon laceration from glass, a knife or a crush or saw injury
- Those with a tendon rupture, including injuries such as mallet finger or jersey finger
- People with an associated nerve or blood-vessel injury that needs repair at the same time
- Patients with an older or failed repair who may need a tendon graft or staged reconstruction
- People able to commit to a structured hand-therapy and splinting program afterwards
What happens
- 1
Assessment and planning
Examination, and X-rays where there is a fracture, define which tendons, nerves or vessels are injured and whether a direct repair or a graft is needed. Photographs and reports can be reviewed remotely before travel.
- 2
Timing and preparation
Tendon injuries are best repaired promptly, though some are reconstructed later. Your team plans the anesthetic — usually a regional arm block or general anesthesia — and explains the splinting and therapy ahead.
- 3
The repair
Using magnification and microsurgical technique, the surgeon retrieves the tendon ends and joins them with fine sutures, and repairs any cut nerves or vessels. A protective splint is applied to keep the repair safe.
- 4
Early protected movement
Most patients go home the same day in a splint. A hand therapist starts a carefully controlled program of protected movement to help the tendon glide while preventing rupture as it heals.
- 5
Hand therapy and recovery
Over roughly eight to twelve weeks, splinting is reduced and exercises progress to restore movement, strength and grip. International patients receive a clear therapy plan and can be guided remotely after returning home.
Benefits
- Restores the ability to bend or straighten the affected finger
- Recovers grip, pinch and the use of the hand for daily tasks and work
- Microsurgical technique allows precise repair of small tendons, nerves and vessels
- Associated nerve or blood-vessel injuries can be treated in the same operation
- Reduces the long-term stiffness and deformity that an untreated tendon injury can cause
- Tendon grafting offers a solution even for older or previously failed injuries
Risks & considerations
- Re-rupture of the repaired tendon, especially if therapy or splinting is not followed
- Stiffness or reduced movement from scarring and adhesions around the tendon
- Infection, bleeding or delayed wound healing
- Incomplete return of movement, grip or sensation, particularly with nerve involvement
- A tendon graft, second operation or tenolysis (releasing adhesions) sometimes being needed later
- A recovery of several weeks requiring strict adherence to hand therapy and splinting
Where it is performed
This procedure is delivered by our Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.
Learn more before you decide
Provider-reviewed guides on the related conditions, symptoms and tests in our Health Library.
Hand Tendon Repair — frequently asked questions
Tendon injuries are generally best repaired promptly, often within days, to give the best chance of a good result. Some injuries — particularly older ones or those with significant tissue loss — are reconstructed later with a graft. Send photographs and reports so our surgeons can advise on the right timing for your injury.
A repaired tendon must move enough to glide and avoid stiffness, while being protected so it does not rupture before it heals. Supervised splinting and a staged exercise program balance these needs, and following the hand therapist’s plan closely is the single most important factor in regaining movement and grip.
Many patients regain good movement and grip when the repair is done well and therapy is followed closely, though results vary with the injury, which tendons are involved and any nerve damage. Your surgeon gives you an honest, individual estimate rather than a guarantee, and discusses what to expect at each stage.
Tendon repair is usually a day case, but you should plan time locally for the first therapy sessions and review, and your coordinator confirms the timeline. We provide a transparent, itemized cost estimate after reviewing your case — covering surgery, splinting and hand therapy — rather than quoting fixed prices online, because each plan is individual.
Yes. Send clear photographs of the hand, any X-rays and the details of how the injury happened, and our surgeons give a remote opinion on whether a direct repair or a graft is likely needed and what the therapy will involve, so you can plan before travelling.
Yes. You will wear a protective splint for several weeks and follow a therapy program, and the hand should be protected from heavy use during this time. How soon you return to work depends on the injury and on whether your job involves manual tasks; your team advises an individual timeline.
Related treatments
Considering hand tendon repair?
Share your reports for a medical second opinion and a transparent, itemized cost estimate — usually within 48 hours.