Hand surgery may be performed by a general surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, or a plastic surgeon after illness or injury, or to repair a congenital condition. A hand surgeon has special training in medical, surgical and rehabilitative means of healing the hand and arm, and sometimes recommends a non-surgical approach. The surgeon excels at diagnosis, preservation and restoration to the form and function of the hand, wrist and arm after disorders such as carpal tunnel, arthritis, fractures, tendonitis, or when amputation is required.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, including carpel tunnel syndrome.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Indiana has 91 practicing hand surgeons. Broken out by city, hand surgery doctor density in Avon is 10, in Bedford is 1, in Bloomington is 3, in Bunker Hill is 1, in Carmel is 5, in Columbia City is 1, in Connersville is 1, in Danville is 1, in East Chicago is 1, in Elkhart is 4, in Evansville is 2, in Fishers is 3, in Fort Wayne is 6, in Greenwood is 1, in Hobart is 1, in Huntington is 1, in Indianapolis is 36, in Kokomo is 4, in Lafayette is 4, in Lawrenceburg is 1, in Merrillville is 6, in Mishawaka is 2, in Mooresville is 2, in Muncie is 2, in Munster is 3, in New Albany is 16, in Noblesville is 1, in Portage is 1, in Richmond is 1, in Shelbyville is 1, in South Bend is 2, in Sullivan is 1, in Terre Haute is 7, in Valparaiso is 2, and in Washington is 1.

Indiana’s population is 6,271,973, and most of the state’s population is located in the north, near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and is part of the greater metro Chicago area. Indiana became a state in 1816, and boasts many historical sites and covered bridges, numerous state parks and forests, hunting and fishing, and a variety of golf courses. Centrally located Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hosting the world-famous 500-mile auto race every year. This capital and largest city of Indiana also hosts a Civil War museum, a planetarium, and the Indiana Historical Society, among many other attractions.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Indiana has a population of 6,271,973. Of this population, 1,566,280 are under the age of 18 and 774,303 are at or above the age of 65.