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Kienbock’s disease, a debilitating condition where a wrist bone collapses and dies, has no known cause.

Typically affecting young men in their teens or twenties, untreated Kienbock’s disease can result in progressive arthritis in the wrist and loss of function. For no clear reason, the lunate, one of eight small bones in the wrist, loses blood supply and the bone collapses. But how common is this extremely painful disease? And how can it be treated?

On this episode of DocTalk, the chief of the Curtis National Hand Center, James Higgins, MD, explains this condition and vascularized bone transfer - the microscopic procedure he pioneered for its treatment. Learn more about the symptoms and progression of Keinbock’s disease, and how bone, cartilage, and blood vessels are affected.

Dr. Higgins sees patients at the Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

To learn more about the Curtis National Hand Center, visit: https://www.medstarhealth.org/locations/curtis-national-hand-center

For an appointment with one of our expert hand surgeons, call 877-864-HAND (4263).

For more episodes of MedStar Health DocTalk, go to medstarhealth.org/doctalk.