Our Commitment to Exceptional Care

At The Hand & Wrist Center, we prioritize your health and comfort. Our state-of-the-art facility is designed to enhance patient care and convenience. Here's what sets us apart:

  • Cutting-Edge Technology: Our office employs advanced technologies and techniques, ensuring accurate diagnoses and efficient treatment.
  • Patient-Centric Approach: Our specialty is care through professional expertise and courtesy. We offer comprehensive hand therapy and rehabilitation services right on-site and easy access to your records through our Patient Portal.
  • Expert Consultations: Our team conducts in-depth consultations, utilizing digital imaging to diagnose conditions and discuss various treatment options, always putting your well-being first.
  • Dedicated Staff: Our center boasts a dedicated team of Occupational Therapists with specialized training and certification in Hand Therapy. Our friendly front and back-office staff are committed to making your experience as pleasant as possible.

Integrity

  • Independence: The Hand & Wrist Center is an independent practice. We work to ensure outside forces do not influence how we practice medicine.
  • No conflicts of interest: Our physicians do not receive royalties or accept compensation of any kind from industry. 
  • No gimmicks: Patient's may or may not be surprised to learn that in the healthcare industry, new purported treatments are pushed daily. Sadly, such treatments are sometimes promoted without sound supportive evidence, and just so happen to be lucrative. At the Hand & Wrist Center we do not engage with such nonsense. We provide honest opinions based on evidence and sound reason. 

History of Hand Surgery in Long Beach

Our roots trace back to the pioneers of hand surgery:

  • Sterling Bunnell, MD, the founding father of hand surgery, developed the concept of hand surgery as a regional specialty. Bunnell believed that the hand requires a composite of specialties including orthopaedics, plastic, and neurologic surgery, and that a surgeon's understanding and skill in all fields is critical to adequately treat the hand. 
  • At the end of WWII, Bunnell was tasked by the US army surgeon general to organize nine regional hand centers at army hospitals in the United States, in order to meet the needs of many soldiers needing reconstructive surgery. 
  • Joseph Boyes, MD, a disciple of Dr. Bunnell, as well as a founding member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, developed the first hand surgery training program in Southern California.
  • Dr. Boyes trained Gerald Blatt, MD and chose Dr. Blatt to develop hand surgery in Long Beach in the 1970's. 
  • Dr. Nathan joined Dr. Blatt in Long Beach. Dr. Nathan, alongside Dr. Blatt, laid the foundation for The Hand & Wrist Center, striving to provide advanced care for hand, wrist, and elbow conditions.
  • Dr. Nathan was joined by Dr. Macer and then Dr. Kolahi. Dr. Kolahi trained with Dr. Moneim at UNM where the first academic division of hand surgery in the nation was developed. 
  • At The Hand & Wrist Center we respect the wisdom of the old masters while advancing innovation in our field.

Our Specializations

At The Hand & Wrist Center, we excel in:

  • Comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow conditions.
  • Advanced care for common hand issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and arthritis, as well as athletic injuries and complex traumas.
  • Specialized expertise in microvascular hand surgery.
  • We combine the wisdom of hand surgery masters with modern techniques to ensure the highest quality of care.

With over 40 years of combined specialty practice, our physicians excel in orthopedic hand surgery, microvascular surgery, and upper-extremity medicine. We proudly affiliate with major medical facilities, including Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Surgery Center of Long Beach, and Los Alamitos Medical Center.

We invite you to experience the finest medical care in the field of hand and wrist health at The Hand & Wrist Center. Your well-being is our top priority