Healing after an operation on the hand or wrist takes weeks to months. This guide explains what most people can expect. The plan you are given for your own operation always comes first. Pages on single conditions, such as trigger finger or ganglion cysts, give their own timetables.

What should I expect in the first few days?

Swelling is common after hand surgery1. Some pain is normal too. These steps help:
  • Keep the hand raised. Rest it above the level of your heart, especially in the first day or two. At night, prop it up on pillows. Try not to let it hang down by your side when you walk.
  • Move what you are allowed to move. Unless you are told to keep them still, move the fingers outside the dressing gently and often. Keep the elbow and shoulder moving too. This helps to prevent stiffness.
  • Take off rings. Remove rings from that hand while it is swollen.
  • Protect a numb hand. If you had a nerve block or a numbing injection, the hand may stay numb for some hours. Until feeling returns, keep it away from heat and knocks — you will not feel a burn or an injury.

How can I manage the pain?

Follow the pain-relief plan you are given. After smaller hand operations, pain often settles within days. In one trial, half the patients were free of pain within 5 days2.
After smaller operations, such as carpal tunnel release, paracetamol with an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen controlled pain as well as opioid painkillers in trials32. People taking the opioid had more side effects2. Ask your pharmacist whether these medicines are safe for you.
If you are given a stronger painkiller, use it only if you need it. Most people use less than half of the opioid tablets they are given after arm and hand surgery4. Strong painkillers can make you drowsy and affect your driving.

How do I look after the wound?

Keep the dressing clean and dry, and leave it in place until you are told otherwise. Ask your team when you can shower or wash the hand. Advice differs between surgeons.
Some stitches dissolve; others are taken out at a wound check.
While it heals, the wound is often tender and itchy. This is normal. The skin around the scar may feel numb, because small skin nerves are cut when the skin is opened. This often improves, but it can be permanent. Take care with very hot or very cold things.
Infection after a planned hand operation is uncommon5. It is more likely in people who smoke or have diabetes, and after longer operations6. An infection can slow recovery and add to scarring and stiffness5.
If you smoke, stopping helps. Smoking slows wound healing, and the oxygen supply to the tissues recovers quickly after you stop7. In studies of surgery, people who had stopped smoking had fewer wound-healing problems than people who still smoked8.

What happens to the scar?

A new scar is often firm and tender. Over the following months it usually softens and settles into a thin, pale line. International scar guidelines recommend protecting the new scar from the sun and keeping it moisturised9.
Once the wound has fully healed, you may be shown how to massage the scar. Many surgeons recommend this, but the evidence that it helps is weak10.
Some scars become thick and raised. This is called a , and it tends to settle with time. are widely used as a first treatment for raised scars9. The trials behind them are weak, but they suggest silicone may help people prone to thick scars11. The guide to scar revision and management explains more.

What does a hand therapist do?

A is a physiotherapist or occupational therapist with extra training in problems of the hand and arm. Depending on your operation, a hand therapist may:
  • teach you exercises and check your progress;
  • make a splint, for example to protect a repaired tendon12;
  • treat swelling, for example with compression or massage1;
  • help with scar care, including a scar that is too sensitive to touch;
  • advise on daily tasks and on getting back to work.

Will I need hand therapy?

It depends on the operation. After a tendon repair, therapy often combines a splint with a planned exercise programme1213. A repaired tendon can still break, and this usually means another operation12. Wear the splint exactly as you are told.
After many smaller operations, exercises at home may be all you need. Your team will arrange therapy if it is needed. After carpal tunnel surgery, for example, a review of 22 trials found little good evidence that routine therapy helps14. Splints are not always needed either. A review found no clear benefit from a routine splint after carpal tunnel release15.
For some operations the evidence is mixed. After a broken wrist, several trials found that home exercises taught by a therapist worked about as well as regular therapy sessions1617. But one trial in people over 60 found that supervised therapy gave better function for the first year18.

How can I help my recovery at home?

  • Do your exercises little and often, as you were shown. They may be uncomfortable at first, but do not push on into sharp pain.
  • Keep raising the hand while it is swollen. Swelling that lasts can make the hand stiff19.
  • Use the hand for light tasks when your team says you can. Avoid heavy lifting until you are told it is safe.

When can I go back to work?

It depends on the operation, your job and how your hand recovers. A study in the Netherlands looked at over 15,000 working people after 30 common planned hand and wrist operations. The typical time off work ranged from none to 12 weeks, depending on the operation. People with light physical work went back 2 to 3 times faster than people with heavier jobs20.
Advice also varies. In one survey, hand surgeons and hand therapists were asked about heavy manual work after carpal tunnel surgery. Their advice on time off ranged from 1 day to 3 months21.
Your outlook matters too. After carpal tunnel surgery, a slower return to work was linked with expecting a long time off, worrying about pain, and having a demanding job22.
Some things can help:
  • Tell your surgeon or hand therapist what your job involves, so that their advice fits your work23.
  • Ask your employer about lighter duties or shorter hours while you recover.
  • If your employer needs a note about time off, ask your surgeon or your general practitioner (GP).

When can I drive?

There is no fixed time after hand surgery, and research gives little firm guidance2425. Drive only when you can control the car safely, including in an emergency. You should be able to:
  • grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands;
  • steer, change gear and use the controls quickly;
  • stay alert, without drowsiness from painkillers.
In driving tests, a cast on a person's main arm often made their driving worse25. Do not drive in a cast or splint unless your surgeon says it is safe. Rules and car insurance conditions about driving after surgery differ between countries. If you are unsure, check them before you drive.

What happens at follow-up visits?

Your team will tell you when your checks are. At these visits, they may:
  • check the wound and take out any stitches;
  • check how the hand moves, and arrange hand therapy if needed;
  • explain the results of any tissue sent to the laboratory;
  • talk about work, driving and your other activities.

How long does recovery take?

Most wounds heal within a few weeks, but a scar can take many months to settle. Even after a small operation, the hand can be harder to use at first than people expect23. Swelling and stiffness take time to settle, which is why the exercises matter.

When to get help

Go to an emergency department straight away if you have:
  • a finger or thumb that turns pale, blue or cold and stays that way;
  • severe pain that keeps getting worse and is not eased by painkillers, or new pins and needles in the fingers;
  • a high temperature with spreading redness, or you feel very unwell;
  • bleeding that does not stop when you raise the hand and press firmly on the dressing.
If a finger suddenly stops bending or straightening after a tendon repair, contact your surgical team or hand therapist immediately. If you cannot reach them promptly, seek urgent care.
Contact your surgical team or your GP soon if you notice:
  • redness, swelling, pus or other discharge from the wound, or the wound opening up;
  • numbness from a nerve block that has not worn off after 2 days;
  • swelling or stiffness that is getting worse rather than better.
Sometimes, pain is out of proportion to the operation, with swelling, stiffness and changes in skin colour or temperature26. This is called . It can make recovery much longer26. Tell your team early. Treatment centres on gently keeping the hand moving, and early, graded exercise may help to protect the hand's function27. If pain is severe and getting worse, use the emergency list above.

Summary

Recovery after hand surgery takes weeks to months. Keep the hand raised and moving as advised, and look after the wound. Some people need regular hand therapy; many do well with exercises at home. Work and driving depend on your operation, your job and your recovery, not on a fixed date. Get help early if something does not feel right.
Correction (11 October 2026): Advice about sudden loss of movement after a tendon repair now calls for immediate contact with the treating team.