• Mayo Clinic Minute: Less pain, faster recovery for wrist surgery patients

Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeons, such as Dr. Sanj Kakar, are now using a new state-of-the-art camera system to perform hand and wrist surgeries.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

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"The camera is about half the size of traditionally used technology," says Dr. Kakar. "Also, it's flexible, so it allows us to get into spaces that we've struggled in the past to see new things, to treat more conditions."

Dr. Kakar says it can be used to treat wrist fractures, ligament injuries, arthritis and more.

"Really, the use is endless. And we're not just talking about just arthroscopy. We're also talking, for example, nerve decompression at the elbow or at the wrist. It's basically allowing us to see things that we used to see with larger incisions through smaller incisions."

More minimally invasive surgeries may get patients back to their function quicker, with less pain and scarring.

"We're at the cutting edge, and here at Mayo Clinic we have the ability to do that — to really speak to our patients, inform them of what we're trying to do, and if we can get them back quicker and safer, then ultimately that's what we're trying to do in medicine here at Mayo Clinic," says Dr. Kakar.