When choosing where to treat your child’s hand or arm disorder, you must consider a program’s experience, expertise and outcomes. At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, our Hand and Arm Disorders Program is led by orthopedic surgeons Apurva S. Shah, MD, MBA, and Robert B. Carrigan, MD, and plastic surgeons Benjamin Chang, MD, and Ines C. Lin, MD. Combined, the program’s medical staff has nearly 100 years of experience treating a variety of hand and arm conditions in babies, children and teens.

The Hand and Arm Disorders Program is part of the Orthopedics Center, which consistently ranks among the top pediatric orthopedic programs in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report's annual survey of Best Children's Hospitals. In the 2023-24 Honor Roll, our Orthopedics was named the No. 1 pediatric orthopedic program in the nation.

Expert diagnosis of hand and arm disorders

The Hand and Arm Disorders Program offers a full spectrum of diagnostic testing for patients that includes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), MRI reconstruction, computed tomography (CT) scans, X-rays, bone scans, and more. With advanced testing and expert clinicians, our team can identify the specifics of your child’s hand or arm disorder and create a customized, comprehensive treatment plan, including surgery if needed.

Care from a coordinated team

Our multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiologists, advanced practice nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and others considers all possible treatment options for children with hand and arm disorders. If surgery is needed, our expert team of pediatric hand surgeons works with pediatric anesthesiologists and pain specialists to keep your child safe and comfortable at every stage of treatment.

Advanced surgical techniques for hand conditions

Our surgeons perform some of the most complex microscopic surgical procedures in the world, including replantation, nerve grafting and reconstructive surgery. We also provide minimally invasive surgery to make delicate repairs, repair and transfer tendons, and offer multiple options to treat a missing (hypoplastic) thumb.

Our team members are surgical innovators — constantly working to create and refine techniques to improve outcomes for children with hand and arm disorders. Drs. Chang, Carrigan and Lin participated in one of the first successful pediatric hand transplants in the region. Dr. Shah treats children with brachial plexus birth injuries and performs complex reconstructive nerve surgery.

Special training to care for children

Treating children with bone issues is more complex than treating adults with the same conditions. Children's bones are still growing and lengthening; their growth plates have not fully fused. That’s why it is important to seek out experts who are specially trained to work with a child's unique physiology.

All four surgeons in CHOP’s Hand and Arm Disorders Program have extensive training and experience; two are board-certified in orthopedic surgery and two are board-certified in plastic surgery. Additionally, all four doctors have completed a fellowship in hand surgery and earned a Certificate of Added Qualification in Hand Surgery.