photography by Margaret Licarione
It is easy to take our hands for granted – until we can no longer hold hands with a loved one, prepare food for the family or be productive in the workplace. Our hands are essential for the basic tasks of life, whether at home, with friends or in business.

For 20 years, thousands of people have had these basic tasks restored to them after receiving relief from the debilitating carpal tunnel syndrome at Brown Hand Center. The company founder, Dr. Michael G. Brown, can be credited with spreading awareness of carpal tunnel and making the public aware that a long-term problem-free treatment exists.

The patented endoscopic (from the inside) Brown Procedure for carpal tunnel is a key part of the center’s practice. However, with a skilled team of surgeons and extensive in-house facilities, Austin’s Brown Hand Center is a full-fledged upper-extremity practice. 

Going beyond their carpal tunnel expertise, the Austin team treats all hand and arm problems, including broken bones, injuries and trigger finger release, as well as problems associated with the shoulder and the elbow.

The easily accessible Northwest Austin center offers patients the ease of in-house X-rays, a cast room, EKGs, EMGs and blood work. The elegantly understated light-filled clinic provides convenience and fast response time, explains Dr. Christian Petrulio, part of the specialist team of hand and microvascular surgeons in Austin’s Brown Hand Center. 

“We have both late appointments and Saturday appointments,” Petrulio says. “In an emergency, patients can be seen within 24 hours here in the office.” 

Across the lofty marble-floored hallway is the surgery center, with two fully outfitted operating rooms arranged between pre- and post-operative recovery suites. 

“If a patient does need surgery, often it can be scheduled here within a week of their clinic appointment,” Petrulio says.

For high-risk patients who need overnight hospitalization, the surgeons also operate at area hospitals, including Westlake Medical Center, North Austin Medical Center and Seton.

First developed in the 1990s by Brown, his endoscopic carpal tunnel release procedure has revolutionized the lives of carpal tunnel sufferers. Brown pioneered the use of endoscopy for carpal tunnel surgery, receiving U.S. patents not only on the Brown Procedure, but also on the surgical instruments he developed especially to perform the minimally invasive procedure.

“The traditional operation is done through a three- to four-inch incision across the palm of the hand. In contrast, the Brown Procedure is done through two small incisions, each less than half an inch,” Petrulio says. 

Patients have the outpatient procedure done in a short time and return to work as early as the following day. They can remove the dressing themselves in days and resume normal activities. The most important benefits are reduced patient pain and suffering, as well as reduced risk of permanent nerve injury from delaying treatment.

“The Brown Procedure is very safe and very effective,” Petrulio says. “The whole thing takes 10 minutes. Patients are typically asleep for 15 minutes and wake up in the recovery room ready to go home.” 

The technique of making only two small incisions, allowing patients to return to work within days, is in stark contrast to the weeks associated with traditional open surgery. 

“The benefit of the Brown Procedure is that the only tissue that’s being injured or cut is the ligament that needs to open,” Petrulio says. “Whereas with the traditional operation, you have to cut the skin, the muscle, the fat, the fascia and other tissues, which all have nerves in them. It is more painful, and there is a lot more injured tissue that needs to heal.” 

With the Brown Procedure, there are no stitches, and after healing, the two tiny incisions are hardly visible. Traditional open surgery creates an extensive post-operative wound that produces a scar, which is often permanently tender. 

“Recovery time from the Brown Procedure is fast,” Petrulio says. “About half of my patients say that they had no pain, or such little pain that a Tylenol was adequate to control it, when I see them six days after surgery. It is often a great option for patients to prevent ongoing nerve damage.”

The Brown Center’s team in Austin includes three upper-extremity surgeons who are hand surgery fellowship-trained: Petrulio, Dr. Andres Lerner and Dr. William Jackson. Another key member of the team is Dr. Cayli Nguyen, who carries out nerve conduction studies, and who received her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. 

Foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Ryan Shock is a welcome addition to Austin and part of Barrett Foot and Ankle. An affiliated program of the Brown Hand Center, Barrett Foot and Ankle shares the same approach to patient treatment and care, emphasizing minimally invasive treatment to minimize recovery time.

Imagine a new mother being in such pain that she cannot lift her new baby. Now imagine the smile on her face when a simple procedure gives her that joy. Petrulio and his fellow hand and microvascular surgeons at Austin’s Brown Hand Center encounter that kind of life-changing story every day, as they treat men and women of all ages and from every walk of life. 

“Being able to restore very basic human functions, to give people their lives back and return them to productivity – that’s what I find most satisfying about this field of surgery,” Petrulio says. 

Outside Austin, the Brown Hand Center has locations nationwide, including in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.brownhandcenter.com, or call toll-free: 1-800-214-HAND (4263).