Hand therapy after surgery · Singapore

Digital Nerve Repair Recovery Program

Written by Mavis Tham, Shamaine Soh and Yuna Zhuang, Principal Hand Occupational Therapists at Phoenix Rehab.Clinically reviewed by Nigel Chua, Principal Hand Occupational Therapist & Director, AHPC A1300362Z.Last reviewed 3 October 2026.

A repaired nerve regrows at about a millimeter a day. You can work out the date yourself, and it is further away than anyone tells you.

A digital nerve runs along each side of a finger and carries sensation to that side of it. Cut it, and the finger goes numb along that border. Repaired, it recovers slowly, partially, and on a timeline the nerve sets rather than you. Hand and wrist cases are managed by our hand therapy team.

No referral needed. Every first visit is one 45-minute Assessment & Treatment, $230, nett, no GST. Bring your operation note or scan report.

Where are you right now?

Four situations we see

• The repair was done in the last fortnight. Protection and swelling first, and the finger positioned so the repair is not stretched.
• You are a few months in and it is still numb. Expected. The useful question is whether the leading edge of sensation has moved at all, and that is testable.
• It is hypersensitive rather than numb. Touch that feels electric or unbearable is a recognized stage and it has a specific treatment.
• You keep burning or cutting the finger without noticing. That is the practical risk and it is worth addressing directly.

What recovery actually looks like

A millimeter a day, and rarely all the way back

A repaired peripheral nerve regenerates from the repair site outwards at roughly one millimeter per day, which is about an inch a month. From a cut at the base of a finger to the tip is therefore a matter of months before sensation arrives at all, and your surgeon can tell you the distance in your case. Progress is tracked by where along the finger a light tap produces tingling, and that point moves distally over time.

Recovery is usually partial rather than complete. Protective sensation, which is the ability to feel that something is there and that it is hot or sharp, commonly returns. Fine discrimination, which is telling apart a coin and a button in a pocket, often does not return fully in adults. Children do considerably better. That is a property of nerves rather than of the operation or of how hard you work.

Because protective sensation is what stops you injuring the finger, the practical advice matters in the meantime. Check the finger visually rather than by feel, be careful around hot pans, kettles and knives, and look at it at the end of the day.

Usually expected, and what is not

Is this normal after a nerve repair?

Nerve recovery produces sensations that feel like something has gone wrong and mostly have not.

Usually expected

• Complete numbness along one side of the finger for weeks or months.
• Tingling, buzzing or a small electric shock when the scar or the finger is tapped. That is the regenerating nerve and it is a good sign.
• A period where light touch is unpleasant or painful before it becomes normal.
• Cold intolerance in that finger, which can persist for a long time.

Contact your surgeon or doctor

• A finger that is pale, dusky or cold, particularly in the first days.
• Wound redness spreading, discharge or fever.
• Sensation that had been improving and then goes backwards.
• Severe pain that is escalating rather than settling.

If you have sudden severe pain with a hand or arm that is cold, white or losing sensation, or you are unwell with fever and a hot swollen wound, that is an emergency department today, not a therapy appointment.

If it is not going to plan

Six months on and nothing has changed at all

Slow is expected. No change at all over months, with no movement in where the tingling reaches, is a different finding and it belongs with your surgeon rather than with a therapist.

What a therapist can tell you before that appointment is whether the leading edge has moved, using the same test done the same way on each visit and written down. Without that record, no change is an impression.

The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same therapist, because what tissue does under graded work cannot be read in one visit. $690, nett, no GST.

The shape of it

What happens, week by week

The repair is protected for about three to four weeks. After that the nerve regrows at roughly a millimeter a day, so the program reviews sensation over months, not weeks. Your surgeon’s protocol takes precedence.

• Weeks 0 to 4Stage 1 · Calm & ProtectA splint holds the finger slightly bent so the repair is not stretched. Wound and swelling managed. Safety habits for a numb fingertip, around heat and sharp edges.
• Weeks 4 to 8Stage 2 · Move & MobilizeStraightening regained in steps, scar work, and desensitization if the finger is over-sensitive.
• Weeks 8 to 12Stage 3 · Rebuild & StrengthenSensory re-education as feeling arrives, and grip and pinch put back into normal use.
• Months 3 to 12Stage 4 · Return & PerformReviews spaced out. Sensation mapped at each one, and the tasks that need the fingertip tested.

The weeks are typical ranges, not a promise. You move up a stage when you meet its criteria, and your surgeon’s protocol takes precedence over anything on this page.

Larger nerves

Median, ulnar or radial nerve repaired at the wrist or forearm

The same rules apply to a larger nerve repaired at the wrist or forearm, on a longer clock and with one extra job: muscle. Feeling and muscle power return from the repair outward at roughly a millimeter a day, so the further a hand muscle sits from the repair, the longer it waits.

• Protection. The wrist is usually splinted bent for about three to four weeks so the repair is not stretched, then straightened in steps. Your surgeon’s protocol sets the angles.
• A splint that keeps the hand usable while muscles wait. An anti-claw splint after an ulnar nerve repair, a thumb web splint after a median nerve repair, and a wrist and finger extension splint after a radial nerve repair.
• Joints kept supple. A joint that stiffens while the muscle is waiting limits what the muscle can do when it returns.
• Measured at every review. Muscle power graded on the 0 to 5 scale, sensation mapped with graded filaments, and pinch and grip in kilograms, so your surgeon can see whether recovery is advancing.

The deadline here belongs to the biology. A muscle that receives no nerve signal for a long time loses the ability to accept one, generally after about 12 to 18 months. That is why muscle recovery is mapped and reported to your surgeon, who decides whether nerve conduction studies or further surgery are needed. If the nerve injury came with a fracture of the arm, our radial nerve palsy guide covers the wrist drop that follows.

Source: Grinsell D, Keating CP. Peripheral nerve reconstruction after injury: a review of clinical and experimental therapies. Biomed Res Int 2014;2014:698256.

The program

The four stages, and what moves you up

• Stage 1, Calm & Protect. Protection to the position your surgeon set so the repair is not stretched, swelling managed, and the practical safety measures for a numb finger put in place.
  Move up when: your surgeon allows the finger to straighten, usually around three to four weeks, and the wound has healed.
• Stage 2, Move & Mobilize. Range and tendon glide as protection reduces, scar work, and desensitization if the finger is hypersensitive.
  Move up when: the finger straightens fully or to the limit the protocol sets, and the scar and fingertip tolerate everyday touch.
• Stage 3, Rebuild & Strengthen. Grip and pinch, and sensory re education once sensation begins to arrive, which is retraining the brain to interpret what the nerve is now sending.
  Move up when: protective sensation is mapped in the fingertip and the finger is being used rather than held out of the way.
• Stage 4, Return & Perform. The tasks that need the fingertip. Buttons, coins, a keyboard, a scalpel, a guitar string.
  Graduate when: sensation has been mapped at two reviews and recorded for you and your surgeon, and grip and pinch meet what your tasks need.

Measured at your first appointment and again at graduation: a cold sensitivity questionnaire, and fingertip sensation mapped with graded filaments and a two-point test.

Logistics

When can I…

Your surgeon decides, based on healing and what your job demands. These are typical points, not permissions.

Who you will see

The hand therapy team that runs this program

Hand, wrist and elbow cases are managed by the hand therapy team. You are matched to the therapist whose declared clinical interest fits what happened to you and the clinic that suits you, and you stay with the same therapist through the program. Every appointment is one to one with your therapist for the full 45 minutes. All are registered with the Allied Health Professions Council.

Mavis Tham

Principal Hand Occupational Therapist. Wrist fractures, TFCC and wrist ligament injuries, custom splinting.

Tanjong Pagar

Shamaine Soh

Principal Hand Occupational Therapist. Stiffness and scar tightness after hand or wrist surgery.

What our patients say

Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.

  
 
 
 
  
 
Excellent5.0555 reviews
 
5.0
 
Excellent555 reviews
 
 Write a review 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Micah 
 
53 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Amazing experience with Phoenix Rehab, was assisted by Mavis. She’s very kind and professional and did thorough check on my wrist. I feel very comfortable during the process.

I went in for thermoplastic splint, and everything went smoothly. She was able to address my needs on my left wrist sprain.

They were prompt with appointment process and inquiry. Also the clinic is very close to Tanjong Pagar MRT. I highly recommend!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Chiky Phan 
 
57 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Fist time doing ultrasound for my tennis elbow!! Let’s hope it gets better the next few weeks!! Thank Mavis Tham!!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 XIN WANG 
 
74 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Great treatment from my therapist. My painful wrist felt a lot of relief after the session. I’m glad I can slowly get back to doing my usual activities without constant pain.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Abby Lee 
 
90 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Very helpful and friendly !
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 雪梅Cui 
 
128 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
The masseur is very professional and provides excellent service ，yati is very good!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Tra Nguyen 
 
219 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
I wasn’t able to close my fingers due to an injury. Nurul at Phoenix Rehab has helped me tremendously with my recovery process. I have been able to resume my daily activities and exercises after only a few sessions. Nurul has been very professional and positive throughout the entire process. Thank you so much for your help!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Juzer K 
 
257 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Huge shoutout to Yuna Zhang from Phoenix Rehab for helping in my recovery from golfer’s elbow 🙌

I walked in with persistent elbow pain that was affecting workouts and everyday tasks, and Yuna immediately made me feel confident I was in the right hands. She took the time to properly assess my condition, explain the root cause, and tailor a treatment plan to my specific needs instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach.

What I really appreciated was how personalised every session felt. The exercises she gave me were practical, easy to follow, and actually worked. Within a short time, the pain reduced significantly and my strength and mobility improved much faster than I expected.

On top of that, the pricing is very reasonable and affordable, which made committing to recovery much easier.

Professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring — highly recommend Yuna at Phoenix Rehab if you’re dealing with hand-related sports injuries 💪
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Fazal Hanafi Chaudhry 
 
341 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
I enjoy coming to Phoenix rehab as they offer a wide variety of services. I had a finger accident and was working with a very experienced hand therapist. Place is clean and comfortable.  Staff were friendly and appointment was on time
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Stella Yam 
 
482 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Very good
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Juliana 
 
484 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
Have both physio n Tcm visits here, highly recommend!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Verified by Trustindex  
Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more
 
 
 
 
 

Orchard, Sundays

Yuna Zhuang

Principal Hand Occupational Therapist. Carpal and cubital tunnel, sports wrist and finger injuries, tennis elbow.

Orchard, Serangoon, Tampines

Nurul Nadzirah

Principal Hand Occupational Therapist. Finger and wrist fractures, De Quervain’s, wrist ligament injuries.

Orchard

Jasmine Ang

Principal Hand Occupational Therapist. TFCC and wrist ligament injuries, trigger finger, thumb and wrist pain after pregnancy.

Jurong East, from 25 October

The program belongs to Phoenix, not to one therapist. Your plan, your measurements and your surgeon’s protocol move with you if you change clinic.

What it costs

$230 per 45 minute appointment

One to one with your therapist for the whole 45 minutes. Nett, no GST. Same price for your first appointment and your last. Appointments are spread over the nerve timeline rather than concentrated, because there is nothing useful to measure weekly in the early months. The Digital Nerve Repair Recovery Program is 12 appointments, $2,760 in all. You pay for each appointment as you attend it. If you need more, your therapist shows you which stage criteria are still open, and each extra appointment is $230.

This program runs Stages 1 to 4 of the Phoenix Recovery Protocol, and sits under hand therapy after surgery alongside the rest of our recovery programs.

Get Assessed and Treated

Prefer to phone? Each of our five clinics has its own number on the clinics page. No referral needed to book.

Timeframes on this page are typical ranges, not promises. Where your surgeon has given you a protocol, that protocol takes precedence over anything written here.