Dr. Richard Kang always knew he would be a surgeon. During his rotation in Orthopaedics he enjoyed the immediate gratification of making patients feeling better right away. After deciding Orthopaedics would be his specialty, his experiences working on hands intrigued him the most. “The physiologic nature of the hand really captured my interest. There is incredible variety in the cases presented.” Because of its precise and exacting anatomy, Dr. Kang spends much of his time looking through a microscope. Microsurgery not only takes physical skill, but a comprehensive understanding of the arm from beneath the shoulder to the fingertips. Unlike his colleagues who specialize in certain bones and joints, the hand is a more holistic venture. “When the hand first developed as a true specialty, it merged Orthopaedics, Neurology, Microsurgery and Plastic Surgery. It involves skin, muscle, bones, tendons, nerves and arteries.” Dr. Kang routinely repairs upper extremity fractures, dislocations, and surgically corrects nerve compression and nerve dysfunction in conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Dr. Kang is one of few fellowship trained hand surgeons on the eastern shore. This small, elite group has earned a certificate of added qualification recognized by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. It is a focus that matches Dr. Kang’s self described obsessive compulsive personality. “There are no minor complications in hand surgery. Many people are unaware of the complexity involved in treating problems of the hand and arm. If a patient is initially treated for the wrong thing, or something is misdiagnosed, you find yourself working backwards to correct it. In-depth, thorough training helps me treat my patients with confidence.”

Dr. Kang admits being a specialist means being a lifelong student. “You have to keep up…your patients will not do well with a doctor practicing what he learned 5 years ago.” Some of the newer technologies and treatments are advancing with better science. Dr. Kang stays up to date, but is innately conservative. “From an insider’s viewpoint, I believe a lot of time honored things are there for a reason. New tools don’t necessarily make something better. Technology should never triumph over reason.” And “reason” Dr. Kang points out, should never trump patient care. “When a physician begins to look only in terms of results and functional scores and ceases to feel a sense satisfaction in helping make another person happy—he or she is just a businessman, or ready to retire. I like to think I make a difference in a patient’s life where no one else could.”