Australian Research Collaboration on Hands - ARCH

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Australian Research Collaboration on Hands - ARCH

We are a group of hand surgeons / hand therapists aiming to improve patient outcomes through research

10/08/2026

Excited to share our latest publication in HAND: “Suture-button stabilisation for thumb carpometacarpal joint instability and dislocation: A retrospective case series”. This study reports the outcomes of suture-button stabilisation for the management of thumb carpometacarpal joint instability and dislocation.

https://lnkd.in/g239s5Jy

Congratulations to David Gao, Jai Sungaran, Brahman Sivakumar and David Graham on this publication.

Australian Research Collaboration on Hands - ARCH Upper Limb Education

08/08/2026

Fellow Farewell & welcome at Mudgeeraba Hand Clinic

Last night we came together to farewell our outgoing hand fellow, Dr Nikki Phillips, and welcome our incoming fellow, Dr Prasesh Dhakal. Nikki — a plastic surgeon originally from the USA, now calling the Gold Coast home — is the first fellow to complete our new AOA-accredited hand fellowship, and what a six months it’s been. During her fellowship she worked alongside A/Prof Dave Graham, Dr Dan Williams and Dr Steve Kent, spent time at Queensland Children’s Hospital, trained with the Palms Hand Therapy team, and contributed to research with the Australian Research Collaboration on Hands (ARCH). We’ve loved having her and wish her all the very best in her next step.

We’re also thrilled to welcome Dr Prasesh Dhakal, an orthopaedic surgeon joining us from Nepal, as our next fellow. Welcome to the team, Prasesh — we can’t wait to see what the next six months bring.

A huge thank you to and for making this fellowship possible, and to Anthony Dwyer and the Acumed team for hosting a wonderful welcome and farewell dinner.

14/06/2026

New cadaveric work from the ARCH group on how flexor tendon adhesions restrict finger motion — with a result that ran against our hypothesis.

In a cadaveric model, adhesions at the proximal and middle phalanx caused near-identical restriction, with DIP flexion hit hardest. FDP drives flexion across the whole digit, so wherever you tether it, the DIP pays.

Nice work by the team — Conor Honeywill Michael Strong Richard Atkinson David Graham Brahman Sivakumar

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hansur.2026.102697

31/05/2026

Pleased to share our latest publication in the Journal of Hand Surgery (American Volume)

Unicortical Versus Bicortical Screws for Dorsal Plate Fixation of Phalangeal Fractures
(J Hand Surg Am. 2026;51(5):520.e1–e5)

In this cadaveric biomechanical study, we compared unicortical and bicortical locking screw constructs for dorsal plating of extra-articular proximal phalangeal fractures. Under cyclical three-point bending, both configurations demonstrated equivalent performance across maximal force at failure, cycles to failure, and displacement to failure.

The key takeaway: unicortical constructs provide sufficient stability to support early mobilisation — and should be considered where tendon protection is a priority.

Congratulations to all co-authors Brahman Sivakumar, Lianne Bissell, Mark Hile, and Elizabeth Clarke.

20/04/2026

We are pleased to share our latest research publication in JHS (Am) examining the extent of cartilage and soft tissue violation associated with intramedullary screw fixation in thumb fractures.

Congratulations to all involved.

Read the full paper here

24/03/2026

The ARCH team has been busy—pleased to share some of our latest publications.

A big congratulations to all co-authors involved in these outstanding contributions to hand surgery research

13/12/2025

We’re excited to share the latest research contribution from the Australian Research Collaboration on Hands (ARCH), published in the Journal of Hand Surgery (American Volume). This work represents a strong international collaboration, including A/Prof David Graham, A/Prof Brahman Sivakumar, and colleagues from UCLA and the Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children.

A Biomechanical Cadaveric Comparison of Three Fixation Methods for Bennett Fractures

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1mGMp1IffwzFxs

The study compared three commonly used fixation techniques for Bennett fractures and demonstrated similar biomechanical performance across all constructs, reinforcing that there is no single “one-size-fits-all” solution and that treatment should be guided by patient and fracture factors.

A great example of collaborative, clinically relevant research aimed at improving patient outcomes. Congratulations to the entire author team.

07/12/2025

It’s a pleasure to share our latest publication exploring the finger range of motion required for Auslan.

This work provides important insights into the functional hand requirements for sign language communication and will help guide future clinical assessment, rehabilitation, and surgical decision-making.

29/11/2025

🎉 Exciting Announcement for Hand Surgery Trainees 🎉

We’re pleased to share that Mudgeeraba Hand Clinic and ARCH (Australian Research Collaboration on Hands) have now been officially accredited for an AOA-accredited Hand Fellowship.

This fellowship offers exceptional exposure across a wide breadth of hand surgery, including:

🖐️ Adult Hand Surgery – elective and trauma
🧒 Paediatric Hand Surgery – through accredited rotations at the Queensland Children’s Hospital
🤝 Multidisciplinary Training – working closely with both orthopaedic and plastic hand surgeons, and our team of expert hand therapists at The Palms Hand Therapy
📊 Research Opportunities – through ARCH’s active multicentre research program

This is a unique opportunity to train within a high-volume, research-active, collaborative hand unit on the Gold Coast.
For more information or to express interest, please contact:
[email protected]

01/10/2025

We are delighted to share two recent systematic/scoping reviews published in the Journal of Hand Surgery (Asian-Pacific Volume), featuring contributions from the ARCH team and collaborators:

🔹 Costo-Osteochondral Autograft for the Non-salvageable Proximal Scaphoid: A Systematic Review
Thien Thai, Luke McCarron, David J. Graham, Brahman Sivakumar

A comprehensive review of the role of costo-osteochondral grafting in reconstructing the challenging proximal scaphoid.

🔹 The Krukenberg Procedure: A Scoping Review
Joash A. Kumar, Samuel Bennett, Luke McCarron, Brahman S. Sivakumar, Neil Jones, David J. Graham

An exploration of the historical and current role of the Krukenberg procedure for patients with bilateral upper limb amputations.

Both articles reflect ARCH’s mission to support high-quality collaborative research in hand and upper limb surgery, across Australia and internationally.

Congratulations to all authors on these important contributions! Luke McCarronDavid GrahamBrah Shanks

Address

Suite 4/75 Railway Street Mudgeeraba
Mudgeeraba, QLD
4213

Telephone

+61755980194

Website

http://www.mudgeerabahand.com.au/

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