Rafael Diaz-Garcia, M.D.

{TRANSCRIPT}: - My name is Dr. Rafael Diaz-Garcia, and I'm a hand and upper extremity surgeon at Baptist Health. So I was recruited to Baptist Health for my experience and background in peripheral nerve surgery, so that includes not only brachial plexus and complex nerve injuries, the compressions of the upper and lower extremity, and also the treatment of patients who may have had spasticity after a stroke or some type of traumatic brain injury. Probably the most common things I see are, you know, run-of-the-mill fractures of the wrist and hand, but I also see a lot of nerve injuries, whether it be from cutting an avocado and slicing their finger or broken glass that causes a major injury. I think that we're always looking for ways to improve our outcomes, and I think the biggest frontier for orthopedic and peripheral nerve surgery is really how to make nerves regenerate better, how to get better results. Historically, patients with nerve injuries were left with really horrible outcomes and debilitating quality of life, but I think that with technology and with new approaches, we're able to give people a chance to have some sense of normalcy. I think the most satisfying part of my profession is when somebody comes in with a problem that others haven't been able to figure out, and I'm able to help them, whether it be with surgery or non-operative treatment, but can get them back to the activities that they care about.