George S. Phalen [SEP] date of death
George S. Phalen
George S. Phalen (2 December 1911, Peoria, Illinois – 14 April 1998, Dallas) was an American hand surgeon remembered for his work on carpal tunnel syndrome including his description of Phalen's maneuver.
Biography.
George Phalen graduated from Bradley University in 1932, and gained his M.D. from Northwestern University in 1937. He undertook his residency at the Mayo Clinic before joining the Army in 1942. He was a Lieutenant Colonel and chief of orthopedic surgery at the O'Reilly General Hospital in Springfield, Missouri
Phalen maneuver
Phalen's maneuver is a diagnostic test for carpal tunnel syndrome discovered by an American orthopedist named George S. Phalen.
Technique.
The patient is asked to hold their wrists in complete and forced flexion (pushing the dorsal surfaces of both hands together) for 30–60 seconds. The lumbricals attach in part to the flexor digitorum profundus tendons. As the wrists flex, the flexor digitorum profundus contracts in a proximal direction, drawing the lumbricals along with it. In some individuals, the lumbricals can be "dragged"