My son was born with some disabilities and one of them is a claw hand. I know that he can have surgery to fix it, but I'm hearing mixed reports as to whether it's any good. What should I do?

Whether your son has surgery for the claw hand is a decision you have to make with his doctor. You don't say how old your son is, but he may want to have some say in this as well.

Discuss with the doctor the pros and cons of the surgery. Listening to people who have had the surgery is a good idea, but it shouldn't be the reason behind your decision. To get more informed, the doctor can describe the surgery and the recovery period for you.

You can ask about whether the doctor immobilizes the hand for four weeks before therapy begins or if therapy begins right away - those are two different approaches that doctors can take. Ask how many of these repairs the doctor has done, talk about the type of therapy that will follow and who will be doing the therapy.

It is always a good idea to go in with a list of questions so you don't forget something that you feel is important.