Treatments for Broken Hand

The hand is a marvelously complex part of the human anatomy. Every year, however, millions of people experience broken bones within their hands. Because we are so dependent on our hands, even a small loss of function can result in a lifelong disability. A broken hand will often require a visit to a doctor, and it may require months of rehabilitation care.

Hand fractures are common injuries that can occur in any of the small bones of the hand. Most broken bones in the hand can be treated with a simple cast, however in some cases hand fractures may require surgery for proper treatment.

What You Should Know

Hand fractures can involve a single broken bone or several of them. When the bone next to the little finger is broken, the injury is sometimes called a ""Boxer's fracture.'' This kind of damage is often seen in people who punch walls and those who fight without boxing gloves. Healing of the broken bone(s) usually takes 6 to 8 weeks. An x-ray will show when the fracture has completely mended.

Each hand (not counting the wrist) has 19 bones. That's a lot of potential for fractures. Broken hands are painful, but not life-threatening. If the break is bad enough, there could be a loss of function, or even a loss of part or all of the hand.

Most wrist fractures are on the scaphoid bone, located on the thumb side of your wrist. The biggest challenge in treating wrist fractures is keeping the bones in alignment during healing. If bones shift, your wrist can become misshapen and not function well. Long term, that can cause problems like arthritis and loss of motion.

Treatments

1. Corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel improves symptoms in more than half of patients; surgical intervention to release the transverse ligament and decompress the nerve entrapment may be indicated

2. NSAIDs reduce inflammation and use of cock-up splints applied during activities and while sleeping reduces strain from repetitive use and reduces symptoms

3. If you have a closed fracture, you'll probably be sent home with the splint and directions to rest and ice the injury until you see your regular doctor or an orthopedic specialist for further treatment in a few days.

4. If you have a more serious fracture, you may be admitted to the hospital for immediate attention.

5. Usually a cast is recommended to keep the broken bones immobile. If you look at the picture you'll see the problem with a cast solution, though. Depending on the bone it's going to be hard to keep it immobilized.

6. It depends on the severity of the injury. Usually you'll see improvement in two weeks if it's immobilized, but in this case it's a matter of gritting down and bearing the pain.

7. Methods of external fixation for treating distal radial fractures in adults In older people, a 'broken wrist' (from a fracture at the lower end of the two forearm bones) can result from a fall onto an outstretched hand.

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