The fracturing of a hand means that there has been a break that occurred within the skeletal structure of the hand or hands. The standard causes of a break or fracture are falling, crush and twisting injury, or even direct contact in sports. Two types of bones structure the common hand; the smaller bones of your fingers are called phalanges and the long bones of the palm are metacarpals.

The signs or symptoms of a hand fracture or break are swelling, bruising, tenderness, pain, deformity, movement incapability, the crossing or scissoring of fingers when making a partial fist, and the loss of knuckle prominence.

The most common type of hand fracture is the “boxer’s fracture .” This fracture involves the breaking of the support bone of the little finger near the knuckle. This occurs from punching or striking a hard object with a closed fist.

Treatments are determined by the size, type, location, and severity of the fracture. A common non-surgical/conservative treatment is the manipulation of alignment without an incision. This is called a closed reduction, which is held together with either a splint, cast, or similar. In the most serious cases, most professionals will use a surgical procedure to realign the broken bones.

Most casts take 3 to 6 weeks to properly realign and heal the fracture. With most fractures, professionals recommend hand physical therapy which takes 0 to 8 weeks. Splints or casts take up to 6 weeks of hand therapy starting around week 3 or recovery.

During this time, you may experience stiffness or movement difficulties. Your surgeon and hand therapist will work with you and advise you to make sure your hand heals properly.

With a fellowship in surgery of the hand, Dr. Yospur will be able to examine your injury and determine the best course of action for your treatment. If you believe you may have experienced a hand fracture, and the above symptoms are familiar to you, contact Gerald L. Yospur, M.D. today