What is a broken hand?
A broken hand is a break or crack in one or more the bones of your hand. This injury has a wide variety of causes, like direct blows or falls, participating in contact sports like football or hockey, or certain health conditions that cause fragile bones, like osteoporosis.
What are symptoms of a broken hand?
If you think you might have a broken hand, it is important to see a provider immediately. A delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to poor healing, decreased range of motion and decreased grip strength. A broken hand may cause these signs and symptoms:
- Severe pain that worsens with gripping or squeezing.
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Bruising
- Obvious deformity
- Stiffness or inability to move fingers.
- Numbness in hand or fingers.
How is a broken hand treated?
If the broken bones of the hand aren’t properly aligned, there can be gaps between the pieces of bone or fragments may overlap. Your provider will need to manipulate the pieces back into position, known as reduction. Your provider may recommend any of the following to treat your broken hand:
- Immobilization – restricting the movement of a broken hand is critical to proper healing. You will likely be in a splint or cast during this time. It is still important to keep your fingers moving regularly to keep them from stiffening.
- Medications – to reduce pain, your provider may recommend over-the-counter pain relievers. Depending on the severity of the pain, you may be prescribed an opioid medication or NSAID.
- Therapy – you will likely need physical therapy to reduce stiffness and restore movement to your hand.
- Surgery – depending on the severity of your injury, your provider may recommend surgery to implant pins, plates, rods or screws to hold your bones in place while they heal. This may be necessary for injuries like: