Basics of a Broken Hand: Causes & Diagnosis
Each year, millions of individuals suffer broken bones in their hands an fingers. Because we do so many tasks with our hands, even a little loss of function may result in lifetime complications. A fractured hand often necessitates a doctor’s appointment, and you may need months of rehabilitative treatment.
Your hand, including the bones in the wrist, is made up of 27 bones. The most common cause of broken bones in the hand is a direct blow to the hand, or a fall onto the hand. Fractures of the fingertip, pinky side of the palm, or thumb are all among the most common fracture injuries of the hand.
Symptoms of a Broken Hand
The majority of hand injuries are very apparent. The following symptoms may occur:
- Numbness
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Pain
- Misaligned fingers
- Weakness
- Inability to grip
- Fingers with a reduced range of motion
When to Seek Medical Attention for A Broken Hand
Because your hands are so vital to everything you do, you should always visit a hand doctor immediately if you have even the slightest hand injury. A specialist can may ensure that no long-lasting damage, complications, or loss of mobility occur.
Causes of a Broken Hand
In the workplace, hand injuries are most often caused by industrial accidents, incorrect tool usage, and crushing. At home and school hand injuries are most often caused by falls, childhood rough-housing, bike and skateboard accidents and sports injuries.
Diagnosis of a Broken Hand
The majority of hand injuries will need an X-ray to be properly diagnosed. Your hand doctor will inquire as to how the hand was injured to assist them in determining which bone has been fractured and how it was broken.
The hand doctor will examine your fingers, hand, and wrist to determine which regions are most painful. Additionally, this will assist the hand doctor in determining if your hand’s blood vessels, nerves, or tendons have been damaged.
What to Do if You Suspect a Broken Hand
In general, all hand injuries should be evaluated by a physician, as soon as possible. However, some basic first aid steps may assist in preventing additional damage to the hand until you can get to a doctor, ER, urgent care or hand specialist.
First, stop any bleeding by covering the wound with a clean towel or gauze pad, and applying pressure if necessary. Elevate the injured hand or finger above the heart, if possible, to reduce the possibility of swelling.
As soon as possible after the accident or injury, apply ice to the affected region to alleviate discomfort and swelling. Do not apply the ice directly to the skin, but wrap the ice cubes in a thin washcloth or handkerchief
Remove any jewelry immediately. Your hand or finger may grow significantly in size from the swelling, making removal of rings more difficult afterwards.
During regular hours it is ideal to directly call a hand specialist like Dr. Rehman. After hours, get to the ER, or urgent care a soon as possible for an x-ray and evaluation. Remember, when a bone fracture is untreated, it can result in the not healing correctly – or not healing at all.
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Broken Bone Hand Doctor | Warren, MI Area
If you are suffering from an injury or pain in your fingers, wrist, elbow or arm, contact board certified hand doctor Dr. Uzma Rehman for a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan. As with most medical conditions, early treatment plan is the most effective way to avoid and long-term loss of mobility or deformity from a broken bone in the hand or fingers.
