A broken bone is called Fracture. It can happen to an individual due to any kind of accidents like fall from heights, accidents or sports injuries. Fracture also known as a Pathological fracture. It may occur at the same time as other injuries, such as sprains, strains or dislocation.
Hand Injuries:
The hand consists of 27 bones (including the 8 bones of the wrist). Intricate in design and function, the hand is an amazing work of anatomic engineering and is an amazingly multifunctional and indispensible part of our body.
When the other associated structures (nerves, arteries, veins, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint cartilage, and fingernails) are considered, the potential for a variety of injuries exists when trauma involves the hand. Therefore, any injury to the underlying structures of the hand carries the potential for serious handicap. To reduce this risk, even the smallest hand injuries require proper medical evaluation.
The goal of the treatment for injuries to the hand is a rapid and accurate initial evaluation and treatment. In other words, once an injury occurs, an experienced orthopedist such as Dr Arunava Lala strives to begin medical treatment quickly so the short- and long-term effects on the hand can be minimized.
The most common injuries of the hands are:
Hand Injury Symptoms
The symptoms of hand injuries can vary depending on the type of injury, how the injury occurred (mechanism), depth, severity, and location and are as follows :
Seek emergency medical care in these situations:
Fractures (Broken Bones) that require emergency Medical Treatment:
Dislocations
Dislocations are the result of injuries to the ligaments around joints. In a dislocation, a bone is displaced out of normal position resulting in obvious deformity, pain, and decreased mobility. When a dislocation occurs, the doctor will evaluate the injury to ensure there are no fractures. Dislocated bones must be put back in place. This process is called reduction, which is the realignment of dislocated or broken bones. Reduction can be accomplished by external manipulation of the injured area (closed reduction) or by surgery (open reduction). All require follow-up care after a period of immobilization, usually with a splint or cast. The goal of treatment is to preserve the function and stability of the joint.
Splinting describes any method used to keep the injured hand or finger from moving. The doctor may place an injured hand or finger against a solid, stiff object but not inside a cast. With a splint the injured area is immobilized yet still has room to swell. A cast does not allow for swelling, so the injury may be casted a few days after swelling has decreased.
Buddy taping is a procedure where the doctor tapes an injured finger to an adjacent finger to keep the injured finger from moving. The other finger becomes a splint.
Fractures (broken bone)
Fractures of the hand and wrist are fairly common. Most fractures heal well if treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Some injuries may require a series of X-rays over one to two weeks. The small bones and complex structure of the hand make some fractures difficult to detect. The treatment of fractures depends on a number of factors including the severity of the crack or break, whether joints are involved, the location of the specific bone injured, the amount of deformity (displacement), and if there is a laceration (cut) associated with the fracture.
Children's bones are still growing and so are susceptible to fractures involving the soft areas where the bone growth is actually occurring (growth plate). Some of these growth plate injuries are difficult to diagnose because they do not show up on X-rays. Injuries near the growth plate areas of a child's hand therefore may need to be treated as fractures (breaks) even with normal X-rays. Some doctors will X-ray the opposite uninjured hand to compare with the injured hand to assist with visualizing growth plate fractures or disruptions.
Treatment & Recovery :
Treatment of a recent fracture rarely includes an enclosed cast. Fractures and other injuries that require immobilization are often splinted on one side to prevent compression injuries from a cast that covers the entire hand. A splint allows room for the swelling associated with acute injuries, which may prevent the loss of adequate circulation or nerve injury. Splinting does not entirely eliminate the possibility of this complication. Anyone who experiences numbness, color change, or the feeling of tightness after splint application should return to the doctor immediately or go to the emergency department. Recovery time from a hand injury depends on the nature of the damage and the force of the impact.
