Gourley, Rehkemper & Lindholm

Hand and Wrist Injuries

Like most other injuries suffered in car accidents, common injuries to the hands and wrists are of the traumatic variety, meaning they are caused by the force of the impact.  Similar to other jointed extremeties, fractures and dislocations are an unfortunate common consequence of serious car accidents.

One of the most common injuries to the hand and wrist during car accidents is a distal radial fracture, more commonly referred to as a broken wrist.  According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the radius (the largest of the two bones of the forearm) is the most commonly broken bone in the arm.  Another commonly seen injury to the hand and wrist region is a scaphoid fracture which is a breaking of the smallest bone in the wrist, located at the base of the thumb above the radius.

In addition to distal radius and
scaphoid fractures, the human hand is comprised of 27 bones and multiple joints and ligaments, any one of which is subject to being injured in a traumatic car accident.   The symptoms of such injuries are ordinarily immediate acute pain, bruising, swelling and tenderness.  These injuries are ordinarily diagnosed with X-ray and are treated much like any other orthopaedic injury through ensuring that the bones are set appropriately and then immobilizing them permitting them to heal with time.  Certain fractures can be re-aligned through closed reduction without having to use a surgical incision while others require surgical intervention through a procedure called an open reduction.  Plates, wires, and pins can also be used to secure fragments of bones together with the bone is fractured in multiple places.

Following through with painful but always necessary physical therapy is an important part in ensuring a full recovery from any orthopaedic injury such as a broken wrist or hand.  It is never pleasant or easy but it is absolutely necessary to achieve maximum range of motion and function following such an injury.

See also:

Physical Therapy
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Chiropractic Treatment