Your hand contains a great number of bones, many of which are fragile. If one is fractured and isn’t moving as it should, it can affect how your entire hand moves.
Keeping your hand raised just after your fracture can help control pain and swelling. When you’re able, you can start the exercises or therapy your doctor suggests. You’ll soon regain the hand motion you need to do your daily tasks.
How a Fracture is Found?
Your doctor will check your hand. Your range of motion (how well you can move your fingers and hand) als0 will be tested. An imaging test can then confirm the fractured bone (which is the same as a broken bone). The imaging test done most often for a hand fracture is an x-ray. It can show the exact size and placement of the fracture.
A fractured bone starts to heal on its own right away. But a treatment called reduction helps you heal better. Reduction is a process that repositions your bones. The goal is to get them as close as possible to how they were before the fracture. Your doctor will use one or more methods of reduction.
Closed Reduction
In closed reduction, your doctor sets (positions) the injured bone without surgery. You’ll need to wear one of these as you heal:
Splint – A curved, firm support that’s secured across the injured region. It keeps the bone in place.
Cast – Hard material that surrounds and protects the fractured region. It also prevents movement to allow for better healing.
Open Reduction
In open reduction, your doctor sets the bone by doing surgery. You also may need internal hardware. You and your doctor will discuss whether it will be removed later. The hardware may include:
Pin - A thin wire that’s drilled across a fracture. It holds the bone together.
Screw - Hardware that looks like a normal screw. It pulls fractured segments together.
Plate - A metal strip that covers the bone, including the fractured region. It’s held in place by tiny screws.
How Hand Fractures Can Differ
No two hand fractures are alike. Your doctor will decide how to treat yours after answering some questions about your injured hand. Is the bone stable? Is a finger involved? Is a joint affected? Once you heal, could the fracture alter the shape, strength, or range of motion of your hand? Your doctor may ask other questions to help ensure the best treatment for you.
