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Hand and Wrist Injury

The bones, connective tissue and small joints of the hands and wrists are prone to several types of injuries. These injuries can happen in otherwise healthy joints – for example, a blow to the finger causes it to bend backward or jamming a finger causes the tendons to pull away from the bone. In other cases, a disease process may make an injury more likely. For example, wrist bones weakened by osteoporosis are prone to fracture. The following are some of the more common hand and wrist injuries.

Flexor Tendon Injuries

The flexor tendons are long strands of connective tissue that connect muscles in the forearm to the small bones of the finger and thumb, enabling them to move. If one of these tendons is severely injured the finger it connects to cannot move.

The most common causes of flexor tendon injuries are cuts and sports injuries. Flexor tendons may also rupture spontaneously in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Learn more about flexor tendon injuries from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Extensor Tendon Injuries

Injuries to the extensor tendons (tendons on the backs of the hands and fingers that enable fingers and thumbs to straighten) can result in a number of different problems. The most common are:

Mallet finger – a drooping of the end of the finger that occurs when an extensor tendon becomes separated from the bone. This can happen if the finger is cut or jammed. It is also called baseball finger.

Boutonniere deformity – a deformity in which the joint in the middle of the finger (proximal interphalangeal joint or PIP) bends toward the palm and the joint closest to the nail (distal phalangeal joint or DP) bends upward. It can result from a cut or tear of the extensor tendon at the middle joint, a blow to the bent finger or damage from rheumatoid arthritis.

Learn more about boutonniere deformity from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

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daniel nickless

26 Apr 2012, 09:31

im a 38 year old plasterer i broke right hand when i was about 19 i also had major surgery on my thumb as i cut through the guide with a plastering trowl that was my right hand too.ive had terrible pain from this four many years i get numbing pain down the right hand side and pins and needles my hand locks most of the time and my thumb throbs as i use power tools and have done four fifteen to twenty years had an xray and it came back as my breakage had heeled fine what could it b as im in so much pain gets worse in cold weather and if i grip anything tight or loose ?many thanx.

MRS CHRISTINA COX

16 Apr 2012, 11:04

I fractured my wrist on 24/01/12 and had the cast removed on 08/03/11. Since having the cast removed my hand and wrist are still very stiff and painful. I cannot bend my thumb and can't straighten any of my fingers. I have very little grip. Have been doing hand and wrist exercises suggested by physio but does not seem to have helped that much. Do you have any suggestions. I have been off work since 24th Jan as I am unable to carry out my job until my hand improves.

John

31 Jan 2012, 14:10

To Carol Degler: I had similar symptoms a while ago. Since I'm a programmer, it affected my job performance. I had shots first, but their effects didn't last long. Then I found an acupuncturist who can do needle scalpel surgery. He told me that such knots were caused by soft tissue problems in the neck and shoulder area. After his operation on the neck and shoulders, and also after frequent stretching exercise of the neck and shoulders, the knots did become smaller and less painful. I now use a touchless keyboard and a touchless touchpad to reduce the pain on the job. The pain seems manageable now.

Carol Degler

01 Jan 2012, 19:17

My right hand,palm up,near the wrist is a big knot,thumb up, about a knuckle down from thumb is a knot and on the wrist bone there are several knots. These cause me alot of pain when I write or use my mouse but the pain is constant every day but worsens when I use my hand. It started three months ago and I have gotten to the point that I can not stand it any more. I tried a shot into the bone where it first started but now that there are so many I don't know what I should do. The shot didn't help in the long run and I don't know how long you can get them and how frequent.

Gerri Nolan

26 Dec 2011, 04:58

I fell about 7 years ago and when I did, I tried to break the fall with my hands. My right hand/base of my thump hurt terribly then and has flared up since then. In the last six months, it hurts most of the time even getting a manicure hurt while she messaged my hand. I have had knots come up on my right thumb first knuckle and where my thumb connects to the heel of my thumb it is very painful. Sometimes, have problem griping/opening bottle caps, etc. Is the arthristus? What kind of doctor should I see?

Ginger Johnston

10 Dec 2011, 21:01

I broke my wrist 6 months ago, still painful and not much use. My hand is actually not in line with my wrist and is still quite swollen. Now I have these bumps developing in the center of my palm. Are they connected to the break and lack of function in my hand? Thank you for any input as I'm rather frightened by all this.

sherry

06 Oct 2011, 20:41

my hands have been aching for a while after I try to do things but now my right thumb and hand and fingers will draw up and I can't get them to move until it is ready to and it still hurts afterwards. It this rhemmotoid arthritis?

victoria

15 Sep 2011, 10:25

To George: for numbness and tingling have them evaluate you for nerve pain. I have it on the left side of my face and body and am controlled well by neurontin. It is, according to some of what I've read for possibly related to my fibro, however also possibly disk related as I have that issue too. Good luck with getting it controlled or remedied. I'd mention it to primary, and get a referral if you haven't seen a specialist.

Karyn Guerriero

06 Sep 2011, 11:39

I have Osteo and Rhumatoid Arthritis. First my hands are so swollen and stiff and painful. (Especially my thumbs). Any suggestions??? Secondly I am constantly tired. I can and have slept around the clock. Sleep is takes up the most part of my day. Thank you for allowing me to comment.

Angie

05 Apr 2011, 17:02

I had tendinitis in my right wrist and right forearm. It was caused by overworking the flexor tendon.
Ever since then, I haven't been back to normal. It's been almost 7 months since the injury. No one could figure out why I was still having pain in that area with no other symptoms.
After a wrist specialist looked at my MRIs and my X-Rays, he found out that I have something called a Negative Ulna. The Ulna bone is too short by almost 1/4-1/2 inch.
Really a bummer, since I'm 23 and told that I'll definitely have arthritis where the Ulna bone comes short. I already show symptoms of arthritis. Lots of loud cracking sounds, stiffness and pain.
It's getting hard to find anything so I can exercise my arms without using my hands/wrist. Any suggestions? (Tried looking things up online, but there is virtually nothing out there for a Negative Ulna except for something called Negative Ulnar Variance that's linked to Kienbock's Disease)

George Grayeb

01 Apr 2011, 14:58

I am a 82-year old male who is quite active. Golf and exercise 3x per week. Since I favor the right side of my body, I'm afraid that arthritis has set into my right knee, hand and shoulder/neck. These are all manageable except that a numbness and tingling has developed in my right hand and wrist. When I shake my hand/wrist out or lower the arm these symptoms temporarily disappear. Is this a normal arthritic symptom?...Thanks for your help!

mary

01 Mar 2011, 13:18

I had a type 3 fracture of the wrist with a fixator. I have been doing the exercises but my hand and fingers are still stiff. How can I loosen them up.

barbara mercado

08 Jan 2011, 17:33

i have very bad pain in my left wraist that has been for about 7 months i need to know a home remdey thank you

Violet Juhasz

08 Nov 2010, 17:49

I am a message therapist, and 2 months ago I hurt my hand on the job while massaging a client. I woke up the next morning with a swollen right thumb that started at the base. My wrist was also hurting as well. The doctor told me I sprained my finger, they put me on Celebrex and had me wearing a brace. It's been 8 weeks,and I cannot sleep without a brace, because if I don't I wake up with a numb thumb and it is hard to move. And once I do get to moving my thumb, it feels like my joints at the top of my thumb are bumping one another and it feels like needles are pinching that area. I also have this same problem when I rest it for a significant period of time. What could be wrong?

Teresa Robbins

19 Oct 2010, 09:18

I had back surgery OCT 2009. The past 6 months , I Have had knots come up on my right thumb first knuckle..now where my thumb connects to the heel of my thumb...it is so painful it wakes me up throbbing and when I push on that area, the pain is terrible...all pain is on right thumb,heel of thumb and knots too.I never had this kind of problem til after my back surgery..Have a very hard time using my right hand for anything,,,Can this be RA or gout?? I am 62 yrs old...but the pain in my thumb area juststarted and I need some idea what kind of dr I should see.

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Hand and Wrist Injury

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