A broken hand is not only painful, but it can also take a lot of time to heal and you must follow the instructions of your orthopedic surgeon for recovery. Here is everything you need to know about a broken hand, how to identify it, and how to treat it.

Causes Of A Broken Hand

Here are some common causes of a broken hand.

  • If you have a sprain that hasn’t been healed or maybe you overdid something with your injured hand, then it can lead to broken bones or dislocated joints.
  • If you have underlying bone diseases like arthritis or osteoporosis, then any sort of small injury or impact can lead to your hand getting fractured or the bone breaking. Since these types of diseases can make your bones quite weak, any small injury can lead to big damage.
  • If your bones and joints aren’t flexible, then it can lead to the breaking of bones.
  • Any sort of accident can lead to a broken hand.
  • Falling hard on your wrist or hand can lead to the breaking of your hand’s bones and if it is not treated right away, it can lead to a lot of damage.

Symptoms Of A Broken Hand

Here are the symptoms of a broken hand:

  • Your hand will be extremely stiff and you won’t be able to rotate your wrist like normal.
  • Your hand will be in immense pain and painkillers might not help you.
  • Your hand will be extremely swollen and the swollen area can be painful as well. This swelling can be on the back side of the palm, fingers, or even your wrist.
  • Your hand might be discolored due to swelling and loss of circulation in the area.
  • The appearance of gangrene or purple and black bruises are the main symptoms of a hand injury or broken hand.
  • Your hand or wrist might be deformed because of the dislocation of the bone.
  • In worst cases, there might be numbness and loss of sensation in the hand. This can penetrate your arm and can be quite an emergency.
  • Nerve damage can lead to a lot of tingling in your hand and arm and if the problem is dealt with immediately, then it can lead to permanent nerve damage and a degree of damage to the limb movement in your hands or arms.
  • You can lose your strength in the hand and gripping something with your broken or injured hand can be quite painful and hard.

Treatment For A Broken Hand

Here are some treatment options for a broken hand:

  • If the hand injury isn’t too severe, then proper rest and some form of physical therapy can heal the hand quickly and restore the damage.
  • You can try to take painkillers for the pain, but they only go so far.
  • Prevent falling or putting too much impact on the hands, otherwise, the healing process will be hindered and the hand might not heal properly.
  • Eating healthy and nutritious foods can restore bone strength. Supplements that give strength to the bones and vitamin D supplements can help with making your bones stronger.
  • If there is a huge fracture in the bones, then it might need surgery. The surgery is slightly invasive and you might be under anesthesia. A small incision will be made in your hand where the injury is and the bone will be fused together.
  • If you went through surgery for your broken hand, then you might want to take care of the incision. You want to keep it safe from infections and any kind of damage.
  • You need to start off by lightly putting weight on your hands to get them back to working normally again. So, holding a soft ball in your hand, squeezing a fabric, etc. will help a lot to regain your strength back.
  • Eating fruits and vegetables which are vitamin rich will help in building bone strength.

Conclusion

There you have it!  A broken hand will hinder your important life activities, so it’s better to get it fixed by going to a hand injury doctor Woodbridge before there is any more permanent and irreversible damage. And never forget to take the medication on time for a speedy recovery.