If you were to create a list that included all of the ways that you rely upon your hands, how long do you think it would be?  The number of times that you use our hands during the course of a normal day is enormous, regardless of whether you are at home, in the workplace, or participating in sports or recreational activities of any kind.

We become so accustomed to relying on our hands virtually non-stop throughout each day that we take them for granted. But when there is suddenly a problem with one of our hands, and it causes us to be without their use, then we quickly remember just how dependent we are on them.

It would be hard to argue that there is anything on your body that is more important than your hands, They consist of 27 bones, which includes eight that operate with your wrists in using precise movement and motor skills. There are also tendons, ligaments, muscles and nerves, that work in coordination to perform the many tasks that you request. But when you suddenly develop an issue due to an injury to your hand or your wrist, do you know when it is important to visit a physician?

Injuries From Sports and Recreational Activities

Some injuries that you may encounter are considered to be acute. These issues are sudden and could occur with your ligaments, your tendons, your joints, your muscles or your bones. Strains, sprains, and fractures are among the possibilities when you on counter one of these abrupt injuries.

Contact sports are a frequent source for a sudden injury to your hand, wrist, or fingers, as football, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, biking, are just some examples of sports or activities in which an injury of some type can unexpectedly occur in this area of your body.

One potential injury from these activities could be a fracture. This is a break that can create a large amount of pain, along with stiffness, swelling, and loss of movement. There are different degrees of fractures, including simple, and complex. Sometimes a person can also have a comminuted fracture – which means that there are broken bones in multiple places – or some fractures are compound, which means that a broken bone has also broken through the skin.

These can occur as the result of an accidental fall, in addition to the sports and recreational activities that were discussed.  Older adults are particularly high-risk candidates for falls, while children (unfortunately) are also capable of falling during play or sports activities.

Injuries From Overuse

You can also encounter a work-related problem with your hand, fingers or wrist, and you can also suffer an injury while you are working on a project at your home – particularly if machinery is involved like a lawn mower snow blower or a hand tool.

There are also injuries that are developed over time, and in many cases, these take place as a result of overuse. This is where many work-related activities become a factor. Carpal tunnel syndrome has become well-known because it creates pressure on the nerve in your wrist. Symptoms can include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain in the fingers, hand, and forearm. This is a very common problem of the hand, and it can become difficult to grip objects when you encounter this issue. That is due to a swelling of the nerve which controls sensations both in and near the thumb.

Sometimes you can develop tendonitis which is a pain in your tendon due to a series of very small tears in the tissue that surrounds it. In addition to pain, a tendon issue can also cause you to lose your strength and movement in the area of the injury. If it hurts when you attempt to make a fist, turn your wrist, or hold an object in your hand, then you have the symptoms of tendinitis. The pain that you are feeling is likely the result of an inflammation at the tendons that can be found at the base of your thumb. This provides the perfect example of an injury from overuse.

These are just a few examples of injuries to the hand and wrists, and the specialists at Orthopedic Associates understand how pain in your hand or wrist can affect your well-being. We also know that each hand and wrist injury must be approached with the utmost care, regardless of what type of injury you have suffered, and how it occurred. We are also dedicated to making sure that you recover fully so that you can return to depending on your hand and wrist as you did before.

Hand doctor Kent F. Dickson, M.D is committed to providing effective, compassionate, and timely care. his expertise in educating our patients on how they can avoid future problems is also beneficial.

At Orthopedic Associates, We Can Help

Here is the list of hand and wrist problems that we can help you with at Orthopedic Associates:

• Animal Bites to the Hand
• Basal Joint Osteoarthritis
• Boutonniere Deformity
• Boxer’s Fracture
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Colles Fractures
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
• Digital Mucous Cysts
• Distal Radius Fracture (Broken Wrist)
• Dupuytren’s Disease
• Finger Dislocation/Felon
• Fingertip Injuries
• Flexor Tendon Injuries
• Fractures of the Finger/Hand (Metacarpal Fractures)
• Ganglion Cysts of the Hand
• Kienbock’s Disease
• Mallet Finger
• Nerve Injuries of the Hand
• Osteoarthritis of the Hand
• Osteomyelitis
• Paronychia
• Polydactyly of the Hand
• Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Disease
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) of the Hand
• Scaphoid Fractures
• Swan Neck Deformity
• Syndactyly of the Hand
• Thumb Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) Injury
• Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex (TFCC) Tears
• Trigger Digit
• Volar Plate Injuries
• Wrist Sprain

Our orthopedic experts are also highly experienced in performing many different treatments and surgeries for the hand & wrist:

• About Surgery of the Hand
• Absorbable Antibiotic Bead Treatment for Osteomyelitis
• Anesthesia
• Anesthesia (Regional)
• Artificial Joint Replacement of the Finger
• Basal Joint Surgery
• Biologics Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Carpal Tunnel Release (Open Technique)
• Cold Laser Therapy
• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
• De Quervain’s Release
• Digital Mucous Cyst Excision
• Digital Nerve Repair
• Distal Radius Fracture Repair with Volar Plate
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release
• Finger Felon Drainage
• Finger Fracture Fixation
• Finger Joint Fusion (DIP Joint)
• Ganglion Cyst Removal
• Joint Synovectomy
• Limited Palmar Fasciectomy for Dupuytren’s Contracture
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Multimodal Anesthesia and Pain Control
• Needle Aponeurotomy for Dupuytren’s Contracture
• Nerve Conduction Study (NCS)
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
• Scaphoid Fracture Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF)
• Tendon Repair
• Trigger Digit Release
• Wrist Arthroscopy
• Wrist Fusion (Total Wrist Arthrodesis)

If you are experiencing a problem with your hand or wrist, we encourage you to visit one of Orthopedic Associates two locations or request an appointment today, and we will help guide you down the path of feeling better.