Are You Sick?

Types of Hand or Wrist Injuries

• Fractures are broken bones. A broken bone will be tender to touch and may look misshapen. You will not be able to move the injured area without pain. Fractures often occur due to falls, sports injuries and direct blows. The small bones in the wrist can be fractured as well as the bones in the hand and fingers. After a fracture, if the bones were moved out of place, they may heal in that position. This could affect your use of the wrist or hand in the future. Surgery may be needed to fix the break and reset its position.
• Dislocations happen when a bone is pulled out of its joint socket. Dislocated wrists are less common than dislocated shoulders, but they do occur. This can also happen in small bones in the hands and fingers.
• Sprains are stretches and tears of ligaments or tendons. They can occur along with a fracture or without one.
• Strains are stretches and tears of muscles.
• Muscle Overuse. Muscle pain can occur without an injury. There is no fall or direct blow. Muscle overuse is from hard work or sports (such as a sore wrist).
• Muscle or Soft Tissue Bruise from a direct blow
• Bone Bruise from a direct blow
• Skin Injury. Examples are a cut, scratch, scrape or bruise. Wounds to the hands need checked carefully. Damage to blood flow or nerves can affect your use of the hands in the future.
• Nail Injuries. Fingernail injuries can occur due to a direct blow which causes bruising under the nail or the nail being torn. A bruise forms from bleeding under the nail. The nail will look black and will be painful. If pain is severe, it may be possible to drain the blood with a simple procedure.

Pain Scale

• Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from most normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
• Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
• Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.