Hand Fracture Surgery

Your hands and wrists are essential tools that allow you to work, play and perform everyday activities. How well the hand and wrist interact depends on the integrity and function of the ligaments, tendons, muscles, joints and bones.

Problems in any of these can affect upper extremity function, causing disruptions at home and work and negatively impacting quality of life.

The human hand itself is very complex and delicate in structure.  At some time in life, you may experience hand or wrist pain.

Sometimes hand fracture surgery is required to stabilize and align the bones.

These fractures usually break through the skin or result from a crushing accident.

An orthopaedic surgeon can:

• • • implant wires
    • screws
    • plates

in the broken bone to hold the pieces of the fractured bone in place.

After the bone has healed, your surgeon may remove the implants or may leave them in place.

The physician may want to examine the hand periodically to ensure that the joint doesn’t tighten (contract) during healing.

Joint stiffness may be experienced because of the long immobilization period. Exercises can help restore strength and range of motion. A physical therapist may be able to help with this.