What is a Hand Fracture?
A Hand Fracture is a type of bone breakage in the hand. This can be in the smaller bones such as the fingers, or the larger bones in the palm. A fractured hand can be caused by falling accidents, sporting accidents and damaging twists. Often a hand fracture may heal without non-surgical treatment, however if it is severe, surgery is an option. The most common hand fracture is a fracture of the fifth metacarpal which is the bone in the hand that supports the little finger.
What are the symptoms of a Hand Fracture?
Hand fractures cause severe pain that worsens when squeezing the hand together, or moving your hand. You may experience swelling and bruising around the affected area, sometimes with deformities visible depending on the severity of the fracture. Some fractures can cause numbness in the hand or fingers.
How do you prevent a Hand Fracture occuring?
To prevent hand fractures, you should aim to strengthen the bones/muscles in your hands. This can be done by changing your diet to include more calcium, increasing the amount of sunlight you get (so you increase vitamin D levels), and doing more weight-bearing exercises. For example, you could aim to do more running/dancing to strengthen your skeleton.
What are the risk factors of a Hand Fracture?
Participation in sports and physical activity increase risk of fracturing your hand. Sports such as rugby, hockey or football make result in accidents which cause breaks in the hand bones. People with conditions such as Osteoporosis may be more at risk due to having weaker bones.
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