Broken hand

Personal injury and broken hands

A broken hand is a very common type of personal injury because it is used almost every moment of every day. It is this fact that makes a broken hand particularly impacting on a sufferer’s quality of life during recovery. Broken hands result from a direct impact to the hand or a fall.

The hand and wrist is composed of 27 bones. The bones that are most commonly broken in a personal injury fall into several categories. The carpals, which make up the 8 bones of the wrist, the metacarpals which are the 5 bones that form the palm of the hand, and the phalanges who’s 14 small bones form the small parts of the hand such as the fingers or knuckles. These 27 bones are fairly small and located in a small area, and this means that broken hands usually involve more than one bone being broken.

A broken hand is typically treated with a plaster cast to ensure that the broken bone(s) heal in the correct alignment. The cast also provides protection against small knocks and accidental pressure which would be very painful for the person who suffered the personal injury. If the broken wrist is very serious, in some cases surgery may also be necessary.

Types of broken hand

There are several types of broken hand, which are a direct result of the type of impact and the amount of forces the impact involves.

The most common type of broken hand is a simple fracture. This is where the bone fully breaks but does not pierce the skin. While there is less visual evidence, the symptoms of this personal injury are easily identifiable. There will be large amounts of worsening pain, severe swelling, bruising, and a lack of ability to bear weight.

An impacted fracture is a personal injury that is most commonly caused by falling from a great height. This is where the end of one bone is forced into another.

A spiral fracture is a break that is around the bone. Sporting injuries are the most common cause of this type of personal injury, because of the twisting motion that some sports require.

A comminuted fracture is a personal injury where a bone is broken into fragments. It is also known as a compression fracture. This type of injury most commonly occurs when large forces are involved with the impact. It is the most common type of personal injury fracture in road traffic accidents because of the large forces motor

Serious Law have a great deal of experience in both the treatment and personal injury compensation of broken hands. If you would like to investigate the possibility of a personal injury claim, or to ensure you are receiving the correct level of rehabilitation to ensure your personal injury recovers appropriately, then visit our > Contact Us page for more information.

Broken hand repair

The recovery time for broken bones completely depends on the type of break, its severity, and other factors such as your age. As a basic guideline, a non-complex simple fracture will take around 8 week to repair. After these 8 weeks it will still be relatively week however, and should be cared for until it has fully recovered its strength.

Regardless of these variables there are four clear stages that are undergone during the healing process. A haematoma is initially created by the blood vessels in the bone. A cartilage callus then forms along the haematoma (nature’s splint). A bony callus then eventually replaces the cartilage. For the final stage, a bony callus then forms a permanent patch on the fracture.

Broken hand next steps

If you would like to investigate whether you may have a personal injury compensation claim from a broken hand, then please call 0800 035 15 65 or visit our > Contact Us page for further information.