Metacarpal Fractures

Metacarpal Fractures

The metacarpals are the bones that make up the hand itself. Most metacarpal fractures can be treated without surgery. The most common metacarpal fracture is the ‘Boxer’s Fracture’, which is a fracture of the 5th (small finger) metacarpal close to the knuckle,

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Swan-Neck Deformity of the Thumb

Swan-Neck deformity of the thumb occurs when the thumb's metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint (the joint where the thumb attaches to the hand) hyperextends too much. The ligament that usually prevents this is called the 'volar plate'. Some people are born with loose ('double') joints; these joints are

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Luno-Triquetral Ligament Injuries

Now that Kobe Bryant suffered a luno-triquetral ligament injury in his wrist, many people are interested in this problem. The luno-triquetral ligament keeps two of the wrist's small bones, the lunate and the triquetrum, aligned and connected to each other so that they move together in a normal,

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Retinacular Cysts

Tender masses that appear in the base of a finger near the palm are usually retinacular cysts. Retinacular cysts are simply ganglion cysts that come from the flexor tendon sheath of the finger. Retinacular cysts may appear rather quickly and can lead to pain when gripping objects. Fortunately,

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Flexor Carpi Ulnaris (FCU) Tendinosis

The flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) tendon is on the palmar side of your wrist, above the small finger. It is one of the major tendons that flexes your wrist. Occasionally, overuse can cause damage to the FCU tendon. As opposed to the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) tendon, which runs in a sheath and can

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Metacarpophlangeal (MP) Joint Replacement

The metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint is the large joint where the finger attaches to the hand. Arthritis of the MP joint can lead to pain, swelling and stiffness. Nonoperative management includes a steroid injection or two, activity limitation and buddy taping the finger to its neighbor. In

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Finger Nail Injuries

Injuries to the finger nail are fairly common. While these often lead to some degree of nail deformity or change in the nail's appearance, good treatment can often minimize the degree of damage.

If the finger nail gets crushed, bleeding may occur underneath it. If this bleeding doesn't hurt,

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Extensor Tendon Subluxation / Boxer's Knuckle

Subluxation or snapping of the tendons on the back of the hand can occur for different reasons. It's often due to a trauma, such as punching a hard object. That's why some refer to this injury as 'Boxer's Knuckle'. It can also happen when a ball or other object strikes the finger, or from a

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Scapho-Lunate (SL) Ligament Injuries

Scapho-lunate (SL) ligament injuries are serious injuries to the wrist. The scapho-lunate ligament connects two of the most important bones of the wrist together: the scaphoid and the lunate. The scapho-lunate ligament keeps those small bones of the wrist moving together in a normal, synchronous

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Metacarpophalangeal Joint (MPJ) and Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) Joint Arthroscopy

The metacarpophalangeal joint (MPJ) is the large joint where the finger connects to the hand. The proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint is the middle joint of the finger. If pain occurs at these joints, initial treatment consists of buddy-taping the finger to its neighbor and an injection. If the

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Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) Joint Replacement

The proximal interphalangeal joint is the middle joint of the finger. Injuries to the proximal interphalangeal joint often lead to arthritis. The treatment of proximal interphalangeal joint arthritis starts with buddy taping of the finger to its neighboring digit and a steroid injection into the

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Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) Joint Injuries

The proximal interphalangeal joint is the middle joint of your finger. It is an unforgiving joint when injured, and often becomes extremely stiff. What most people don't realize is that the bones of the fingers heal extremely quickly, and if this joint suffers a severe injury it can become

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Hamate Hook (Hamulus) Fractures

Fractures of the Hook of the Hamate (also called the "Hamulus") occur mainly in people who play racket or batting sports, such as tennis, golf or baseball. Hamate hook fractures lead to pain in the base of the palm on the small finger's side.
If seen soon after injury, Hamate Hook fractures are

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Stiff Fingers

Stiff fingers may occur following injuries to the hand or wrist. The first-line treatment for this is hand therapy, often using splints with springs or rubber bands on them to stretch out the digits. If therapy fails and the finger stiffness is decreasing hand function, a surgical solution can

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Distal Radius Osteotomy

Many wrist fractures heal in 'suboptimal' position, either because they were not surgically fixed or because the surgical fixation did not turn out well. When a wrist fracture heals in poor position (called a 'malunion') it can lead to deformity, pain, stiffness, weakness, and dysfunction,

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EPL Tendon Rupture

The EPL (extensor pollicis longus) tendon extends your thumb. Following a wrist fracture, or sometimes due to arthritis and bone spur formation, the EPL tendon can rupture. In cases of arthritis, the EPL tendon rubs can rub across a bone spur until it abrades and fails. In cases of fracture, the

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Boxer's Fracture

Boxer's fracture refers to a fracture (break) of the 5th metacarpal, that is the hand bone connected to the small finger. It often happens from punching a solid object, hence its name. This injury leads to pain and swelling over the broken bone.

The vast majority of boxer's fractures can be

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Intersection Syndrome

Intersection syndrome leads to pain, swelling and occasionally 'squeaking' on the back (dorsum) of the wrist. The pain is worse with gripping or lifting. Intersection syndrome is usually due to overuse from activities that require repetitive wrist extension, such as raking leaves, shoveling,

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The 1st Metacarpal Osteotomy for Basilar (Basal) Thumb Pain in Young Adults

Arthritis commonly affects the base of the thumb. Older patients, or those with more advanced arthritis, are well-treated by the LRTI procedure, which is well-covered in this website. While the LRTI is extremely effective, it may be more surgery than a younger patient with less-advanced

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Skier's Thumb (aka. Gamekeeper's Thumb)

Skier's thumb used to be called "gamekeeper's thumb". However, the #1 cause of this injury is currently skiing, leading to the name change. Skier's thumb is an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb's MP joint (the big joint where the thumb attaches to the hand). Skier's thumb can

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