Hand, Wrist and Elbow Injuries in Sports

What type of hand, wrist or elbow injuries do you think happen most often in sports? Broken finger? Fractured wrist? Tendon ruptures? Any of these answers are correct. Some injuries are common to certain sports, but any arm injury can occur in any sport. Here are several common sports injuries that occur to the hand, wrist or elbow.

A fractured finger can happen in any sport, in many different ways. Simple fractures may be protected with a cast or splint. More severe fractures may require surgery to pin or stabilize the fracture with a plate or screws. Regardless of the type of repair, a specific routine of exercises and splinting of the finger are critical to prevent loss of function. This is most important if the fracture occurs near or across a joint.

Wrist fractures usually occur from a fall or an extended arm block against an opponent. Most wrist fractures happen on the thumb side of the wrist at the radius bone. Wrist fractures can involve one or more of the eight small carpal wrist bones. These carpal bones are what allow us the great flexibility of our wrist, but sometimes are harder to repair and take longer to heal. Often the wrist may be set and casted/splinted for a period of 4-8 weeks.

Sometimes surgery may be done to fixate the fracture with a plate and screws. With either repair method, the wrist joint will be stiff for several weeks and may require further splinting for protection and a routine of specific exercises to regain mobility and strength.

Tendon and Ligament Injuries

Tendonitis- Many players suffer from tendonitis, which is an overuse of a tendon. Over time, pain will increase with activity. Treatment includes splinting, arm bands, rest, ice and anti-inflammatory medications.

Mallet finger- Also known as baseball finger. This occurs when a ball is caught on the fingertips, or a finger gets caught in another player’s jersey. The tip of the finger droops, and will not straighten. This happens because the tendon is pulling away from its insertion point near a joint. Splinting, specific exercises, and strict adherence to precautions is needed to allow proper healing.

Ligament injuries- Are seen in many sports when a finger is suddenly pulled in the wrong direction or hyper-extended. As ligaments hold a joint together, an injury will cause instability, pain and swelling to the affected joint. Typical treatment is to buddy tape two fingers together.

Bicep tendon ruptures happen when the force of an object lifted exceeds the strength of the bicep tendon, or if a heavy object is suddenly lifted or pulled. Seen in power lifting, but possible in any sport, this injury can put you on the disabled list for up to one year. This occurs when the large tendon the bicep muscle is ruptured near the elbow, either when the tendon is torn off its insertion point or the tendon itself fails and tears. Surgical repair grafts the tendon back to the bone using an anchor system. Rehabilitation includes protecting the arm in a full arm splint with NO weight resistance of any amount for up to 6 months, followed by a slow progressive strengthening program of up to another six months or more.

Many sports injuries can be unavoidable, but increased muscle strength and flexibility will help you minimize problems. So, when your coach or trainer tells you to stretch or exercise again, remember that they are only trying to help you stay healthy and safe!

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