Hand injuries can be extremely disruptive to your life, preventing you from performing many day to day activities and it is not until you have a hand injury that you realize how disruptive this can be to your life. People get hand injuries from a wide range of activities, excessive strain injuries and everyday activities. Some hand injuries may require surgery, while others can be fixed using medications, rest and physical therapy.
Orthopedic specialists see many patients with fractures to the hand which are usually caused from either falling or from striking something hard with the hand. There are many advanced surgical orthopedic procedures for mending hand fractures including casts and splints, pins and metal plates and screws. Pins are inserted through the skin to hold the fractured bones in position while they are knitting and are often used for delicate finger fractures in children.

Finger bones can be often be realigned by manipulating them without surgery. A cast, splint or fracture-brace is applied to immobilize the bones and hold them in place. Hand casts often extend from the fingertips down past the wrist almost to the elbow. This is to ensure that the bones remain fixed in place during the healing process and prevents the bones from healing crooked.

Additional X-rays are often needed after a week or two to check that the bones are aligned properly and have remained in the position. Casts are usually worn for three to six weeks. Gentle hand exercises can be started after three weeks and a physical therapist will show the patient how to do these exercises daily at home.

If a hand injury requires surgery to stabilize and align the bones, an orthopedic surgeon can implant wires, screws, or plates in the broken bone to hold the pieces of the fractured bone in place. Crushing accidents to the hands frequently need surgical treatment and a special cast is made for wearing after the surgery for several months.