Reduce the speed and force of repetitive movements in activities such as hammering, typing, knitting, quilting, sweeping, raking, playing racquet sports, or rowing. Hydraulic fluid burst through the damaged spot on the hose and was injected through the double gloves into the persons index finger. Some injuries can be treated with a splint andor buddy strapping to the neighboring normal finger figure 2. Preventing hand injuries part 2 in my last post we discussed that osha is paying much greater attention to injuries to the fingers and hands. Once these are understood and evaluated it is possible to apply a hierarchy of possible controls. To avoid hand injuries, observe the following use the right glove for the job do not use hands as tools get the correct tool for the job position your body, hands, and fingers correctly secure your work use lockouttagout whenever appropriate use a push stick when using table and jigsaws.
A jammed finger may be treated without or with surgery, depending on how severe the injury is. Corrective actions should be addressed at all levels of the work crew, from the front line workers, all the way up to management. Know the hazards and dangers in the job to be done be aware of pinch points be aware of hot areas be aware of rotating or moving surfaces automated machinery may be controlled by remote control, or delayed. Motion dexterity grip ability to complete the simplest of tasks. Tendon injuries are the second most common injury seen in the hand. Carpenters and occupational hand and finger injuries. Applying appropriate corrective actions will help reduce the chances of future injuries. The primary reason is that finger tip amputations, regardless of bone loss, must now be reported to osha within 24 hours. Dupuytrens contracture a hereditary thickening of the tough tissue that lies just below the skin of your palm.
Hand injuries the british society for surgery of the hand. Check that machine guards and other safety devices. Phalangeal fractures of the hand are usually the result of a direct trauma, crush or. Although maintenance of length, preservation of the nail, and appearance are important, the primary goal of treatment is a painless fingertip with durable and sensate skin. Racgp hands, fingers, thumbs assessment and management of. Hand therapy department contact number 0203 315 8404. Mallet finger injury often occurs in ballcatching sports such as football, basketball, baseball, and softball. Sensory nerve function of the digits can be evaluated with. Jan 23, 2018 lay your hand out flat on a table or solid surface. Surgery was required to find and remove the injected oil from the finger and hand of the person. Dull and worn tools require you to apply extra force. Suddenly the simplest tasks, like buttoning a shirt, signing your name, or twisting open a jar lid becomes difficult, if not impossible. Sporting injuries are particularly common and their incidence has increased in young people over the period of three decades.
Since the injury is distal to the critical level 46 of the middle of the proximal phalanx of the finger or the thumb interphalangeal joint, some basic functional capacity of the hand is still preserved. Jet spray injury 1 in 3 lose finger always wear protective devices. Hand and finger inju ries account for 15% of all emergency room visits. Hand and finger exercises try these two stretches for your thumb joints. A loss of the normal resting attitude of the hand can indicate a tendon laceration, a contracture, or, possibly, a peripheral nerve injury fig. By identifying hazards and developing safety measures, you and your employer can prevent your hands from being among the 500,000 injured in canada every year. We will discuss controls for each type of hazard in part 2. Hand injuries are common and can involve a variety of structures such as the skin, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, bones and joints. Wrist injuries occur mostly due to a fall on the outstretched hand. The best way to protect our hands, wrists and fingers from injury is to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Many injuries resolve in time but there are certain types that require interventional treatment. Evidencebased management of acute hand injuries in the emergency department abstract although injuries of the hand are infrequently lifethreatening.
Normally, with the hand resting and the wrist in neutral, the fingers are progressively more flexed from the radial to the ulnar side of the hand. Osteoarthritis thumb basal joint orthopedic finger surgeon dr. Younger males highenergy mechanism and older females lowenergy mechanism are most commonly. Yet over a quarter of a million people suffer serious and often disabling hand injuries each year. Identify limbthreatening hand injuries that require emergent hand surgery consultation. Workrelated hand injuries are one of the leading reasons workers end up in the emergency room and miss work. Dr driscoll is an independent consultant in epidemiology, occupational health and public health. Hand injury is a very common presentation both in primary care and in the accident and emergency department.
Today well share a surgeons views on the causes of hand injuries and his tips for preventing them. Launch of hand safety campaign ingredion decided to reinvent its safety program with the joining of two companies and began to set up the corporate and regional teams. The vascular status of the finger is evaluated by blanching the fingertip. Improper diagnosis and treatment of finger injuries can cause deformity and dysfunction over time. The hand is the part of the body most often injured and these injuries are sometimes difficult to heal. Learn safe hand and wrist movements to avoid an injury. He placed a chopping board on a worktop and placed a knife on top of the chopping board. Intricate in design and function, the hand is an amazing work of anatomic engineering. If you hurt your hand in a sports game or fall, you may be noticing pain or swelling in one of your fingers. Traumatic finger injuries account for a substantial number of emer gency visits every year.
List methods for minimizing radiation exposure during hand and fi nger imaging. If the treating doctor is uncertain of the subsequent appropriate treatment, little harm can come from resting the hand in this position. Hand injuries hand injuries are difficult to repair because of the complexity of the hand after a hand injury, the hand may not function as it did before the injury due to loss of. Annually, hand injuries of all types send more than one million workers in the us to the emergency room, of which an estimated 110,000 of these result in recordable lost time. However, there are functional, aesthetic, and psychological deficits that must be addressed. The following tips may prevent finger, hand, and wrist injuries. In the first incident, the injured person was preparing a meal in the galley. Finger dislocations should be reduced as quickly as possible and concurrent soft tissue injuries treated appropriately. To keep our hands, wrists and fingers safe, we need to watch out for ergonomic hazards that can hurt us, as well as for the hazards that can cause traumatic injuries.
Typically, a ball or some object strikes the distal phalanx and forces it into hyperflexion while the extensor mechanism is active. Hand injuries can be especially traumatic, stripping away not only ones ability to work, but also the ability to perform activities of daily living. Pdf management of the injured hand basic principles of. While surgery is needed for some injuries, such as ligament tears, medication, buddytaping taping the injured finger to a neighboring one for support, splints, braces, casts, or physical therapy may be used as. Injuries to the flexor tendons remain among the most difficult problems in hand surgery. In a typical year, one out of every 200 workers in the cohort suffered a hand injury serious enough to support a claim for paid leave time. Central to this discussion of hand injuries is the bony and ligament anatomy of the fingers and hand. Refers to an avulsion injury of fdp from insertion at base of distal phalanx. This splint should be utilised in all instances when an injured hand requires rest, and particularly so if definitive treatment is delayed. Overuse injuries are stressinduced and include tendon inflammation and. The fracture will cause severe pain and swelling in the finger. To reduce this risk, even the smallest hand injuries require proper medical evaluation. If part or all of a finger is a different colour, pale or very red, this may suggest a digital nerve injury. Slowly lift up the finger and keep the rest of your fingers flat.
Osteoarthritis wearandtear arthritis, which can also cause deformity. Evaluation of acute mallet finger orders sent to hand therapy for dip hyperextension splint x 2. He is a specialist in occupational medicine and public health medicine, and. Do exercises that strengthen your hand and arm muscles. Prior to beginning this activity, see physician cme information on the back page. When other associated structures arteries, veins, muscles, etc are considered, the potential for a multitude of injuries exist when trauma involves the hand. Injuries that result in fractures broken bones, ruptured ligaments and dislocations. Circle the letter representing the correct answer to each quiz question below. They may result in significant shortterm and longterm impairment in function. Repeated and strong gripping may lead to the condition. Protecting your fingers and hands is important for your work and quality of life. Workrelated hand and wrist injuries in australia iv background of the project team this report was prepared by dr tim driscoll, dr louise flood and dr james harrison. The bones of the hand can be divided into the metacarpals.
Hands, fingers, thumbs assessment and management of. Carpal tunnel syndrome compression of a nerve as it goes through the wrist, often making your fingers feel numb. Make a gentle fist, wrapping your thumb across your fingers. Greg merrell is a surgeon at the indiana hand center, the largest freestanding. Central slip injury south tees hospitals nhs foundation trust.
Mallet finger case study football player jammed finger when trying to make a tackle noted dip extensor lag assessed at after hours orthopedic clinic sent to orthopedic hand surgeon for further evaluation. Unfortunately, hand injuries are very common and finger and hand injuries are the most. These treatments are often performed along with the care of a hand therapist. Treatment depends on the location, type, duration, and severity of the injury. Unfortunately, hand injuries are very common and finger and hand injuries are the most common type of work related injury in australia. Fingertip injuries, defined as those distal to the insertion of the flexor and extensor tendons, are the most common injuries of the hand. The most common fracture injury in the athletic population occurs in the fingers. Damage to the nerves in your fingers and hands, loss of a finger, a skin burn or allergic reaction, can. Cap safety meetings hand safety awareness student name. Racgp hands, fingers, thumbs assessment and management. Evidencebased management december 2014 eb medicine. Traumatic finger injuries rsna publications online.
The more force you use, the more likely the tool is to get out of control, which can cause an injury. Unfortunately, hand safety is often overlooked and hand and finger injuries in the workplace continue to be common. The tendons on the back of the hand are know as the extensors and those that bend the fingers are called the flexor tendons. Hand injuries assessment and management in ed this document reflects what is currently regarded as safe practice. A member has reported two incidents in which crew suffered finger or hand injuries. After this you will be seen by the hand therapy team on a regular basis. In addition, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis injury reports have become more prominent in recent times. Hand injuries at the workplace hand surgeons perspectives. The topics covered by our hand, wrist and finger safety training videos include.
In most cases, the cause of the trigger finger is not known. Explain the most common traumatic injuries to hands and fingers. Forced flexion of the dip joint by either a traumatic blow to the distal phalanx or crush injury to the dorsal finger. Finger, hand, and wrist injuries kaiser permanente. You have injured the soft tissues of the middle joint of your finger. Assessment and management of common hand injuries in general practice. Trigger fingers are more common with certain medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and diabetes. The end of a straightened finger or thumb receives a blow. Learn how to spot the signs of a finger sprain and treat. While the patients hand is in the resting position flexed finger disrupted extensor tendon see figure 6 right look for fingers that are flexed or extended extended finger disrupted flexor tendon see figure 6 left while patient flexes fingers toward the palm, fingers extend normally but fracture with rotational. Finger, hand, and wrist injuries hs05029c 308 a 5minute safety training aid whether the hands are of a machine operator, lab technician or office assistant a workers hands are one of their most important tools used in work.
However, as in any clinical situation, there may be factors which cannot be covered by a single set of guidelines. Bureau of labor statistics bls, more than 1 million workers are sent to the emergency room each. They are usually caused by a penetrating injury and if not repaired can result in severe functional loss. Hand and fi nger exercises can help strengthen your hands and fingers, increase your range of motion, and give you pain relief. This is a safe position in which to place the hand following injury. Damage to the nerves in your fingers and hands, loss of a finger. Hand, wrist, and finger safety training videos osha compliant.
Finger forceonfingeroverwhelms mostcommonatmiddle relocationofjointbest afterproperevaluation. Oct 08, 2019 intricate in design and function, the hand is an amazing work of anatomic engineering. Check the vascular status of the hand by feeling for the radial and ulnar pulses and assessing capillary refill. Hand and wrist injuries withsomanybones,ligaments,tendons, andjointskeepinghandsandwrists. Alejandro badia hand to shoulder center hand hospital miami thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis. The energy is absorbed by the joint surface and the injury occurs there. Request pdf injuries of wrist, hand and fingers sports injuries of the hand and wrist are common. Saw blade caught my glove and pulled my hand into it. Hand and finger injury prevention 1 hand and finger injury prevention. Though usually not fatal, the most severe finger and hand amputations or crushing injuries are extremely painful, debilitating and costly. As he moved around the galley, carrying out various continue reading finger and hand injuries. A safety meeting to increase awareness related to hand and finger injuries in the workplace. Three kinds of hand injury hazards the first step in understanding the potential risk of hand and finger injury is to understand the three kinds of hazards.
Thumb touch this exercise helps increase the range of motion in your thumbs, which helps with activities like picking up your toothbrush, fork and spoon, and pens when you write. Referral to a hand specialist is needed if a dislocation cannot be reduced. Hand and finger in jury prevention 1 hand and finger in jury prevention. Toolbox safety topic hand injuries like anything else we use constantly, we tend to take our hands for granted that is, until we injure a hand or finger. Hand, wrist and finger injuries like these account for 25 percent of all workplace injuries and put half a million people out of work each year. Mar 01, 2006 injury to the extensor tendon at the dip joint, also known as mallet finger, is the most common closed tendon injury of the finger. Patients with confirmed or suspected jersey finger should be referred to an orthopedic or hand surgeon. Always inspect hand and power tools before working with them. Optimal hand function is essential for good quality of life. The problem with hand injury personal hygiene family far away colleagues and company suffer singapore is expensive.