Hand Injury Attorneys

Many daily activities can be greatly impacted by a hand injury. Routine activities such as dressing, writing, typing, cooking, and doing laundry can become difficult or impossible to perform. And although a hand injury can significantly affect our lives, they occur at an alarming frequency. This is due in part to how anatomically complex our hands are. The numerous muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, cartilage, blood vessels and nerves make our hands rather vulnerable to injury.

In fact, approximately five to ten percent of all emergency room visits in the US are due to hand injuries. About half of these involve lacerations and one-fourth involve contusions to the hand. Hand injuries are commonly caused by blunt trauma, burns, sprains, dislocations, ligament injuries, falling onto an outstretched arm, and avulsion (tearing away), including avulsions involving rings.

Sprains are common hand injuries that cause pain, swelling and inflammation. Conversely, dislocations in the hand are relatively uncommon, but are frequently accompanied by lacerations.

Bone fractures of any of the many tiny bones in the hand are also relatively common, especially metacarpal and finger fractures. Any fractures in the hand, wrist, or lower arm need to be diagnosed and treated quickly. A proper diagnosis includes X-rays, motion tests, and an evaluation of feeling in the fingers to uncover potential nerve damage. Surgery, such as the implantation of plates, screws or wires, may be required to stabilize the hand. If a bone rotates while healing, some loss of functionality may occur.

Nerve injuries often require microsurgery that may involve repairing the sheath around the nerve or a nerve graft.

Ligament injuries are often misdiagnosed as sprains since they share several symptoms and clinical features. Sprains, however, rarely cause permanent damage. An injury to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), the most common skiing injury, often causes "gamekeeper's thumb" (the inability to hold object between the thumb and four fingers). Other sports in which hand injuries frequently occur include football, baseball, basketball, and rock climbing.

If you or a loved has suffered a hand injury due to the negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation. To find out, consult with an experienced personal injury attorney for an evaluation of your case.