injuries and poisoning
Fractures of the Palm
Treatment of Palm Fractures
For open wounds, especially Treatment None Sometimes realignment of the broken bones A splint If people have wounds near the injured joint in their hand, they may have punched someone in the mouth. If they did punch someone in the mouth, doctors may clean out the wound and give them antibiotics to help prevent infection. Metacarpal fractures are treated with a splint (such as an ulnar gutter splint) for several weeks. Whether the broken pieces need to be put back in place (reduced) before the splint is applied depends on the type of fracture. If the broken pieces are badly misaligned or rotated, doctors can usually move them back in place without surgery—called closed reduction. Before moving the bones back in place, doctors may use one of the following to prevent people from feeling pain: A hematoma block An ulnar nerve block For a hematoma block, a needle is inserted through the skin into the fracture where blood has collected (a hematoma is an accumulation of blood). Thenlidocaine(an anesthetic) is injected, numbing the area around the fractured bones. For an ulnar nerve block, doctors inject an anesthetic into nerves in the area. This procedure prevents the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. The ulnar nerve runs from the elbow to the little and ring fingers. After the splint is removed, exercises to move the hand and fingers through their full range of motion are started gradually. Typically, people regain full use of their hand. 