Hand Injury Medical Malpractice

January 1, 2026

Hand Injury Medical Malpractice-Orthopedists

Hand injuries, whether they come in the form of bruises, breaks or cuts, can be tricky. There are a number of surgeons who hold themselves out as hand surgeons. Some of them are cosmetic surgeons who also do hand surgery.

As a rule you are most often better served by having an orthopaedic surgeon who focuses on hand surgery treat your hand injury. Be sure to check that your hand surgeon has done a one year fellowship. Such a fellowship is one year course of study after their orthopedic residency. During the fellowship they do nothing but hand surgery under the eye of another hand surgeon. Plastic surgeons may have certain skills as far as hand surgery. However most of them do not have the training that the orthopaedic surgeons get.

Hand Injury Medical Malpractice-Many Forms

One of the more common symptoms of a hand injury is significant bruising. That bruising can be a sign of a fracture. Bruising simply means that there is a pool of blood underneath the skin. That bleeding can come from a break in a bone or other types of injury. Call, or contact us for a free consult.

Splints

One of the more common treatment modes for hand injury is a splint. In some cases splints can be harmful. They can be harmful if they are not used properly or if worn too long. Fingers, like many parts of the body, cannot be stationary for long periods of time. If they are then they tend to freeze up.

Placement of Screws

Breaks in the bones in the hand frequently are treated with the placement of very small screws. These screws allow movement to begin more quickly with less stiffness. Once that movement can begin then physical therapy is prescribed. This will help to regain the full range of motion.

Mallet Injury

Another common finger injury is what is called a “mallet injury”. This frequently manifests itself through a rupture of a tendon at the end of a finger. That prevents a person from fully straightening the finger. This type of injury can be from a basketball injury to the tip of the finger where the ball hits the end of the finger. Also it can come from other types of blunt injury. A mallet injury is treated with a splint and sometimes with surgery.

Fractures

Other injuries that involve the hand are fractures to the wrist. Symptoms typically include bruising, swelling, pain, limited motion and inability to lift things. Sometimes these fractures are difficult to see. If the injury is to the thumb side of the wrist this is called a “scaphoid fracture”. In addition these are tough to see on X-ray because they do not show up until about 10 days after the injury.

Connective Tissue

Hand injuries that involve tendon/ligament ruptures need to be dealt with promptly. This tissue can retract or tighten over time. Therefore later attempts to rejoin may be a problem.

Hand Injury Malpractice-Contact Us

Brien Roche

Brien A. Roche has been an attorney since 1976. Mr. Roche is admitted to practice in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. In addition to his busy law practice, Mr. Roche is also a published author of several books & articles relating to the practice of law.

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