A broken hand bone after a crash: check how your fingers line up
A hand surgeon and a hand therapist explain metacarpal fractures
Your hand can strike the dashboard, the steering wheel or a door during a crash. The long bones in your palm, called metacarpals, run from the wrist out toward the knuckles. Pain and swelling can mask a break in one of them. Even if you can wiggle a finger, a bone may still be broken. [1, 2]
Sometimes the bone heals with a twist. Then your fingers may cross over each other when you make a fist. The crossed fingers can make it harder to grip, even when the hand looks fairly straight while relaxed. [1, 2]
Ask about twisting and alignment
Find out which bone broke and whether the break reaches a joint. Ask your doctor to show you how your fingers line up as you gently bend them. If one finger crosses over another, the bone may be rotated. Tell the team if a ring is stuck on a swollen finger. If the skin was cut, point out exactly where. Some fractures need resetting, pins or surgery, while many stable breaks can heal in a splint. [1, 2]
Protect both the bone and your range of motion
Ask which joints the splint needs to hold still and which fingers you should move now. Moving too much can shift a fracture that isn’t stable. Keeping the hand still when you don’t need to can make it stiff. A hand therapist can teach you to control swelling, move safely and slowly get back to gripping. Until you’re cleared, don’t test your strength by carrying bags or pushing yourself up with that hand. [1]
When your hand changes, get it checked
Get an urgent exam if a finger turns pale or blue, goes numb for the first time or won’t move. Call the hand team if the splint feels too tight, the swelling grows or a wound drains. Reach out too if a finger starts to cross over the one beside it. If everyday tasks are still hard after the expected healing time, ask for a recheck. [1, 2]
Ask about your hand and fingers
- Do my fingers rotate when I make a fist?
- Which fingers and joints can I move today?
- When can I grip, lift and get back to my usual tasks?
Make a fist for your doctor
Sources and further reading
- 1American Society for Surgery of the Hand broken hand
- 2American Society for Surgery of the Hand boxer’s fracture
General information shared from hand surgery and hand therapy. Whether you need a splint, a bone reset or an operation depends on your exact fracture. Get prompt care for any new change in a finger’s color or feeling.
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