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General Treatments

Treating Common Basketball Injuries to Arms and Hands

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Basketball injuries to the fingers, hand, wrist, or elbow are common during the summertime.

The swish of a perfect basketball shot is a classic sound during hot summer days. From youths to adults, most everyone enjoys a game of basketball. Whether your hoop of choice is in the park or over the garage, you want to focus on improving your game this season while having fun. Naturally, you may be concerned about possible twisted ankles or concussions. However, basketball injuries involving your arm, elbow, wrist, and hand are also common, as well as preventable and treatable.

Common Arm and Hand Basketball Injuries

As with any sport, basketball injuries can and will occur, especially with your hands, elbows, wrists, and hands. Unfortunately, basketball injuries can get in the way of developing your technique.

You see more arm, hand and finger injuries in contact sports like basketball. Catching the ball incorrectly can bend your fingers unnaturally and cause injuries in other areas. Collisions during offensive and defensive plays also cause mild, moderate, and serious injuries.

Here are a few common arm and hand basketball injuries and how to treat them.

1. Bruises

You receive a bruise due to a collision with another player or a direct blow by the ball or another object. A bruise that takes too long to fade can indicate a more serious injury.

You can use the R.I.C.E. method to treat many injuries, especially bruises and swelling. Rest the area. Ice it every two hours, for 20 minutes total. Apply compression, such as an Ace bandage, to reduce the swelling. Elevate the area over the heart.

2. Shoulder Injuries

The repetitive motions associated with shooting from the socket can lead to shoulder injuries of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles therein. You may inflame the tendon or tear a rotator cuff. Overuse can lead to both, but an acute injury can also lead to tears. R.I.C.E. can help with the swelling, but tears need medical attention, such as cortisone injections.

3. Jammed Fingers

It’s common to jam a finger when playing basketball. Soak the injury in cold water for at least 20 minutes. Protect your jammed finger from further damage by “buddy taping” it to the next finger with medical tape.

4. Muscle strains

You can strain a muscle due to lack of flexibility or overuse. For overuse, try light stretching. You may also see an indent, bruising, and swelling, so it’s best to treat these injuries with the R.I.C.E. method.

5. Wrist Sprains

Many mild to moderate wrist sprains may be treated similarly to an ankle sprain with home remedies, but you should still pay us a visit for proper analysis. The ligaments may only be minorly damaged. However, they could also be torn and causing severe pain.

Try resting your wrist for 48 hours, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine may help. Consult with your doctor before taking any medications.

If the pain persists, you may have a more serious tear or a broken wrist. In the case of fractures or dislocations, do visit our offices to allow us to properly diagnose your case. An injury may seem minor, but the degree of pain and its longevity may worry you. Don’t hide an injury, or your injury may require surgery down the road due to lack of proper treatment.

Prevention is Key

A good coach is key to learning proper techniques with shooting, dribbling, passing, offense, and defense. Aside from practice, you should always take preventative measures against basketball injuries by stretching before you go out on the court.

Taking just five minutes of your time to warm-up each time you play may keep you playing all summer and help prevent injury.

Contact us at Dr. Avery Arora’s offices in West Bloomfield, Howell, Warren, or Macomb Township for assistance with any injuries regarding your arm, wrist, or hand.

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General

High Five for a Safe Fourth of July: Prevent Fireworks-Related Injuries

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Finger injuries and hand injuries are the most common bodily injuries caused by fireworks. Prevent fireworks-related injuries with safe techniques.

Backyard barbeques and brats are a great way to celebrate the holiday, but when it comes to firework festivities, don’t let an accident snuff out your fun.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission finds that an average of 280 people go to the emergency room around the Fourth of July because of firework injuries, and nearly half of the patients (47%) are children 14 years old or younger.  Individuals ages 15 to 44 accounted for 44% of the injuries, and the rest were 45 and older.

Burns were the biggest injury, with the top spot being the hands, followed by the face, legs, eyes, trunk, and arms.

Your hands are the most susceptible to injury because you’re holding and lighting the firework, putting your fingers, palm, and the top of your hand in the line of fire. The hand that holds the firework is the one most often injured.

And, a fact that is super scary is that sparklers, the firework we hand out to all the kids at the party, are the number one culprit for burn injuries.  Burning for about a minute, they can reach temperatures of 1800 to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit.  That’s hot enough to cook an egg.  If one of the embers hits your hand or the wire wick burns down to your fingers, it can cause severe injury.

Placing cold water on the burn and antibiotic ointment, vitamin C, or aloe may seem like the right way to treat these injuries, but they likely need professional attention.   Wounds from sparklers and fireworks of any kind may leave behind bacteria and tetanus spores, sulfur dust, ash, charcoal, gunpowder residue, or fibers, which need surgical debridement and treatment. They could also lead to an infection or a permanent tightening of the skin near the wound.

Other types of fireworks that lead to the most injuries are reloadable shells, firecrackers, and Roman candles.

So, what should you do if you do get burned by a firework?

If the burn is superficial, barely scratching the surface of your skin, you can probably treat it at home, but you’ll need to keep an eye on it.  Clean it daily with soap and water, and put a thick coat of petroleum ointment on it.  Cover it with a water and an airtight bandage.  Keep the wound moist, rather than dry, and you should heal quicker with less pain.  If it doesn’t look good after a week, make a doctor’s appointment.

For more severe burns, put your hand under cool water, loosely wrap it to keep it clean, and head to the ER.  Putting ice on your burn isn’t a good idea.  It can cause frostbite and skin damage.  The ice also numbs the area and gives you a false sense that the burn is okay.

While the best ideas are to let the professionals put on the show or forget the fireworks altogether, there are ways to stay safer while having firework fun.

  • Don’t let young children handle or light fireworks, and always have an adult supervising.
  • Read all label instructions carefully.
  • If the firework comes packaged in brown paper, it was likely made for professional displays and could be dangerous for novices.
  • Don’t place your hands or body over any firework that you’re lighting. Step back as soon as it’s lit.
  • Don’t try to relight or pick up a firework that didn’t ignite correctly.
  • Light fireworks and sparklers one at a time.
  • Keep a bucket of water or garden hose nearby to douse spent devices and to have accessible if something does go wrong.

Arora Hand Surgery hopes you have a great holiday spent safely with family and friends.  If you need more information about keeping your hands safe with fireworks, contact us through our website or call one of our offices, located in West Bloomfield, Warren, Macomb Township, and Howell.

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General Hands

An Overview Of Crush Injuries To The Hands – Arora Hand Surgery

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A crush injury to your hand occurs when your hand is caught between objects that are coming together under a lot of pressure. The damage can be minimal (perhaps just a bit of bruising), or bad enough to involve several broken bones, lacerations, bleeding, and a condition known as “compartment syndrome.” The severity of the injury often depends on how long the hand was between the objects.

Effects of a Crush Injury

A minor crush injury will usually have no lasting effects. For instance, if you slam a finger in a door, most of the time you will be in pain for a day or two, and then you will go about your life and forget about it.

With major crush injuries, there can be damage to the hand well below the skin. If the flow of blood has been cut off for any length of time, tissue damage could result, and the chance of infection will increase. Layers of skin could be removed, further raising he danger of infection. In severe cases, infection can even lead to the need for amputation.

With some crush injuries, compartment syndrome can be a complication. This occurs when the tissues are left without blood for a long period of time. The nerves can become damaged, and muscle tissue can die. Compartment syndrome usually happens in the legs, but it can happen anywhere in the body if the affected part has been trapped for too long. It is rare in the hand, but it can occur. When it sets in, the first symptom is severe pain, followed by a “pins and needles” sensation. Then paralysis sets in, and the hand has no pulse. The skin may appear shiny and swollen.

Treating Crush Injuries

With a minor crush injury, you probably will not require medical attention. If the wound is bleeding, make sure that you clean it. You can elevate the hand, and apply a cold pack to ease the pain. If swelling seems to be excessive, though, or you have little or no mobility, you should see your doctor or go to the hospital emergency room. Most likely the hand will need to be x-rayed in order to determine if there is a fracture. This is important, because fractures can cause compartment syndrome.

If there is moderate to heavy bleeding, you will probably need medical intervention. At the very minimum, you will need a tetanus shot if your immunization is not up to date (a tetanus shot is good for ten years). You may also require antibiotics. It is also important to determine if the injury is severe enough to warrant surgery to ease pressure on the nerves and blood vessels, or to repair broken bones. In some cases, severe crush injuries can require multiple surgeries.

The Final Word

Minor crush injuries may require no treatment at all. Just, as they say, “Walk it off.” However, if the injury is severe, you should seek medical assistant immediately.
For any questions call our Michigan Hand & Wrist Surgery Office at (734) 943-3838 or (248) 485-8300.

Categories
General Hands

Injuries to the Extensor Tendon

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You have a number of important tendons throughout your hand. One of these is the extensor tendon, which is situated on the back of your hand and which allows you to straighten your fingers. The extensor tendons are all connected to muscles located in your arm and they extend all the way down the whole finger. Once in the finger, where space is smaller, the extensor tendons attach to smaller tendons that are, in turn, attached to small muscles. All of this works together to give you control over your fingers. At times, these tendons can become injured and can cause problems as well as pain.

Types of Extensor Tendon Injuries

Extensor tendons in your hand are very close to the surface of your skin. In fact, you can probably see them moving from time to time. Almost any injury to the back of the hand can do damage to the tendons, including:

  • Jamming your finger
  • Cutting the back of your hand
  • Bruising the back of your hand

Essentially, any injury can cause damage. Whenever the extensor tendon is injured, you may find it difficult to straighten your fingers properly. Tendon damage can be painful as well.

There are a few very common injuries to the extensor tendons, including the following:

  • Mallet Finger is a condition in which the extensor tendon is no longer connected to the bone in the finger, whether it was cut or torn away. When this happens, the fingertip will not be able to straighten. It happens most commonly through a cut or through jamming the finger and will require stitches to the tendon itself. Splinting will also be needed to ensure the finger stays straight.
  • Boutonniere deformities occur when the tendon is damaged at the middle joint of the finger, meaning the majority of the finger itself will not straighten out. If the tendon has been cut or torn, then it will need stitches. If it is just injured, then splinting will be used.
  • Cuts to the back of the hand can often sever one of the extensor tendons since they are so close to the skin. In this case, one or more fingers may not straighten. Splinting will need to extend from the wrist all the way down the injured finger.

Because the extensor tendons are so close to the surface, injury can happen very easily. It only takes a small amount of hand trauma to affect the tendons directly.

Treatment may change as well if there is other damage to the fingers, such as fractures or infections.

If you think you have an injury to an extensor tendon, then you will notice that you cannot straighten out one or more of your fingers. Additionally, if you have had damage or injury to the back of your hand, this will let you know the extensor tendons could be involved. You will need to see a doctor for treatment because a torn tendon will always require stitches. Additionally, you will need to learn how to properly splint your hand for healing.

Resources:

http://www.orthobullets.com/hand/6028/extensor-tendon-injuries

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Dr. Aroras office from my first call to schedule my appointment was friendly. Walking in the first day, I felt like I was in a nice atmosphere. Dr. Arora was EXCELLENT in taking great care of my hand injury. He was gentle and very understanding to the concerns I had about my hand. His expertise was admirable and I would recommend anyone with an injury to their hand to his office to be under his care. Because of him, I have healed faster than expected and will make an 100% recovery! Thank you Dr.

Jackie S.

I first thought I was going to have to have painful injections or surgery, but Dr. Arora suggested physical therapy may do the trick. I was doubtful, but I agreed to do it. Now, my pain is gone, and with the help of an ergonomic keyboard at work to keep my hands in the correct position, I am virtually pain free. The therapy strengthened my wrists and shoulders, and built more flexibility into my wrists.

Jerry T.

My experience with this doctor was positive from the outset. Dr. Arora was kind and spent a great deal of time with me. Staff was friendly. The office was nice and bright.

Ariel G.

Very friendly and helpful Great staff!!! Doctor Arora was very professional and did great work. I was very happy with everything!

L B.