Hand & Wrist Injuries

Hand and wrist injuries are very common in sports, accounting for approximately 25% of all sports injuries.

They can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Trauma: Falls, direct blows, and collisions are the most common causes of traumatic hand and wrist injuries in sports.

   

• Overuse: Repetitive motions can also lead to hand and wrist injuries, especially in sports that involve a lot of racquet swinging, ball throwing, or gripping.

   

• Weight-bearing: Putting too much weight on the hand or wrist can also cause injury, especially in sports like gymnastics and weightlifting.

Some of the most common hand and wrist injuries seen in sport include:

• Sprains and strains: These injuries involve damage to the ligaments or tendons that support the hand and wrist.

   

• Fractures: Broken bones are another common type of hand and wrist injury in sports.

   

• Tendonitis: This is inflammation of the tendons, which are the cords that connect muscles to bones.

   

• Carpal tunnel syndrome: This condition is caused by compression of the median nerve, which passes through a narrow tunnel in the wrist.

   

• Trigger finger: This condition causes the tendons in the fingers to become inflamed and swollen, which can make it difficult to bend and straighten the fingers.

   

Other hand and wrist injuries that can be seen in sport include:

• Mallet finger: This injury occurs when the tip of a finger or thumb is bent backwards, causing the tendon that extends the finger to rupture.

   

• Skier’s thumb: This injury occurs when the ligament that stabilizes the thumb is torn.

   

• Boxer’s fracture: This is a fracture of the fifth metacarpal bone, which is the bone that connects the base of the little finger to the wrist.

   

• De Quervain’s tenosynovitis: This is inflammation of the tendons and the sheath that surrounds them at the base of the thumb.

Physio Performance can help you identify what is causing your symptoms and how best to fix them.