Aims & Objectives:
Sporting injuries to the wrist and hand are common within adolescents’ sports, especially hockey where the majority of ‘serious’ injuries are seen in the hand and fingers (Hollander et al., 2018). Given the complex anatomy of the hand and wrist, there are a vast array of injuries which may present. The following section will highlight those commonly seen in a school health center, and those which missed will have significant adverse effects on the pupil. It is advised that great caution is taken when assessing any hand and wrist injury, and whenever in doubt refer for an x-ray or a second opinion.
The aims of the following section are:
a) Understand the key anatomy of the hand and wrist
b) Develop an understanding for common traumatic injuries and their mechanism, including:
- Fractures – including distal radius and scaphoid
- Mallet Finger
- Skiers Thumb
- Volar Plate Injuries
c) Understand key aspects of hand and wrist injury management, including immediate care and onward referral.