Wounds and Injuries—Finger Injuries and Disorders

You use your fingers and thumbs to do everything from grasping objects to playing musical instruments to typing. When there is something wrong with them, it can make life difficult. Common problems include

• Injuries that result in fractures, ruptured ligaments and dislocations
• Osteoarthritis – wear-and-tear arthritis. It can also cause deformity.
• Tendinitis – irritation of the tendons
• Dupuytren’s contracture – a hereditary thickening of the tough tissue that lies just below the skin of your palm. It causes the fingers to stiffen and bend.
• Trigger finger – an irritation of the sheath that surrounds the flexor tendons. It can cause the tendon to catch and release like a trigger.

• Claw hand (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Clubbing of the fingers or toes (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Finger pain (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Mallet finger – aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Polydactyly (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Smashed fingers (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Trigger finger (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Traumatic injuries

An injury is damage to your body. It is a general term that refers to harm caused by accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. In the U.S., millions of people injure themselves every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening. Injuries can happen at work or play, indoors or outdoors, driving a car, or walking across the street.

Wounds are injuries that break the skin or other body tissues. They include cuts, scrapes, scratches, and punctured skin. They often happen because of an accident, but surgery, sutures, and stitches also cause wounds. Minor wounds usually aren’t serious, but it is important to clean them. Serious and infected wounds may require first aid followed by a visit to your doctor. You should also seek attention if the wound is deep, you cannot close it yourself, you cannot stop the bleeding or get the dirt out, or it does not heal.

Other common types of injuries include

• Animal bites
• Bruises
• Burns
• Dislocations
• Electrical injuries
• Fractures
• Sprains and strains

• Bleeding (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Crush injury (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cuts and puncture wounds (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Electrical injury (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Gunshot wounds — aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• How wounds heal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Laceration – sutures or staples – at home (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Lacerations – liquid bandage (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Surgical wound care (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Surgical wound infection – treatment (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Wet to dry dressing changes (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Wound care centers (Medical Encyclopedia)