When you are walking in a mall, restaurant, or business premises, the last thing you would expect is to trip and sustain wounds. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in many states and is usually caused by a negligent person who disregarded his or her duty of care to customers and clients. Slip and fall accidents are the major causes of hand injuries. The most common types of injuries are fingers and wrist fractures as well as thumb and wrist sprains.
Wrist sprains
When you fall forward on your outstretched hand, you may land on your palm after bending your wrist backwards. This can stretch or cut the ligaments that join your bones in your wrist. The wound sustained in this instance will be a wrist sprain.
Hand fractures
Slip and fall accidents can lead to the breaking of the bones in your fingers just before the knuckles, known as metacarpals and the bones between the joints of your fingers, known as phalanges. These accidents also happen frequently in sports.
Wrist fractures
Wrist bones can be broken when someone accidentally falls onto his or her outstretched wrists. Moreover, the angle at which the wrist hits the ground will determine the type of fracture the victim will get. For instance, if the wrist is bent backwards, there is a high chance the scaphoid bone will break. Moreover, if there is less wrist extension, there is a high chance the radius will fracture.
Scaphoid fractures are very common but may not be obvious immediately after impact. This is because many casualties with this type of fracture mistake it for a sprained wrist. After all, there is very little swelling and no conspicuous deformity.
Thumb sprains
When you try to break your fall with your palm, you may sustain a very nasty thumb injury, such as a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. The ligament acts like a hinge that allows your thumb to function well. If the thumb is injured, you may not only lose the ability to grasp objects between your index finger and thumb, but also the ability to hold objects using your whole hand.
Injuries to the PIP joint
Wounds to the joint just slightly above the knuckles, known as the PIP joint, are very common. These wounds can take place when the finger has either been forced backwards or downward into a bent position. Common PIP wounds include dislocations, fractures, and fracture-dislocations.
Soft tissue wounds
Tendons are important connective tissues that attach the muscle to the bone. Sometimes after falling, someone may suffer from tendonitis, which is basically an irritation of the connective tissue.
Conclusion
Wounds can result in long-lasting complications that will not only interfere with daily life tasks but also cause a lot of medical expenses. You don’t need to cope with the financial burdens alone after sustaining hand wounds, especially if the accident was caused by someone else. It is advisable to contact an attorney who can help you gather evidence to strengthen your case, handle all the paperwork and successfully get your fair settlement.
