Acute Finger Injuries

The high demands placed on the upper extremity in athletic ball sports make the hand susceptible to a great variety of injuries. Fractures of the metacarpals frequently result in lost time off play and altered playing performance. Mechanisms of injury usually involve low-energy forces, resulting in simple fracture patterns and minimal soft tissue injury. With the increasing demands of today’s society and the financial significance of professional athletes’ performance and playing time, the physician may be pressured to alter management of hand fractures in the athlete. The physician should have a variety of methods available to him or her and make treatment decisions that keep the patient’s overall athletic career and future hand performance in mind [1].