What Do ligaments Do?
Many people aren’t sure what a ligament is and its role in their bodies. Ligaments are responsible for keeping your joints, bones, and organs in place and helping them move properly. They also help keep your body parts stable. When ligaments are in pain, it can be difficult to move joints and indicate instability.
Diagnosing Torn Hand Ligaments
Ligament damage to your hands can be difficult to recognize without professional evaluation. But several signs can indicate your ligament health isn’t is best. Some issues to monitor include
- Pain when bending the wrist
- Feeling clicking in the wrist
- Bruising
- Swelling
- Limited range of motion
If you experience these symptoms, your doctor can confirm a torn hand ligament diagnosis through an x-ray, ultrasound, or MRI.
Do Hand Ligaments Heal On Their Own?
While trying and wait out your injury may be tempting, getting a proper medical evaluation is a safer course of action. If you’ve sprained ligaments in your hands, it can resolve with time, but complete tears can’t heal on their own.
Treating Torn Hand Ligaments
The R.I.C.E method is effective in treating minor hand injuries such as sprains. After deploying the R.I.C.E strategy, minor injuries usually heal after a few weeks. But hand ligament tears may require surgical intervention to repair the damage, but it depends on your doctor’s advice and the severity of your injury.
Your doctor can help determine the best treatment strategy for your injury and symptoms so that you can resume normal activities.
If you’ve experienced a hand injury, call one of our 7 locations today. Schedule a consultation with the Orthopedic Associates of Long Island by calling 631.689.6698.
