Our hands and wrists are incredibly complex.

Each hand contains 27 bones, along with dozens of joints, tendons and ligaments that all need to work together for us to grip, throw, catch and tackle.

Anyone who has copped a footy or netball on the end of a finger on a cold winter night can attest that they can certainly be a source of plenty of pain.

This week I thought I'd write about a couple of hand injuries that, despite often not being especially painful, need prompt medical attention.

Because they can feel like "just a sprain", athletes often put off getting them checked.

I've diagnosed both of the injuries below several weeks after they occurred, usually when someone says, "While I'm here, can you quickly have a look at my hand as well?"

They're often surprised when I explain what's actually going on.

The first injury that is commonly missed is a scaphoid fracture.

The scaphoid is an important bone on the thumb side of your wrist and is often broken after a heavy fall onto an outstretched hand on the netball court or footy field.

Many athletes can finish the game and even play again the following week despite ongoing pain.

The problem is that part of the scaphoid has a poor blood supply.

Without the right treatment (usually immobilising the wrist in a cast or splint) it may not heal properly.

If the fracture isn't diagnosed until weeks later, surgery is often required, and even then, the results aren't always straightforward.

Another commonly missed injury is a finger tendon rupture.

The muscles that bend and straighten our fingers are actually in our forearms, with long tendons running into the fingers.

Getting a finger caught in an opponent's jumper during a tackle, or copping a ball on the end of a finger, can cause one of these tendons to snap.

Again, these injuries are often less painful than people expect, making them easy to dismiss.

Depending on which tendon is injured, treatment involves either splinting or surgery within a matter of weeks.

If the injury isn't recognised quickly and that treatment window is missed, the tendon often can't be repaired successfully, leaving the finger permanently stiff or unable to move normally.

The moral of the story is simple: if you cop an injury, especially to your hand, it's worth getting it checked by a health professional.

Most hand injuries are straightforward, but every now and then there's one that needs urgent treatment, and catching it early can make all the difference.

Pat Arnold is a director and sports physiotherapist at Echuca Moama Physiotherapy. Appointments with Pat and his colleagues can be made by phoning 5480 0860 or book online at echucamoamaphysio.com.au

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Wednesday, 6th April 2033

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