Soft Tissue Hand Injury Follow-up

  • Author: Andrea B Lese, MD; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD   more...
 
Updated: Nov 28, 2011
 

Complications

Complications of soft tissue hand injuries may include the following:

  • Pain
  • Stiffness
  • Abscess
  • Decreased range of motion
  • Scar formation
  • Loss of digit/hand (rare)
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Prognosis

  • With early and appropriate treatment, prognosis is good.
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Patient Education

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Andrea B Lese, MD  Staff Physician, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital

Andrea B Lese, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Phi Beta Kappa

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Kenneth R Chuang, MD  Attending Physician, Emergency Department, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children's Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Wyatt Decker, MD  Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Mayo Clinic Campus, Arizona

Wyatt Decker, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Dan Danzl, MD  Chair, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Louisville Hospital

Dan Danzl, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, Kentucky Medical Association, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Wilderness Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Eric L Legome, MD  Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center; Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Medical College

Eric L Legome, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD  Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author, Kahill Glenn, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

References

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Metacarpophalangeal joints of the digits
Volar tendons at the wrist. These can be used as landmarks for injections.
Sagittal section of extensor compartments
Superficial volar sensation of the hand
Superficial dorsal sensation of the hand
Boutonnière deformity due to closed central tendon rupture
Boutonnière deformity
Mallet finger due to loss of central extensor tendon to the distal phalanx
This image shows an ultrasound of the flexor tendon of a finger with the structures labeled. It was performed using a water bath with the water as the conduction agent. (Image courtesy of Dr. Christopher Moore and Dr. Michael Osborne.)
 
 
 
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