hand lacerations
The hand is covered only by a thin layer of soft tissue, i.e. skin, fat and small muscles. Often, lacerations around the hand lead to injury to important structures critical to the function of the hand in spite of there appearing to be only a minor injury. Lacerations with contamination i.e. grinder or power saw lacerations often have significant soft tissue destruction and foreign material in the wound which can lead to problems with infection if the foreign material is not removed.
Even relatively innocuous lacerations can lead to loss of tendon, artery or nerve function. It is critical that these structures are repaired early (i.e. within several days) to afford maximal opportunity for recovery.
Following hand laceration repairs you will be advised either to immediately rehabilitate the movements of the hand (i.e. if no significant soft tissue structure is damaged) or you may require a period of splinting (between 3 and 6 weeks) dependent upon the type of injury.