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Medical Author:

Chad Tarr, MD

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Most hand injuries will heal without significant loss of function if evaluated by a doctor soon after the injury. Almost all hand injuries require a medical evaluation because even the most insignificant hand injuries have the potential for serious or crippling loss of function.

Many factors will play a role in determining how well the injury heals with the least limitation of function.

• Type of injury
• Severity of injury; amputations, tissue loss, ligament damage or loss usually have a more guarded outlook
• Delay of definitive medical evaluation and treatment leads to poorer outcomes
• Compliance to treatment plan (keeping appointments, taking medications, and changing dressings as directed, for example) helps to enhance an outcome

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