A hand injury is damage to any of the structures that let your hand grip, feel, and move, including bone, tendon, nerve, blood vessel, and skin. Even a small cut can reach something important underneath, which is why prompt evaluation matters more than the size of the wound.
What Should I Do If I Hurt My Hand?
Act fast, and do not judge a hand injury by the size of the cut. If the wound is bleeding, keep gentle pressure on it, raise the hand above heart level, and call to be evaluated.. Dr.STITCH gives patients and families across NYC, New York, and Long Island a direct line to an on-call plastic surgeon. There is no open-ended wait to be seen by whoever is available. Our surgeons repair cuts, fractures, tendon and nerve damage, crush injuries, and fingertip injuries, with both function and appearance in mind. An on-call surgeon is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For any life-threatening injury, always call 911 first. Hand and wrist injuries make up roughly one in four injury visits to hospital emergency departments, so these are injuries our surgeons repair constantly.
- What Is a Hand Injury?
- What Should I Do If I Hurt My Hand?
- When Should I See a Doctor for a Hand Injury?
- Why Should I See a Plastic Surgeon for a Hand Injury?
- How Are Hand Injuries Treated?
- What Does Recovery From a Hand Injury Look Like?
- Are Hand Injuries in Children Treated Differently?
- Why Should I Choose Dr.STITCH for Hand Injury Care?
- What Else Do Patients Ask About Hand Injuries?
- How Do I Reach Dr.STITCH for Hand Care?
What Is a Hand Injury?
Your hand is a dense piece of machinery. Packed into a small space are 27 bones, the cords that bend and straighten your fingers, the nerves that carry feeling to your fingertips, and the vessels that keep it all alive. Because those parts sit so close together, one cut can involve several of them at once.
Hand injuries generally fall into a few groups:
- Cuts and lacerations from knives, glass, tools, or machinery
- Broken bones, which are the most common fractures of the upper limb
- Tendon injuries, where the cord that moves a finger is cut or torn
- Nerve injuries, which cause numbness, tingling, or weakness
- Crush and fingertip injuries, including nail bed damage and partial amputations
- Burns and bites
What Should I Do If I Hurt My Hand?
Act fast, and do not judge a hand injury by the size of the cut. If the wound is bleeding, keep gentle pressure on it, raise the hand above heart level, and get seen. Dr.STITCH gives patients and families across NYC, New York, and Long Island a direct line to an on-call plastic surgeon. There is no open-ended wait to be seen by whoever is available. Our surgeons repair cuts, fractures, tendon and nerve damage, crush injuries, and fingertip injuries, with both function and appearance in mind. An on-call surgeon is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For any life-threatening injury, always call 911 first. Hand and wrist injuries make up roughly one in four injury visits to hospital emergency departments, so these are injuries our surgeons repair constantly.
When Should I See a Doctor for a Hand Injury?
Small, shallow cuts that stop bleeding quickly can often be cleaned and bandaged at home. The problem is that some injuries look minor and are not.
Get evaluated promptly if you have any of the following:
- Bleeding that will not stop, or a wound you can see bone, fat, or tendon through
- Numbness, tingling, or loss of feeling in the hand or fingers
- Inability to fully bend or straighten a finger
- Obvious deformity, or a finger that hangs down and will not lift
- Any animal or human bite, or a cut over a knuckle from striking something
- A crushed fingertip, damaged nail bed, or any amputated part
Two of those deserve extra emphasis. A drooping fingertip that will not straighten is often a torn extensor tendon, and timely treatment is what prevents permanent deformity and lasting loss of function. A knuckle cut from a punch is also more serious than it looks, because it can breach the joint and seed it with bacteria from the mouth. These wounds are frequently treated as minor and then go on to cause joint infection and lasting damage.
Why Should I See a Plastic Surgeon for a Hand Injury?
Because what you can see on the surface is an unreliable guide to what is damaged underneath. In one study of palm-side hand and wrist wounds, the exam looked normal but surgery told a different story. 28 percent of those wounds had tendon, vessel, or nerve damage once they were explored. Nerve injury was found in 12 percent of cases the exam had missed.
That is the argument for having the person who closes the wound be the same person trained to reconstruct what sits under it. Plastic surgeons who focus on the hand complete years of surgical training and then additional dedicated hand and microsurgery training, repairing structures under magnification. They are also trained to weigh the appearance of the result alongside its function, which matters on a part of the body you cannot cover up. No surgeon can promise you will not scar, but how a wound is assessed, aligned, and closed influences the result you live with.
How Are Hand Injuries Treated?
Treatment starts with identifying exactly what is injured: how the hand moves and feels, imaging when a fracture or foreign body is suspected, and sometimes direct exploration of the wound in the operating room. From there, the repair is matched to the injury.
- Wound repair and reconstruction. Cleaning, removal of damaged tissue, and layered closure. Larger defects may need a skin graft or a flap, which moves healthy tissue with its own blood supply into the wound.
- Tendon repair. Cut tendons are sewn back together with fine sutures. Surgeons aim to repair flexor tendons within 48 hours where possible, because the cut ends retract and become harder to bring together as time passes.
- Nerve repair. Divided nerves are reconnected under a microscope. Timing carries real weight here: return of feeling depends heavily on the delay before reinnervation being short, alongside the level of injury and the surgeon’s technique.
- Fracture care. Many hand fractures are managed with splinting alone. Unstable or displaced fractures may need pins, wires, or plates to hold alignment while they heal.
- Fingertip and nail bed repair. Rebuilding the nail bed and fingertip pad to protect sensation and the way the nail grows back.
Not every hand injury needs an operation. Many are best treated with splinting, wound care, and follow-up, and part of the value of seeing a hand specialist early is knowing which is which.
What Does Recovery From a Hand Injury Look Like?
Surgery is the start of recovery, not the end of it. Hands stiffen quickly when held still, so rehabilitation is usually a structured combination of a specific exercise program and a custom splint worn on a set schedule. A Cochrane review of rehabilitation after flexor tendon surgery found no protocol proven better than another, and rated the evidence behind all of them as very low certainty. That is why your program should be set by the surgeon who performed your repair, not pulled from a generic timeline.
Expect follow-up visits to check the wound, adjust your splint, and advance your motion in stages. Our post-procedure care guidance covers wound care, scar management, and what to watch for while you heal.
Are Hand Injuries in Children Treated Differently?
Yes, in a few important ways. Children explore with their hands, and fingertip and nail bed injuries are among the most common hand injuries they sustain. In a ten-year review of pediatric nail bed injuries, door crush injuries accounted for nearly 60 percent of cases, most of them happening at home or on a playground, and reported complications included lasting fingertip sensitivity and split nail deformity.
A child’s hand is also still growing, so injuries near a growth plate or nail bed have to be assessed with development in mind, not only healing. Dr.STITCH is a service for the whole family, and our surgeons care for patients from toddlers through seniors.
Why Should I Choose Dr.STITCH for Hand Injury Care?
Dr.STITCH is the on-call service of New York Plastic Surgical Group, a practice caring for patients since 1948. That means more than 75 years in practice, 20 or more plastic surgeons, over 200 years of combined surgical experience, and more than half a million patients treated. Call and you reach that group, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. A surgeon can meet you at a hospital or see you in one of our offices. It is worth reading how Dr.STITCH works before you ever need us.
Hand and upper extremity care is a specific strength of the group. Our hand and microsurgery specialists include Brian A. Pinsky, MD, FACS, who completed hand and microsurgery fellowship training at UCLA and focuses on complex hand and wrist injuries and nerve repair; Haritha B. Veeramachaneni, MD, who treats complex hand and wrist injuries and nerve compression conditions; Alexander B. Dagum, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, fellowship trained in both microsurgery and hand surgery and a tenured professor at Stony Brook University; Paul Adenuga, MD, who trained in hand surgery at NYU Langone Health; and Samuel Kim, MD, who specializes in hand surgery, peripheral nerve repair, and microsurgical reconstruction.
FAQs About Hand Injuries
How quickly do I need to be seen for a hand injury?
Sooner is better, and for some injuries it changes the outcome. Cut tendons and nerves are easier to repair in the first day or two, and bites and dirty wounds need attention before infection takes hold. Call when the injury happens rather than waiting to see whether it improves overnight.
Can I be seen without going to the emergency room?
Often, yes. When you call, an on-call surgeon can arrange to see you in one of our offices or meet you at a hospital, depending on what you describe. For any life-threatening injury, uncontrolled bleeding, or suspected major trauma, call 911 first.
Will my hand injury be covered by insurance?
Coverage depends on your specific plan and the treatment you need, and our team can review your coverage with you when you call. Ask up front so there are no surprises later.
How long until I can use my hand normally again?
It depends on what was injured. A simple laceration may feel settled in two to three weeks. Repaired tendons typically need several weeks of protected motion before loading, and nerve recovery is measured in months, with sensation sometimes still improving a year later.
What should I do with a fingertip or finger that has been cut off?
Bring it with you. Wrap the amputated part in clean, slightly damp gauze, seal it in a plastic bag, and place that bag on ice without letting the tissue touch the ice directly. Call right away, because reattachment is time sensitive.
Do I still need to be seen if my hand looks fine but feels numb?
Yes. Numbness after a cut suggests a nerve has been injured even when the wound looks unremarkable, and nerve injuries are among the most frequently missed hand injuries. Have it examined.
How Do I Reach Dr.STITCH for Hand Care?
Hands are how you work, cook, hold your kids, and get through an ordinary day, and they are worth getting right the first time. Dr.STITCH serves patients and families throughout NYC, New York, and Long Island, with in-office appointments available and an on-call plastic surgeon reachable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
To be seen by a Dr.STITCH surgeon for a hand injury, download our app or call 1-877-DR-STITCH (1-877-377-8482). If your injury is life-threatening, call 911 first.
When To Call Dr.STITCH
We know how important it is to get comprehensive care for hand injuries. We hope that you never need us, but we’re here for you if you do. If you or a loved one suffers a hand injury, contact us at the time of the accident or on your way to the ER; a Dr.STITCH surgeon can meet you at the emergency room or one of our conveniently located offices (in the case of an emergency, always call 911 first).
Call 1-877-DR-STITCH (1-877-377-8482) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Download our contact card or learn more about how Dr.STITCH works.