HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ellsasser, J. C. Articles by Stein, A. H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Ellsasser, J. C. Articles by Stein, A. H.

Management of hand injuries in a professional football team

Review of 15 years of experience with one team

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

Arthur H. Stein, M.D.

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

Thirty-eight players from one professional football team suf fered 46 major hand and wrist injuries during a 15-year period. Twenty-one of the injuries occurred in offensive players and 25 occurred in defensive players. The injuries included fractures, dislocations, fracture dislocations, and soft tissue injuries of the phalanges, metacarpals, carpals (particularly the navicular), and distal radius/ulna, including intra-articular injuries. Twelve surgical procedures were performed. Open reduction, internal fixation, and Lightcast immobilization devices (3M Company, Atlanta, Georgia) allowed the players to return to active par ticipation with a minimum loss of practice time and virtually no loss of Sunday game availability. Early aggressive surgery for intra-articular and certain metacarpal fractures is the correct course of treatment, according to our analysis, in order to achieve the best possible functional results.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. A. Mall, J. C. Carlisle, M. J. Matava, J. W. Powell, and C. A. Goldfarb Upper Extremity Injuries in the National Football League: Part I: Hand and Digital Injuries Am. J. Sports Med., October 1, 2008; 36(10): 1938 - 1944. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. C. Carlisle, C. A. Goldfarb, N. Mall, J. W. Powell, and M. J. Matava Upper Extremity Injuries in the National Football League: Part II: Elbow, Forearm, and Wrist Injuries Am. J. Sports Med., October 1, 2008; 36(10): 1945 - 1952. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C. Rettig, R. Ryan, K. D. Shelbourne, J. R. McCarroll, F. Johnson JR, and S. K. Ahlfeld Metacarpal fractures in the athlete Am. J. Sports Med., July 1, 1989; 17(4): 567 - 572. [Abstract] [PDF]