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Slow Healing Boxer's Fracture

A boxer's fracture is a break in the bones connecting the wrist to the ring finger or little finger. Some doctors also consider fractures in the bones connecting the wrist to the index or the middle finger to be boxer's fractures. Although slow healing, these fractures rarely cause long-term problems.

  1. Causes and Prevention

    • A boxer's fracture typically occurs when a person punches something harder than his hand, like a wall, table or someone's head with an unprotected fist. Despite the injury's name, boxers rarely experience this fracture because they almost always wear gloves when fighting. To avoid the injury, it is important to protect your hands when fighting and to always punch with proper technique.

    Symptoms and Diagnosis

    • When the bone breaks, it is common to feel snapping or popping. In time, you will feel pain centered around the fractured bone and will often experience swelling, bruising or misalignment of the injured finger. It is important to realize, however, that not everyone will experience all of these symptoms. In order to confirm the diagnosis, a doctor will typically physically examine the hand and take an X-ray of it.

    Treatment

    • When the fracture occurs, keep the injured hand as immobile as possible while applying ice to reduce pain and swelling. Seek medical attention as quickly as possible to prevent further damage. If the fracture is not serious, then the doctor may simply make a small splint to help the bone heal properly. If the injury is severe or the fracture has caused the bone to rotate out of alignment, then you may need surgical treatment.

    Prognosis

    • Boxer's fractures are often slow to heal, especially when surgery is involved. It may take as long as six to 10 weeks for full recovery. When the hand does become mobile again, some people will need physical therapy to restore muscle strength. Although some people, especially if they seek limited treatment, may experience a permanent bend in the injured knuckle, the long-term prognosis for this injury is good, with most people regaining full use of their hands.

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