Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

A torn ligament between the small bones of the wrist, most often the scapholunate ligament, that lets the bones shift out of alignment and wear the joint.

Wrist Instability

Cuts, ruptures and overuse injuries of the tendons that bend and straighten the fingers and wrist, including mallet finger, jersey finger and tendinitis.

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Stretched or torn ligaments in the wrist, thumb and fingers, including skier thumb and jammed fingers. Most heal with splinting; complete tears may need repair.

Hand and Wrist Ligament Sprains

Cuts, crush injuries and stretch injuries to the nerves of the hand and arm, causing numbness and weakness. Timing matters because nerves recover slowly and only when repaired early.

Nerve Injuries of the Hand and Arm

A finger or thumb joint knocked out of place, usually by a ball or a fall. Reduced promptly, then protected so the ligaments heal and the joint stays stable.

Finger and Thumb Dislocations

A tear of the cartilage and ligament complex on the small-finger side of the wrist, causing pain with twisting and weight bearing. From a fall or from years of load.

TFCC Tear

Hand differences present from birth, from trigger thumb and extra or joined fingers to underdeveloped thumbs. Evaluated early, treated when it improves function.

Congenital Hand Conditions

Elbow · Hand and Upper Extremity

Complex Upper Extremity Trauma

Severe injuries of the hand, wrist, forearm and elbow: open fractures, crush and saw injuries, combined bone, tendon and nerve damage, and injuries that need reconstruction.

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

TextSend a text

Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330

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What it is

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Tendons are the cords that connect muscle to bone.

In the hand they run close to the skin, so a cut on the palm side can divide a flexor tendon, and a ball strike can tear an extensor tendon from the fingertip.A divided tendon does not heal on its own; the ends retract.

Treated by

Toby Johnson, MD, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. JohnsonHand and Upper Extremity

M. Shane Frazier, DO, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. FrazierHand and Upper Extremity

Travis Peterson, DO, Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. PetersonHand and Upper Extremity

Distal Biceps Tendon Repair

or call801-640-0000

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Symptoms

Inability to bend or straighten a finger joint after a cut or a jammed finger.A fingertip that droops, mallet finger. A ring finger that will not bend after grabbing a jersey. Pain and swelling over a tendon with use.

Any cut over the palm side of a finger with weakness is a tendon injury until proven otherwise.

Common signs

Cannot bend a finger joint

Fingertip that droops

Ring finger will not bend

Pain over a tendon with use

See us sooner if

Any palm-side cut with weakness

Sudden loss of motion

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Causes

Lacerations from knives, glass and tools, forced bending or straightening of a finger in sports, sudden heavy loads, and repetitive use that inflames the tendon sheath.Rheumatoid arthritis and some medications weaken tendons and allow spontaneous rupture.

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

How We Diagnose It

The exam tests each tendon individually.Ultrasound shows the gap in a ruptured tendon and locates retracted ends. X-rays check for a fracture pulled off with the tendon.Tendon injuries are best repaired within days to two weeks.Kitchen and workshop lacerations are seen within days; repair is scheduled inside the two-week window. Dr. Johnson, Dr. Frazier and Dr. Peterson operate at Utah Valley Hospital and Orem Community Hospital.

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Treatment Options

Mallet finger and some partial injuries are treated in a splint for six to eight weeks.

Divided tendons are repaired surgically, followed by a structured hand therapy program that protects the repair while keeping it gliding.Chronic ruptures may need a tendon graft or transfer.

Your options

Non-surgical

Splint 6 to 8 weeks

Hand therapy

Surgical

Tendon repair

Graft or transfer

Trigger Finger Release

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Procedures That Address It

Trigger Finger Release

Distal Biceps Tendon Repair

Hand and Wrist Tendon Injuries

Surgeons Who Treat It

Dr. Johnson, MD

Weill Cornell graduate, hand fellowship at Allegheny General. Twenty-one years in practice and seventeen as a collegiate team physician.

Dr. Frazier, DO

Fellowship trained in hand and upper extremity surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Seventeen years in practice. Fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Peterson, DO

Hand surgery fellowship at UMass Chan. Office-based, wide-awake carpal tunnel release. Fifteen years in practice. Speaks German.

or call801-640-0000

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

TextSend a text

Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330