Hand Fracture and Splint: How to Care for Your Child

A splint can help a fractured (broken) hand heal by holding the bones in place. You can help your child be comfortable while the hand is healing.

The bones inside the palms of the hands are called metacarpal bones. They connect the wrist bones to the fingers. One or more of these bones can break or crack from a direct blow to the hand, during sports or a fall, or when the hand punches a hard surface.

The health care provider diagnosed a metacarpal fracture(s) after carefully examining your child and reviewing an X-ray of the hand. If the bones were out of place, the health care provider straightened them after giving medicine to keep your child comfortable.

Health care providers often treat hand fractures at first with a splint. The splint may cover some of the fingers or all of them. This is like a cast and gives support to the hand, but is soft part of the way around to allow room for swelling. The splint will probably be changed to a cast after the swelling goes down in a few days.

Metacarpal fractures usually heal within 6 weeks. Some fractures that do not heal well on their own may need surgery to bring the broken pieces of bone together, but this is not common.

• Give your child pain medication as directed by your health care provider.

• For swelling over the first 24–48 hours:

  • Use pillows to prop the splint above the level of your child's heart.

  • Place cold packs wrapped in a towel over the splint for 20–30 minutes every 4 hours.

• Do not get the splint wet. Cover the splint with a plastic bag for showers and baths. Do not lower the covered splint into water.

• Do not put objects, fingers, lotions, or powders inside the splint.

• Check the skin at the edges of the splint for blisters, sores, or redness.

• Encourage your child to wiggle the fingers that are not in the splint to keep blood circulating normally.

• Make any follow-up appointments as directed.

• Follow the health care provider's instructions about when your child can return to sports and other activities.

• Your child gets a fever without a clear reason.

• Your child's pain isn't relieved by pain medication.

• There are blisters, rashes, or raw spots on the skin around the splint.

• A foul smell or drainage comes from the splint.

• Your child's fingers turn numb, pale, or blue.

• The splint feels too tight.

• Your child's splint gets wet, cracks, breaks, or falls off.