Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries of the hand involve damage to skin, fat, and underlying tissue without necessarily affecting bone, ranging from lacerations to significant tissue loss.

Wounds, skin loss, bruising, swelling, and pain, with severity ranging from minor cuts to significant tissue defects.

Cuts, crush injuries, burns, degloving injuries, and animal or human bites are common causes of hand soft-tissue injury.

Seek assessment for any significant hand wound, especially with tissue loss, exposed structures, or signs of infection.

Clinical examination assessing wound size, depth, contamination, and involvement of underlying structures.

X-rays may be used to exclude associated fractures or foreign bodies.

Simple wounds can often be managed with cleaning, dressing, and closure in the clinic or emergency setting.

Surgery is needed for significant tissue loss, contaminated wounds requiring debridement, or wounds needing reconstructive coverage.

Treatment options range from direct closure to skin grafting or local/regional flaps depending on the size and location of the defect.

Recovery time depends on the extent of injury and reconstruction method used, ranging from days to several weeks.

Most soft-tissue injuries heal well with appropriate wound care and, when needed, reconstructive surgery.

Infection, delayed healing, scarring, and stiffness of the underlying hand structures.