Boxer’s Fracture
A 56-year-old man presented to the emergency department with pain in his right hand after he hit a desk in frustration during an argument at work. On physical examination, there was swelling at the base of the fifth digit, with no open wound. A plain radiograph of the right hand showed a fracture at the neck of the fifth metacarpal (arrow). Sometimes called a boxer’s fracture, this injury typically occurs when a person punches an object with a closed fist. Despite its name, the fracture is uncommon among professional boxers and typically occurs among untrained persons punching without proper technique. In our patient, because the fracture had created an angulation of greater than 30 degrees and the injury was to his dominant hand, he was treated with percutaneous intramedullary nail fixation and cast immobilization. At follow-up 5 months after surgery, he had regained full use of his right hand.
Veins