Hand Injuries: The Gist
Hand injuries represent an ever-increasing amount of emergency visits around the world. Hand mobility impairments emerge from a variety of situations, such as: arm or hand fractures, shoulder replacements, nerve damage, amputations, stroke, or old age. The catalysts for being confined to using one hand can be as minor as holding a child or as severe as a full-limb amputation. Sage Journals summarizes a study of Hospital Episode Statistics from 1998-1999 and then again in 2014-2015. They found that overall hospital visits increased from 70 to 100 persons for every 100,000 visits. Furthermore, 30% of these hospital visits occurred due to a hand-related injury.
Who is most likely to be affected?
According to the report from Sage Journals, majority of hand injuries affect young, male workers between the ages of 15-59 years old; the injuries were often sustained during sports or manual labor. The most common type of hand injury affects the carpus, which consists of eight bones that form the wrist and part of the hand.
Number of Hand Injuries from 1998-2014 by Type and Gender
Tendon/Muscle Injuries from 1998-2014 by Age Group
Source: Journal of Hand Surgery, 2003
Common Conditions and Major Hazards
According to American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), the most prominent kinds of hand injuries include: Carpal Tunnel, Ganglion cysts, thumb arthritis, thumb sprains, Trigger Finger, tumors, and wrist fractures.
In a report from OSHA, hazards for potential hand injuries fall into one of three categories:
- Mechanical Hazards: situations in which hands and/or fingers can be crushed, severed, or pinched in equipment or objects fall on hands.
- Contact Hazards: these hazards include chemicals, hot/cold objects, sharp materials, electric currents, etc. that can cause harm to hands.
- Personal Hazards: these are self-inflicted injuries, such as: wearing loose clothing or jewelry around machinery or mishandling equipment.
The best way to avoid these hazards is to remain alert in situations with mechanical or contact hazards and to have awareness of one’s own body. Wear gloves or other protective gear to avoid hand injuries in hazardous situations.
Overall Disability and Adaptive Technology Statistics
Adaptive technology (AT) is an ever-increasing need across America. Some of the challenges faced by AT companies is driving prices of products down and spreading awareness about new, innovative AT products. Although slightly dated, a 2003 report from the US Department of Commerce revealed approximately 50 million Americans have some kind of disability, 17.5% of Americans at the time of the study; this figure is forecasted to reach 102.7 million by 2025. However, people with severe disabilities often are unemployed and do not have the financial means to purchase state-of-the-art AT products. Thus, the $2.87 billion AT industry must continue to innovate while keeping cost reasonably low. Below are a few of the sales figures from the 1999 study of the AT industry
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce/BIS AT Survey
References:
Bureau of Industry and Security. (2003). Technology Assessment of the U.S. Assistive Technology Industry. U.S. Department of Commerce, ix-8.
Manley, O. W. G., Wormald, J. C. R., & Furniss, D. (2019). The changing shape of hand trauma: an analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics in England. Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), 44(5), 532–536.