Man, 56, snaps pinky finger after thumping desk with his fist at work

09/06/2019 Health News,

Office worker, 56, suffers a ‘boxer’s fracture’ in his little finger after punching his desk in frustration during a heated argument

Japanese man had surgery after going to A&E with fractured fifth metacarpal
Doctors inserted metal pins into hand to straighten bone and put him in a cast
The injury is sometimes known as a ‘boxer’s fracture’ or ‘brawler’s fracture’

A man was rushed to A&E after breaking his hand when he thumped a desk with his fist during heated argument at work.

An X-ray revealed, in his fit of rage, the Japanese man snapped his fifth metacarpal – the bone connecting his pinky finger to his wrist.

The bone had fractured at a 30 degree angle and had to be put back in place via surgery.

Doctors inserted metal pins into his hand to straighten the broken bone and he was made to wear a cast for six weeks to keep the pins in place.

A 56-year-old man snapped his fifth metacarpal (shown) after thumping a desk during heated argument at work

The patient made a full recovery and regained mobility in his hand within five months.

Medics at Tohoku University Hospital in Sendai revealed the tale in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The injury, sometimes known as a boxer’s fracture, typically occurs when a person punches an object with a closed fist.

Despite its name, the fracture is uncommon among professional boxers, according to the doctors who treated the patient.

Instead, it normally occurs in untrained people punching without proper technique.

Due to this, the injury has been dubbed the ‘brawler’s fracture’ by some doctors.

The typical symptoms include pain and tenderness on the bones connecting the fingers to the wrists and around the knuckle.

The hand may swell, discolour, or bruise around the injury site. If the break is severe, the finger or knuckle may bend in an unnatural direction.

A break through the bones of the hand that form the knuckles.

Despite its name, the fracture is uncommon among professional boxers and normally occurs in untrained people punching without proper technique.

Due to this, the injury has been dubbed the ‘brawler’s fracture’ by some doctors.

Boxer’s fractures occur in the metacarpal bones that connect the ring finger or the little finger to the wrist.

There are five metacarpal bones, one to connect each finger to the wrist. All of the metacarpal bones have the same anatomic structure.

Each consists of the base, the shaft, the neck, and the head.