WARNING: MetaCarpal Fracture (Broken Hand)

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All our body parts are important, no doubt about that, but how much care do we provide for our HANDS? I got conscious because last week, I saw one of my colleagues supporting a hand cast - he said he must wear it for the next six weeks because he acquired a fractured metacarpal. We have five metacarpal bones (one for each finger). These metacarpal bones support the hand, and each end of these bones form the knuckles at the back of our hands. We work as back-office processors so most of the time we are in front of our computers, typing and typing the whole 8 hour shift. Normally, metacarpal injuries can occur from sport injuries, falls, fist fights or punches and even car accidents - we didnt know that it can also be acquired because of the nature of our work. The symptoms are not very visible at first. My colleague just complained that he experienced tolerable pain in his left hand, after a week he noticed swelling followed by some bruises. Until he can no longer take the pain anymore, he consulted a physician and was diagnosed with metacarpal fracture. Again his treatment included using a cast for 4-6 weeks. He was also advised to take gentle hand motion exercises. He was lucky enough that he didnt have to go through a surgical operation. Again, let us be cautious in the way we use our hands.