Justin Herbert Hand Fracture: Doctor Explains Injury & Return

Herbert's Injury and Initial Assessment

• 🏈 Justin Herbert played over half of a game with a fractured left hand, an injury sustained from a likely helmet strike.
• 🔍 Initial observations showed no gross deformity, but a depression or gap on the back of his hand suggested a specific injury.
• 💡 The doctor's suspicion points to an injury involving the fourth metacarpal bone or one of the finger bones, rather than just a finger.

Hand Anatomy Breakdown

• 🦴 The metacarpals are the long bones located in the palm of the hand.
• 🖐️ The phalanges are the bones that make up the fingers, with proximal, middle, and distal sections.
• 🔢 Hand surgeons typically refer to fingers as thumb, index, long, ring, and pinky to avoid confusion with numerical classifications.

Surgical Intervention and Recovery

• 🏥 Herbert is expected to undergo surgery, which implies some degree of displacement of the fracture.
• ✅ In sports medicine, early surgical intervention with plates, pins, or screws can stabilize a fracture, potentially allowing for a safer and earlier return to play.
• 🛡️ Post-surgery, he would still require a rigid immobilizing splint to protect the hardware and incision, even with internal stabilization.

Return to Play Prospects

• 🚀 There is a reasonable expectation that Herbert could return to play as early as the following week, especially given the extra day off.
• 🏈 The injury being on his non-dominant hand as a quarterback is a significant factor in his potential for a quicker return.
• 👏 The doctor commended Herbert for his toughness in playing through a broken hand for an extended period.