Last updated on September 3, 2020
Question:
A couple of months ago I had a hairline fracture on my 4th metacarpal and it’s healed with a slight bone bump. Any idea when I can expect my hands to grow and stretch away this bump?
Answer:
Bones don’t stretch like muscle and skin. The bulk of growth in bones is from the end points. Fractures of a metacarpal, the bottom bone in each finger, almost always come from punching something immovable, such as a wall. The fifth metacarpal is particularly prone to such damage. Any bumps or spurs from healing bone are permanent unless operated on.
If the bump is annoying or painful, the only way to take care of the problem is to see an orthopedic surgeon. You want one who specialized in hand injuries.
Question:
No, it’s purely cosmetic, it doesn’t bother me but it does feel odd having one of my hands have a bump. Odd, after I got my cast off the doctor said that I could expect it to go away as my hands grew? Are you sure?
Answer:
Then the fracture was at the end of the bone, at the joint. I was assuming it was further down. When the fracture is by the growth plate, then as the bone grows, the bump will become less noticeable.