How long does it usually take for a swollen hand to heal?« Back to Questions List

How long it takes to heal a swollen hand usually depends on the severity of the injury; if the injury is minor, it may take 1-2 weeks to return to normal. If the injury is more severe, it may take 6-8 weeks to return to normal.

For example, a swollen hand from a punch will result in a mild soft tissue injury, a condition that can lead to exudation of inflammatory exudates and subsequent swelling. At this point, cold compresses must be applied within 24 hours to reduce the exudate and hot compresses after 24 hours to accelerate the resolution of the edema, which usually returns to normal in 1-2 weeks.

If the hit is harder, the degree of injury is more serious, and the fracture appears on top of the soft tissue injury, you need to brake in time and pay attention to more rest, and you also need external fixation or internal fixation treatment. The recovery of hand swelling in this case will be slower, mainly because it takes some time for the bone scab to form, and the hand swelling will only gradually recover when the fracture is about to heal, which may take 6-8 weeks or even longer.

If swelling of the hand occurs and is accompanied by limited range of motion and severe pain, it is recommended that you seek immediate consultation with a hand surgeon for visual and radiographic evaluation to determine the severity of the condition and then select the appropriate treatment modality.