Hand therapy · Singapore
Finger and Metacarpal Fracture Recovery Program
Written by Mavis Tham, Shamaine Soh and Yuna Zhuang, Principal Hand Occupational Therapists at Phoenix Rehab.Clinically reviewed by Nigel Chua, Founder and Clinical Director, Registered Occupational Therapist, AHPC A1300362Z.Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
A broken finger heals in about six weeks. A finger that was held still for six weeks takes longer than that to bend again.
This covers fractures of the fingers and of the long bones in the palm, whether they were buddy strapped, splinted, pinned or plated. The bone is usually the straightforward part. Hand and wrist cases are managed by our hand therapy team.
No referral needed. Every first visit is one 45-minute Assessment & Treatment, $230, nett, no GST. Bring your operation note or scan report.
Where are you right now?
Four situations we see
- It happened in the last week or two. Which joints are allowed to move, and in what position the hand is held, matters more now than anything else.
- You have wires or a plate. Movement often starts earlier with fixation, to the timeline your surgeon sets, and the wires come out on their schedule.
- The strapping is off and the finger will not bend into the palm. Very common, entirely workable, and the first thing to measure is the gap between the fingertip and the palm in centimetres.
- It looks bent or twisted. Rotation and angulation are surgical questions. Ask your surgeon before you ask a therapist.
The position that protects a hand
A hand splinted in the wrong position stiffens even when the bone heals perfectly
The ligaments at the knuckles are slack when the knuckle is straight and taut when it is bent. The ligaments at the finger joints do the opposite. So a hand splinted with the knuckles straight and the fingers curled, which is the position a painful hand naturally takes, allows every ligament in it to shorten at once. Six weeks of that produces a hand that will not make a fist, on top of a bone that healed uneventfully.
The safe position holds the knuckles bent and the finger joints straight, which feels wrong and is the reason a hand splint is made rather than bought. If you are in a splint that lets your knuckles sit straight while your fingers curl, that is worth asking about now rather than in six weeks.
The other thing worth knowing is that the two most useful measurements are free. The distance from each fingertip to the palm when you make a fist, and the distance from the fingertip to the table when you flatten the hand. Written down weekly, they tell you whether anything is actually changing.
Usually expected, and what is not
Is this normal in the weeks after?
Hands swell disproportionately and look worse than they are.
Usually expected
- A whole hand that is puffy, not just the injured finger.
- Bruising that tracks down into the palm and along neighbouring fingers.
- A finger that is noticeably stiffer than expected once the strapping comes off.
- A lump of new bone over the fracture that gradually smooths over months.
Contact your surgeon or doctor
- A finger that crosses over or under its neighbour when you make a fist. That is rotation and it needs a surgeon.
- A wire site that is red, discharging or painful.
- Numbness in a finger that appeared after the injury and is not improving.
- Pain out of proportion with color and temperature changes and extreme sensitivity to touch.
If you have sudden severe pain with a hand or arm that is cold, white or losing sensation, or you are unwell with fever and a hot swollen wound, that is an emergency department today, not a therapy appointment.
If it is not going to plan
The fracture is healed and the fist is still two centimetres short
Two centimetres does not sound like much until you try to hold a steering wheel, a bag handle or a screwdriver. That last stretch of flexion is the range that does most of the work in a hand.
Whether it is the joint, the tendon gliding through scar, or swelling that has never fully left, changes what is done about it. All three look the same from the outside and all three are distinguishable by comparing what the finger does on its own against what it does when someone else moves it.
The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same therapist, because what tissue does under graded work cannot be read in one visit. $690, nett, no GST.
The program
The four stages, and what moves you up
- Stage 1, Calm and Protect. Swelling down, a splint in the safe position where one is needed, and the uninjured joints kept moving from day one.
- Stage 2, Move and Mobilize. Tendon glide, joint range and scar work once the fracture allows. Criteria to move up are the fingertip to palm and fingertip to table distances, recorded.
- Stage 3, Rebuild and Strengthen. Grip and pinch measured and loaded. This is where the hand stops being careful.
- Stage 4, Return and Perform. Tools, keyboard, sport, instrument. Measured against the other hand.
Logistics
When can I…
Your surgeon decides, based on healing and what your job demands. These are typical points, not permissions.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
| Activity | Typical point | What has to be true first |
|---|---|---|
| Desk work | 1 week | Splint or strapping on, and swelling controlled. |
| Light use of the hand | 3 to 6 weeks | Your surgeon or doctor confirms the fracture is stable enough. |
| Driving | 4 to 6 weeks | A grip on the wheel you trust. Your doctor agrees, and check your insurer. |
| Heavy grip, gym | 8 to 12 weeks | Grip tested against the other hand. |
| Ball and contact sport | 6 to 12 weeks | Healing confirmed, and buddy taping or a splint for the first weeks back. |
| Medical certificate | Your doctor issues it | Hand therapists do not issue MCs. We can write a report on your functional limits for your doctor or employer. |
What it costs
$230 per 45 minute appointment
One to one with your therapist for the whole 45 minutes. Nett, no GST. Same price for your first appointment and your last. The appointments cluster around the point where the strapping or wires come off. The Finger and Metacarpal Fracture Recovery Program is 12 appointments, $2,760 in all. You pay for each appointment as you attend it. If you need more, your therapist shows you which stage criteria are still open, and each extra appointment is $230.
This program runs Stages 1 to 4 of the Phoenix Recovery Protocol, and sits under hand therapy after surgery alongside the rest of our recovery programs.
Prefer to phone? Each of our five clinics has its own number on the clinics page. No referral needed to book.
Timeframes on this page are typical ranges, not promises. Where your surgeon has given you a protocol, that protocol takes precedence over anything written here.
Where we are
Clinics across Singapore
SERANGOON
265 Serangoon Central Drive #04-269
S550265 · Lift C only
NE12CC13 Serangoon MRT
WhatsApp 8892 4121TANJONG PAGAR
10 Anson Road #02-77A
International Plaza, S079903
EW15 Tanjong Pagar MRT
WhatsApp 8227 7074JURONG EAST
2 Venture Drive #02-02
Vision Exchange, S608526
NS1EW24 Jurong East MRT
Opening 20 October 2026
WhatsApp 8242 7340