A PIP fracture-dislocation takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal, usually with 4 to 6 weeks in an extension block splint, and needs surgery if the joint won’t stay lined up. It only shows on a true side-on X-ray of that one finger.
ECU tendonitis is an overloaded tendon on the little-finger side of the back of the wrist, and most settle in 6 to 12 weeks. If the wrist snaps when you turn your palm up after an injury, a cast in the first few weeks can heal it without surgery.
Gymnast’s wrist is a stress injury to the radius growth plate from weight-bearing on bent-back wrists. It needs a full stop on hand weight-bearing for at least 4 to 6 weeks, often 3 months if the X-ray has changed, then a staged return.
Little league elbow is growth plate irritation on the inner elbow of a young thrower, and most children are back throwing in 6 to 12 weeks if it’s caught early. Outer elbow pain, catching or a sudden pop needs a doctor, not rest.
Partial UCL tears in throwers often settle with 6 to 12 weeks of no throwing and a graded return, about 3 to 6 months in all. A complete tear in a pitcher usually means Tommy John surgery and 12 to 18 months before competitive pitching.
A torn distal biceps tendon is best repaired within about 2 to 3 weeks, before it retracts and needs a graft. The arm still bends, so people wait. The hook test takes seconds.
Arm pump that hits at the same point every session and clears within minutes of stopping is a compartment pattern; soreness the next day is overload. Most gripping forearm pain settles in 6 to 12 weeks with a lighter grip, varied positions and graded training.
Numb hands on the bike are a nerve squashed at the wrist: ring and little finger is the ulnar nerve (handlebar palsy), thumb to middle finger is carpal tunnel. Change hand position every 10 to 15 minutes, get weight off your hands, and treat numbness that lingers after the ride as a deadline.
A hook of hamate fracture causes deep heel-of-palm pain on the little-finger side after a golf, bat or racquet impact, and routine X-rays often miss it. A CT settles it; most late-found cases do well with removal of the hook and a return to sport around 6 to 8 weeks.
Most A2 pulley injuries heal without surgery: about 6 weeks for a strain, 3 months to full crimping for a partial tear, nearer 6 months after a complete rupture. Visible bowstringing needs imaging.