HOW HMC ORTHOPEDIC CENTER HAND SURGEON DR. ALLISON RICHARDS REPAIRED A LOCAL MAN’S NEARLY SHATTERED BONE.

IT’S NOT EVERY day that you hear of someone fracturing their hand in a mosh pit. But that’s exactly what 21-year-old Chicopee resident Benjamin Nadeau did.

‘SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG’

On November 17, 2024, Benjamin was moshing at a concert by what he calls a “hardcore screamo band” in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, when he inadvertently swung his right arm behind him, his hand landing squarely
in the face of another mosher. “I knew right away that something was very wrong,” says Benjamin. “I’d had a minor fracture on the same hand once, and I knew this was a lot worse.” Unfortunately, an ambulance was called for the other concertgoer, and Benjamin, who was there with a friend, asked his friend to drive him back to Holyoke and straight to the Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) emergency
department (ED).

There, Benjamin’s hand was X-rayed, his wound was washed and treated and his hand was put into a splint. The ED physician also prescribed antibiotics to help prevent infection. “It was really bad,” Benjamin says. “I broke the bone virtually in Allison Richards, MD Andrew Allard, PA-C half and it was almost shattered. The doctor and the PA in the emergency department told me that I would probably need surgery.”

‘EXCELLENT CARE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING’

The next day, Benjamin received a call from the HMC Orthopedic Center and scheduled an appointment for November 20, when he was initially seen by Andrew Allard, PA-C.

“Andrew was great and provided excellent care from the very beginning,” says Benjamin.

Allard confirmed, as the X-ray taken in the ED showed, that Benjamin had what in technical terms is known as a displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal shaft of the right hand.

In other words, the long part of the bone that connected Benjamin’s pinkie to his wrist was not just broken, but the pieces of the broken bone were out of alignment, which made the fracture even more painful.

In addition, according to hand surgeon Allison Richards, MD, who would perform the surgery to repair Benjamin’s fracture five days later, his fracture was open. “This means that the bone was poking through the skin, which poses a greater risk of infection,” she says.
As if the bone poking through the skin wasn’t enough of an infection risk, the way Benjamin fractured his hand made the risk even higher. “Benjamin got the injury by literally making contact with someone else’s teeth and mouth,” says Allard. “So, we continued him on the antibiotics and scheduled his surgery for November 25.”

A SMOOTH SURGERY

Benjamin met Dr. Richards the day of his surgery. “She was very nice, explained the procedure and put me at ease,” he says.

“To repair Benjamin’s fracture, I stabilized the bone using K-wires, also called ‘pins,’ which are stainless steel wires that are a little smaller than the diameter of a coat-hanger wire,” says Dr. Richards. To keep the bone in place and prevent it from rotating, she placed one pin down the length of the fractured bone, and one pin across it to the adjacent bone (the bone that connects the wrist to the ring finger).

“I left the pins jutting out slightly from the skin,” says Dr. Richards. “That way, no incision would be needed to remove them once Benjamin’s hand was healed. Usually, there is enough bone healing by four weeks after surgery.”

The entire procedure took 14 minutes. After the surgery, Benjamin’s hand was placed in a splint and he was discharged the same day.

BUMPS IN THE ROAD

Benjamin was slated to follow up with Allard two weeks later, but during that time he was admitted to the hospital briefly for a separate issue. “While he was in the hospital, I would go in to check Benjamin’s wound, change his splint and make sure he was OK,” says Allard.

Benjamin’s pin sites showed signs of superficial infections, so Allard again put him on antibiotics. On December 10, Allard removed one of the pins. “We wanted to see a little more healing before removing the other one, so we placed him back in a cast for two weeks.”

HEALING AND RECOVERY

The second pin and the cast were removed in early January. In early February, Benjamin experienced some pain and swelling, and, after another course of antibiotics, he was healed.

It took a couple months but, despite a few setbacks and some post-op pain, Benjamin was able to make a full recovery with the help of CORE physical therapy at HMC to restore his strength and flexibility.

His hand is now completely healed. “I have full range of motion and even some hyperextension that mirrors my left hand,” says Benjamin, who is grateful for the care he received at HMC Orthopedic Center. “I did not have a single bad experience there other than, of course, having to deal with my injury. Dr. Richards is an excellent doctor and a very kind soul, especially for listening to me rambling about my music when she was in the office. She, Andrew and everyone there were incredible, and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”

To make an appointment with HMC Orthopedic Center, please call at 413.534.5814.