BROKEN FINGER

BROKEN FINGER

A fractured or broken finger, happens when you might have one or more bones that have been injured or broken. It could be a crack in one or more phalanxes—or it can also be more likely in your knuckles where the joints of the bones of your finger are located.

Fingers help us to contact, understand and communicate with, but they are easily harmed or injured. They are the most commonly wounded section of the human body. Phalanges refer to the bones located in your fingers—and your four fingers not including the thumb: because it has two phalanxes, and has three distinct phalanxes. 

SYMPTOMS

The signs of a fractured finger include the following:

  • Aching or pain
  • Inflammation 
  • Throbbing 
  • Bruising at the fracture site
  • Restricted hand movement 

Your finger may even appear misshapen or out of place (deformed). When you have a broken or fractured finger/s, it is more likely for you to be in discomfort. Yet, there is nothing to be worried about–the pain is somehow tolerable and is not that worse than you might think it is, except it can be uncomfortable when you have a limited range of movements of your hands. The lack of intense pain does not mean that immediate treatment is not needed for the fracture.

Finger fracture care continues with a doctor taking a medical record and doing a physical exam. Finger X-rays typically show when the finger is injured.

TREATMENT

Treatment with a fractured finger depends on the site of the injury and whether it is stable. A stable fracture can be treated by taping the broken finger to an adjacent intact finger. Brittle fractures require immobilization. They will add a splint until the doctor aligns or decreases the fracture.

 

Your specialist may need to administer surgery if your fracture is unstable or displaced. Surgery stabilizes the injury because you have:

  • Multiple fractures
  • Lost bits of the bone
  • Injury in the joints
  • Ligament or tendon injury
  • Fractures that are fragile displaced, or open
  • An impaction fracture

An orthopaedic surgeon or hand surgeon would decide the best treatment method for a complicated fracture. For fractured fingers: needles, screws, and cables are helpful in medical procedures. Proper diagnosis, surgery, and regeneration of fractured fingers help maintain the mobility and strength of the hand and avoid deformities.

Depending on different causes, the healing period with a fractured finger can be brief for a couple of weeks or up to a year. The prognosis also relies on various variables, such as if there is associated nerve damage or artery damage, or whether there is an arthritis-causing joint surface injury.

With adequate amounts of vitamin D and calcium, a proper diet can help keep your bones healthy and less vulnerable to fracture. To help them get around better, people who have trouble walking and are prone to collapse may do physical therapy and use assistive aids, such as a cane or walker. To avoid finger breaks, athletes and labourers should show caution.

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