caedmyn Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I accidentally whacked my hand against a cabinet quite hard last Friday and must have hit the drawer pull with my middle finger. It throbbed pretty good for a couple of hours and then pretty much stopped hurting, unless I pushed it against something or put more than very light pressure on it while picking something up. Saturday it had swelled up some and I was debating about whether to go to urgent care and see if it was broken. Sunday it was still swollen and I was still debating, but it felt less sore when I felt up and down the bone so I decided it wasn’t broken and didn’t go. Three days later I’m still debating about whether it’s broken. It feels achy off and on around the 2nd joint. Swelling is gone today but still some bruising going halfway around the finger. I can fully straighten it but will feel a bit achy around the knuckle for a bit afterwards. Same thing if I fully curl it up. It doesn’t hurt to use it normally for tasks that involve light weight or pressure. If it’s broken it’s the bone between the first and second joint that’s broken. I’d just continue being careful with it for a couple more weeks except for all the web articles I find talking about how untreated finger breaks can cause permanent damage (mostly articles on orthopedic surgeons’ websites, it seems). But I don’t really want to go spend several hundred dollars out of pocket to find that it’s not broken, or it is and they just want it splinted, which I can do without going to the doctor. Also it’s been almost a week so idk if it’s really useful to go anyway since it’s already started healing. WWYD? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I would go, but not to the ER- just go to your Dr or orthopedic and get an xray. There are different kinds of splints, so id want to use the right one. This happened to one of my kids. He hurt his finger, but it felt better the next day. About a week later I realized he couldn't hold it straight! Yes, it was broken and needed a Stax Splint. Finger breaks are very common. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Speaking as someone who broke her big toe and did not go in, still living with pain as a result... In non-Covid times, I would go get it checked. Go to a doc, not the ER. With Covid concerns, my assessment might change because I don’t want to bring anything home to the vulnerable people with whom I live. But if the question is, “is this copay worthy?” ... then yes. I would say yes. And I’d then venture to say that none of us should ever have to ponder whether it’s worth spending a couple hundred dollars on a possibly broken bone. I mean, wondering if we should be seen is one thing, wondering about spending the money to find out it’s nothing ... that just stinks, that we all live that way. So, despite the copays you’ll incur, I hope it’s not broken! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I would call the orthopedist and get an appt there.....broken bones that don't heal right can lead to a lifetime of pain. If you go to urgent care and they find something they will refer you if you can't self refer. If you don't go, I would buddy tape for 6 weeks. It doesn't need a full wrap. Just a loop with 1/2 inch tape, buddying the two largest sections. So, two loops. One above the middle knuckle and one below. This helps maintain the mobility of the joints but reinforces the bone so it can heal straight. One word of caution, a broken finger is more prone to other injury because it has lost some of its stability. DD managed to break her finger in two places, and then in two more places a month later due to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 8 minutes ago, Spryte said: Speaking as someone who broke her big toe and did not go in, still living with pain as a result... In non-Covid times, I would go get it checked. Go to a doc, not the ER. With Covid concerns, my assessment might change because I don’t want to bring anything home to the vulnerable people with whom I live. But if the question is, “is this copay worthy?” ... then yes. I would say yes. And I’d then venture to say that none of us should ever have to ponder whether it’s worth spending a couple hundred dollars on a possibly broken bone. I mean, wondering if we should be seen is one thing, wondering about spending the money to find out it’s nothing ... that just stinks, that we all live that way. So, despite the copays you’ll incur, I hope it’s not broken! I broke my big toe a number of years ago, and chipped a bone in my elbow also (fell off a horse), and went to the ER where they confirmed they were broken and said there was nothing to be done. So I took one night off then went back to working 8 hour long walking shifts. They both healed up fine. I’ve had quite a few experiences with doctors confirming what I already knew was wrong and then saying there’s nothing to be done about it, so... My PCP is a nurse practitioner office and they’d refer me for x-rays anyway, so might as well go to urgent care if I go anywhere. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I would definitely go see the orthopedist. You don't want it to heal incorrectly and have lifelong problems with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 21 minutes ago, caedmyn said: I broke my big toe a number of years ago, and chipped a bone in my elbow also (fell off a horse), and went to the ER where they confirmed they were broken and said there was nothing to be done. So I took one night off then went back to working 8 hour long walking shifts. They both healed up fine. I’ve had quite a few experiences with doctors confirming what I already knew was wrong and then saying there’s nothing to be done about it, so... My PCP is a nurse practitioner office and they’d refer me for x-rays anyway, so might as well go to urgent care if I go anywhere. That’s wonderful that you healed with no ill effects! I hope this time is the same, and broken or not, you heal up just fine. It sounds like you’re on your way. I’m envious. My toe wasn’t so fortunate. I now have steel plates in my running shoes to keep my toe rigid and can no longer run - had to switch to biking. Grrrrr. The plus side, I guess, is that I can’t even put my foot in heels, much less stand in them. So I can live in running shoes or Birkenstocks. Gotta be happy about that! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 33 minutes ago, Spryte said: That’s wonderful that you healed with no ill effects! I hope this time is the same, and broken or not, you heal up just fine. It sounds like you’re on your way. I’m envious. My toe wasn’t so fortunate. I now have steel plates in my running shoes to keep my toe rigid and can no longer run - had to switch to biking. Grrrrr. The plus side, I guess, is that I can’t even put my foot in heels, much less stand in them. So I can live in running shoes or Birkenstocks. Gotta be happy about that! I was pretty surprised at the time that they didn’t want me to wear a walking cast or anything. Sorry your toe caused so many problems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I have had quite a few finger injuries with similar symptoms (my hands have taken a beating from a lifetime of working with horses) and they have all healed up fine with no medical attention. It usually takes at least a few weeks for the soreness to completely go away. I'm in my 50s now with no arthritis or finger pain, so no long-lasting effects from any of them. That's just my experience, though, and I don't want to discourage you from getting care. You should definitely go if there is any question in your mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Definitely go to the doctor. See an orthopedic doctor, if possible a hand specialist. Hands are both complex and really important! And there are so many ways that a bone can be broken that are not apparent to the untrained eye. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 10 hours ago, Harriet Vane said: Definitely go to the doctor. See an orthopedic doctor, if possible a hand specialist. Hands are both complex and really important! And there are so many ways that a bone can be broken that are not apparent to the untrained eye. This. Do not go to urgent care! do not go to an ER. Go to an orthopedist. Google to see if there is a walk in ortho clinic in your area - we have two in the greater Orlando metro area. Walk in like an Urgent Care, but no one with flu or anything gross in the waiting room, so safer. And staffed by orthopedists and their PAs. They will have someone there trained to work on the tiny bones in the fingers. You don't want it to hurt for years, and you don't want it to heal in such a way it can't fully straighten again, etc. Fingers are very very different than a lot of other bones. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 I ended up having my hand x-rayed at the chiropractor’s office and it turned out to be a hairline fracture, which is what I was thinking it probably was since it wasn’t all that painful. That was much cheaper than an urgent care or doctor’s visit for sure. I’ll keep buddy-taping it and being careful another couple weeks and it should be fine (assuming I don’t whack it anything else while it’s healing!). 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 On 2/17/2021 at 9:46 PM, Spryte said: That’s wonderful that you healed with no ill effects! I hope this time is the same, and broken or not, you heal up just fine. It sounds like you’re on your way. I’m envious. My toe wasn’t so fortunate. I now have steel plates in my running shoes to keep my toe rigid and can no longer run - had to switch to biking. Grrrrr. The plus side, I guess, is that I can’t even put my foot in heels, much less stand in them. So I can live in running shoes or Birkenstocks. Gotta be happy about that! I, too, heard there's really nothing to do for a broken toe except to make a homemade splint or something. I think what websites often recommend is to use the other toe next to it as a partial splint, and tape them together. That's what my dd did anyway. I think it took awhile -- a year maybe -- before she could use it normally again. Have you seen a doctor about it yet? I wonder if there's anything they could do about it now, like re-break it and create a splint for it this time. It sounds so painful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 4 hours ago, J-rap said: I, too, heard there's really nothing to do for a broken toe except to make a homemade splint or something. I think what websites often recommend is to use the other toe next to it as a partial splint, and tape them together. That's what my dd did anyway. I think it took awhile -- a year maybe -- before she could use it normally again. Have you seen a doctor about it yet? I wonder if there's anything they could do about it now, like re-break it and create a splint for it this time. It sounds so painful! Oh, goodness, yes. Thanks. I’ve seen two podiatrists now. One multiple times. I’ve broken many toes, and always buddy taped, more than I can count. This time it was my big toe - I stepped in a hole the dog had dug. I literally saw stars. Anyway, I buddy taped and didn’t go in for ... I don’t recall now, maybe 4 - 5 weeks? Long enough that it was mostly healed. First podiatrist wanted to do surgery. Second podiatrist was more conservative. She suggested the special inserts for shoes, orthotics, and periodic shots, or at least a shot before going on vacation or hiking. Aaack. It’s developed into Hallux Rigidus. I don’t know if I’d have developed that anyway, but the timing is definitely linked to the break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Spryte said: Oh, goodness, yes. Thanks. I’ve seen two podiatrists now. One multiple times. I’ve broken many toes, and always buddy taped, more than I can count. This time it was my big toe - I stepped in a hole the dog had dug. I literally saw stars. Anyway, I buddy taped and didn’t go in for ... I don’t recall now, maybe 4 - 5 weeks? Long enough that it was mostly healed. First podiatrist wanted to do surgery. Second podiatrist was more conservative. She suggested the special inserts for shoes, orthotics, and periodic shots, or at least a shot before going on vacation or hiking. Aaack. It’s developed into Hallux Rigidus. I don’t know if I’d have developed that anyway, but the timing is definitely linked to the break. That makes sense. And now that I'm thinking of it, my mother broke her big toe once and I know she had to be careful about her shoes for the rest of her life after that (and always wore a bigger size then because otherwise the shoe would put pressure on exactly the area that made it hurt). It's weird that such a little thing can cause such big problems! Sorry about that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Ouch, I’m sorry your mother had something similar. It’s made me less cavalier about getting x-rayed, that’s for sure! I’d rather err on the side of caution, even though I hate going in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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