[Closed] Broken finger any Drs in house

Unless it’s severely deformed or a open fracture they will just buddy strap it and tell you to jog on.
Just get some tape from the chemist and some cocodamol and you’ll be fine, that’s what I did with mine back in 2016.

With the caveat that medical advice on here is worth what you pay for it.....

Is capillary filling OK - ie is the nail bed pink, goes white when yu press on it and goes pink again immediatly when you release it? thats a good sign IIRC and if it stays white it shows compromised blood flow which is bad and needs medical attention

If you can move it and its not out of shape the usual treatment is strap to the finger next to it I think.

Thats the limit of what I know on the subject and even that might be rubbish 😉

Not a doctor but broken quite a few fingers due to playing cricket. In every case they just strapped it to it's neighbour - in effect using it as a splint. Takes about 4-6 weeks to knit together again.
Having said that I'd still get it x-rayed.

TTIUWXR

Is capillary filling OK – ie is the nail bed pink, goes white when yu press on it and goes pink again immediatly

Seems fine, good tip thanks. Mainly I cant be arsed driving and waiting to get it looked at which is my usual threshold for thinking I'm fine.

depends what you've broken, my daughter's needed an op and wire as the joint at the knuckle had fractured.

I broke a finger a few years back and didn't go to GP or A&E until a week or 10 days  later. As a result of the damage, one joint is fused and the finger is permanently crooked. I was told that earlier intervention would have prevented this.

I broke a finger a few years back and didn’t go to GP or A&E until a week or 10 days later. As a result of the damage, one joint is fused and the finger is permanently crooked

Dont be coming here with your facts an caution, I want reassurance not worry!

Wife broke 2 fingers 2 weeks ago. 3 hours in A&E with four medic manipulating the knuckles to get them back in place. She had snapped the fingers right by the knuckle so they didn't have much leverage apparently. I wasn't allowed in - COVID restrictions - but could still hear the screams. She is in a partial cast until next Wednesday. They had to move her knuckles and fingers from pointing 90 degrees backwards to set them at 90 degrees forward - like a loose fist position. Apparently this is a better position for them to set initially that straight forwards. Find out Wednesday if she needs further work and wiring.

Hopefully not applicable to you but I can still hear my wife's screams when I was stuck useless in the carpark

Jesus, mine looks nothing like that!!!
Reminds me the boy wants toad in the hole for tea, must get sausages out of freezer!!

but could still hear the screams

Well done you've convinced me I aint going to hospital!!

I would have a fairly low threshold for going to hospital tho especially given that A&E seems to be pretty quiet right now

I broke a finger a few years back and didn’t go to GP or A&E until a week or 10 days later. As a result of the damage, one joint is fused and the finger is permanently crooked. I was told that earlier intervention would have prevented this.

So much this - MrsMC has a permanently stuffed finger because of delays, I have slight loss of use in one after initial x-rays didn't pick up a break, daughter breaks a couple a year playing netball, always get them x-rayed as the exact location of the break can make a huge difference.

MrsWCA needed 3 lots of x-ray. Before to see what had happened. During to see how much they had moved stuff. After to make sure it was all in the right place. Best to get it sorted while they can as permanent problems last a long time

As TJ said the A&E is quiet at the moment and normally separated from the 'hot' parts of the hosp[ital where you might meet a COVID case.

Come on aa tell the truth, this was no accident, you've shot yourself in the foot so you've not got to go over the top for The Big Push on June 1st 😊

, you’ve shot yourself in the foot so you’ve not got to go over the top for The Big Push on June

I have a bit of leeway as i teach secondary!!!!

Friend broke a finger bone last week- went to A&E it was quiet and she got seen quickly. It was a clean break so didn't need much manipulation to get into place and was splinted to the next finger.

She was told if it was a more complex break, pinning may have been needed but they would have looked at other options due to not wanting to operate in the current circumstances.

If you have ANY discomfort in your wrist get it X-rated. The scaphoid is notoriously hard to heal with low blood flow. If not picked up late it will never heal properly.

I have a bit of leeway as i teach secondary!!!!

Apparently not, time to put pencils up my nose and say wibble.

There you go then, go to hospital and get signed off!

There you go then, go to hospital and get signed off!

Surely I'd need to break my fingers in a week or too!!!

[i] The scaphoid is notoriously hard to heal with low blood flow. If not picked up late it will never heal properly[/i] When they were fairly sure I had bust mine they said it probably wasn't worth doing anything as they never heal properly.

This was about 15 years back. Has the thinking changed?

I broke a finger a few years back and didn’t go to GP or A&E until a week or 10 days later. As a result of the damage, one joint is fused and the finger is permanently crooked. I was told that earlier intervention would have prevented this.

On the other hand, I broke/dislocated 3 fingers about 20 years ago, went to hospital immediately, had it x rayed, operated, a k-wire, and 6 months of physio, and I've still got this:

😀
But to be fair, when I broke it, my hand did resemble Jen's foot in that episode of The IT crowd...

Either way, go to A&E!

Another finger surgery veteran here. Go and get it checked out.

Fingers are small yet complicated things as it happens.

I work in a&e. Hands are important, and missed injuries a high source of chronic poor function and litigation. Some finger injuries need surgery, and specialist follow up for more even without surgery. Can’t diagnose over the internet, but if you are at all concerned I would get assessed.

but if you are at all concerned I would get assessed.

I am less concerned now tbh, it seems to be functioning albeit painfully, will bend and straighten and I can put pressure onto thumb with it ( its the one next to thumb) now its calmed down a bit I dont think it is broken.

I think we all need pictures. To, err, assess. Yeah, that's it.

As TomB says, get it checked out.

I broken my finger 3 years ago, but also snapped the volar plate which holds the finger bones together. Ended up with surgery where I had a Suzuki frame fitted, yes really, that held everything together whilst it all healed.

The surgeon didn’t hold out much hope of it working and I’d end up with a crooked, semi immobile, finger joint. But with good physio it now works perfectly.

Snapped my little finger tip tendon dropping off surf board last summer, was told mallet finger, and good that I went straight to ED with it strapped up. It's still swollen on the joint and slightly bent forwards, but nothing like what it was. Apparently a lot of folk leave them assuming it'll heal. I was hoping for a little better after 12 weeks of a splint on it...

I am less concerned now tbh, it seems to be functioning albeit painfully, will bend and straighten and I can put pressure onto thumb with it ( its the one next to thumb) now its calmed down a bit I dont think it is broken.

Part of my delay in getting to A&E was that I was in Kintail doing some climbing and scrambling and, though it was painful, I really didn't think it was all that bad.

I had am OTB at Coyd-y-Brenin many years ago. finger went black with bruising but I just taped it up to the one next to it, once all the swelling went down after a few days it didn't bend properly so went to A&E, snapped knuckle causing mallet finger. They just gave me a plastic splint and taped it back up and waited 6 weeks. Not quite full movement back as the knuckle healed a bit lumpy; but good enough...

Go to MIU and get it X-rayed. I broke mine 3 years ago and needed surgery to pin it back together. Big wire down the bone and through the joint. Strapped in a splint for 6 weeks.

It's still a bit wonky but it works - without intervention I'd have been screwed.

Yours may be fine, but no reason not to go to MIU.

If in doubt get to hospital for someone to look at & x-ray it.
Everyone has been re-deployed due to covid so you are quite likely to see someone more experienced than normal: orthopaedic consultants running minor injuries clinics in a lot of places. The aim being that we minimise your time in hospital by getting you seen quickly by someone who can potentially sort things out straight away

(I’m a consultant hand surgeon working in Rotherham & Sheffield)

I'm keeping quiet.

Ohhh, lots of what happens when you stick your finger int he wrong thing lol. My own was a metal planer(I think called a shaping machine) took off the top of the right index aged 15, at an angle to make stitching fun and 28 of them later.

More horrific meat trade examples 😀 -
Bones dont just break and nice clean one like a pencil lead. They shatter inside and we occasionally got a leg of pork in a bacon plant i worked at where the leg had been broken prior to slaughter.
The damage inside the leg, surrounding the bone is , what can only be described as a gory mess of shattered bone(bones are hollow, so the contents, and the shards razor sharp and really rip up that inside area, blood hemorrhaging makes it look really gory. The entire lot gets cut out and binned.

Not saying we should cut it off though I've the cleaver here lol But I would also strongly recommend going to the hospital. At the very best you risk deformity, at the worst blood poisoning. But I reckon the worst case is likely if you dont get it checked
Please. It honestly is a fuqqing mess in there.

another cricketer with gammy fingers here - I thought mine was fine as it moved still and was straight, just like most of the others that I'd done over the years. Didn't go to A&E as I'd done all the times before, wrong decision, now have a pinky that permanently looks like I'm drinking tea with the Queen. Mallet finger apparently, could have easily been fixed if I'd gone to A&E, now permanently ****ed.

Get it looked at.

I would go to A&E.

A&E are still treating people at the moment.

It is probably the only chance you have of getting treatment unless you are Joe Wicks.

I injured my big toe joint in January and followed all of the NHS guidelines which basically say see your gp if it doesn't heal by itself.

After seeing my gp in February, I was sent to get an xray. 1 week later my gp told me that they could see soft tissue damage but no arthritis to the bone. I was referred to Orthapaedics who sent a letter apologising that the waiting list was more than 3 months long.

Orthopaedics triaged me and referred me to an advanced podiatrist instead for an 'early assessment.' Which would have been a 6 week wait.

Then COVID happened and my appointment which would have been mid April was cancelled.

The current situation is that I may if I am lucky get a phone consultation in about 4 weeks with the advanced podiatrist. Orthopaedics are apparently not seeing anybody at the moment.

In the mean time my toe joint still won't get better and the only treatment I have received is an instruction to rest my foot.

now have a pinky that permanently looks like I’m drinking tea with the Queen

I got them to set mine into a slight curve. I reckoned that was best for grasping handlebars, driving and holding a beer glass.