Broken finger?

[Ocean Lover]

Just picked Sam up early from school. She called and said she thought she broke her finger. She closed one of her fingers in her locker...rt index to be exact. It's a little swollen, we have ice on it but she's not moving it. I'm thinking it might just be really bruised and I'm sure it hurts but wouldn't she be in ALOT of pain it it were broken? I'm trying to wait this out a little before rushing off the the ER.

Y'all may remember a couple of years ago when she closed 3 fingers in the van door...nothing broken at that time but the dr burned holes in her finger nails to relieve the pressure. No nail caught this time it's the knuckle are.

I just don't want to spend the whole night there for nothing.

 

[Mermaid]

OL, I think I'd call my pediatrician straight away and describe what's happened. You never know. I bet your doctor will give you the right advice based on what you say.

A few years back, Alex was snowboarding and injured his arm and we waited, just thinking it was bruised. It was broken.

 

[Rudyjohn]

Just picked Sam up early from school. She called and said she thought she broke her finger. She closed one of her fingers in her locker...rt index to be exact. It's a little swollen, we have ice on it but she's not moving it. I'm thinking it might just be really bruised and I'm sure it hurts but wouldn't she be in ALOT of pain it it were broken? I'm trying to wait this out a little before rushing off the the ER.

Y'all may remember a couple of years ago when she closed 3 fingers in the van door...nothing broken at that time but the dr burned holes in her finger nails to relieve the pressure. No nail caught this time it's the knuckle are.

I just don't want to spend the whole night there for nothing.

I'd do what you're doing - wait a bit, see how it goes. You most likely will have to go to the dr for an xray anyway. There's no other way to know. You might even be able to wait 'til tomorrow morning (avoiding the late night ER). But even it's badly bruised, it will still feel about the same as a broken finger. It will swell too.

Good luck.

mermaid and I cross posted at the same time -
See what the dr. says. To be safe, he will have you bring her in and then have it xrayed anyway. And this is coming from a mom whose son has broken the same arm 3 times!

 

[scooterbug44]

My parents always told me that if I could move my finger/toe, it wasn't broken and it would feel better when it stopped hurting. ;-)

Don't know about small bones like fingers (I always go for the gold and break big ones), but generally if it's broken you'll know based on how much it hurts within a short time/your experience with her pain threshold.

Since it's a finger, maybe you can skip the ER and see your regular Dr?

Per WebMD:
Broken Finger Symptoms

Broken fingers rarely go unnoticed. Frequently, you have immediate pain after trauma and sometimes a deformed finger either at a joint (commonly a dislocation) or through the bone as a fracture. If there is no deformity, a sharp pain usually is felt very specifically at the injury site and will get your attention.

* Sometimes you are not really sure if the finger is truly broken, and you try to bend the finger in question. A true fracture usually will be painful, but do not be fooled by a finger that has some range of motion and dull pain. Fractures are common. Depending on their stability, some may hurt more than others.

* As time goes on, usually within the next 5-10 minutes, you will notice swelling and redness of the finger. The finger will become very swollen and stiff to move. Swelling is not as specific as pain and therefore may affect the adjacent fingers as well.

* If the fracture is severe, bruising from released blood may be seen.

* Finally, if the swelling gets too massive, numbness of the finger may occur because the nerves in the fingers are compressed.

 

[Ocean Lover]

My parents always told me that if I could move my finger/toe, it wasn't broken and it would feel better when it stopped hurting. ;-)

Don't know about small bones like fingers (I always go for the gold and break big ones), but generally if it's broken you'll know based on how much it hurts within a short time/your experience with her pain threshold.

Since it's a finger, maybe you can skip the ER and see your regular Dr?

Per WebMD:
Broken Finger Symptoms

Broken fingers rarely go unnoticed. Frequently, you have immediate pain after trauma and sometimes a deformed finger either at a joint (commonly a dislocation) or through the bone as a fracture. If there is no deformity, a sharp pain usually is felt very specifically at the injury site and will get your attention.

* Sometimes you are not really sure if the finger is truly broken, and you try to bend the finger in question. A true fracture usually will be painful, but do not be fooled by a finger that has some range of motion and dull pain. Fractures are common. Depending on their stability, some may hurt more than others.

* As time goes on, usually within the next 5-10 minutes, you will notice swelling and redness of the finger. The finger will become very swollen and stiff to move. Swelling is not as specific as pain and therefore may affect the adjacent fingers as well.

* If the fracture is severe, bruising from released blood may be seen.

* Finally, if the swelling gets too massive, numbness of the finger may occur because the nerves in the fingers are compressed.

The Dr will usually just send you to get it x-rayed so I've learned not to even bother there. Swelling seems to be down and I put a splint on it. She's doing her homework now without too much of a problem.

Thanks for the article..I was looking for something like that.

 

[audie]

sorry ol - i don't break bones, i just manage to cut myself all the time. or staple myself (yes i've done this) or burn myself. i'm a bit of a klutz

 

[jessifunn]

splint and tape it to another finger.

where is that skunky when you need him?

 

[scooterbug44]

The Dr will usually just send you to get it x-rayed so I've learned not to even bother there. Swelling seems to be down and I put a splint on it. She's doing her homework now without too much of a problem.

Thanks for the article..I was looking for something like that.

Small town thinking - kids w/ broken bones just went to their normal doctor and got sent down the hall for an X-ray, then they gave you a cast and a lollipop.

 

[30A Skunkape]

splint and tape it to another finger.

where is that skunky when you need him?

What you said! Keep it elevated, take ibuprofen or naproxen and 'buddy tape' it to its neighbor. Even if it is fractured, this is most likely what would be done anyway.

 

[Ocean Lover]

All is well with the finger! I came home from a movie and she was waving it at me. It's still a little swollen but she can bend it. In my younger parenting days I would have rushed her off to the ER and been out a $50 copay and 3-4 hours of my time. Yea me!
Thanks for all the input tho!