Dislocated finger
Discussion
Hello - i dislocated my ring finger in April leaving it a right angles from the middle of the finger. I moved it back into place myself immediately and was able to wriggle the end of it so i thought it'd be ok. When i got home i took nurofen and put it into a splint with micropore
I went to the docs after two days to have it looked at and he said it will be fine and to take it out of the splint in another couple of days to enable me to try moving it.
One month later the knuckle (if that's what it's called) was still red/purple and the finger had little movement although it had improved - i went to see a different doc and she sent me for an x-ray that day. The x-ray showed up a fracture in the finger also which 'could' have been treated earlier if it was spotted.
The hospital said that as it was an 'irrelevent' finger (which i kind of agree with) i should probably leave it although if it was still causing me problems then i could be referred, presumably to have it re-broken but i don't know.
The finger has improved so i can now close my fist probably 75% but it hurts when i close it any more than 50% - the knuckle bit is also still a bit red and this is 3 months after the original injury!
To make things a bit worse, the finger doesn't fully straighten - the knuckle is raised a bit it hurts to hold it out straight.
I plan on making another appointment with the doc but how long does it normally take for a dislocation/fracture to heal and is what i'm experiencing normal? From what i've described, will it ever straighten without any intervention? Advice welcome!
I went to the docs after two days to have it looked at and he said it will be fine and to take it out of the splint in another couple of days to enable me to try moving it.
One month later the knuckle (if that's what it's called) was still red/purple and the finger had little movement although it had improved - i went to see a different doc and she sent me for an x-ray that day. The x-ray showed up a fracture in the finger also which 'could' have been treated earlier if it was spotted.
The hospital said that as it was an 'irrelevent' finger (which i kind of agree with) i should probably leave it although if it was still causing me problems then i could be referred, presumably to have it re-broken but i don't know.
The finger has improved so i can now close my fist probably 75% but it hurts when i close it any more than 50% - the knuckle bit is also still a bit red and this is 3 months after the original injury!
To make things a bit worse, the finger doesn't fully straighten - the knuckle is raised a bit it hurts to hold it out straight.
I plan on making another appointment with the doc but how long does it normally take for a dislocation/fracture to heal and is what i'm experiencing normal? From what i've described, will it ever straighten without any intervention? Advice welcome!
I broke my thumb years ago and when I asked about the reduced range of motion etc. a few weeks after the splint had been taken off, they told me that it'd probably never be as good as the other one.
Because I'm a stubborn tw*t and think I know more than the doctors, I rigged up various contraptions using office stationary to bend and hyper-extend my thumb and now it's as good as new.
Because I'm a stubborn tw*t and think I know more than the doctors, I rigged up various contraptions using office stationary to bend and hyper-extend my thumb and now it's as good as new.
Dislocated my finger playing football when I landed on it in goal, finished match then went home to shower, eat and change then popped hospital who put it back in socket after x-ray.
Splint removed after 2 weeks with more x-rays and told to do small movements. Went back at 4 weeks as still hurting and the 9th x-ray found a fractured with a piece of bone missing (assume it's in the socket) but too late to fix.
Referred for physiotherapy and after 6 sessions (10 weeks) was still wonky but pain had begun to reduce with about 80% movement.
Wasn't until around 6 months that I had about 90% movement without pain, nowhere near straight but doesn't affect my daily life now.
Splint removed after 2 weeks with more x-rays and told to do small movements. Went back at 4 weeks as still hurting and the 9th x-ray found a fractured with a piece of bone missing (assume it's in the socket) but too late to fix.
Referred for physiotherapy and after 6 sessions (10 weeks) was still wonky but pain had begun to reduce with about 80% movement.
Wasn't until around 6 months that I had about 90% movement without pain, nowhere near straight but doesn't affect my daily life now.
StevoCally said:
Dislocated my finger playing football when I landed on it in goal, finished match then went home to shower, eat and change then popped hospital who put it back in socket after x-ray.
Splint removed after 2 weeks with more x-rays and told to do small movements. Went back at 4 weeks as still hurting and the 9th x-ray found a fractured with a piece of bone missing (assume it's in the socket) but too late to fix.
Referred for physiotherapy and after 6 sessions (10 weeks) was still wonky but pain had begun to reduce with about 80% movement.
Wasn't until around 6 months that I had about 90% movement without pain, nowhere near straight but doesn't affect my daily life now.
Sounds the same to me - even down to what caused me to dislocate it! I'm never playing in goal again!Splint removed after 2 weeks with more x-rays and told to do small movements. Went back at 4 weeks as still hurting and the 9th x-ray found a fractured with a piece of bone missing (assume it's in the socket) but too late to fix.
Referred for physiotherapy and after 6 sessions (10 weeks) was still wonky but pain had begun to reduce with about 80% movement.
Wasn't until around 6 months that I had about 90% movement without pain, nowhere near straight but doesn't affect my daily life now.
i'm struggling to straighten it fully without pain and likewise with bending it - i've booked an appointment with the docs to get a medical opinion as it's starting to really pee me off
It sounds like you have soft tissue damage as well as the fracture, which is normal with a dislocation.
You'll want to be referred for physiotherapy.
I dislocated my knee 12 weeks ago and still can't bend it more than 45 degrees (or walk on it... but hey, who needs a leg!) and was told by my physiotherapist that ligaments and other soft tissue takes, on average, four times as long to heal as bones.
Average time for a bone to mend - 6 weeks, so you're looking at 24 weeks for your soft tissue to heal. Be patient, be kind to it (don't force it) and do the exercises your physio gives you.
I hope it gets better
You'll want to be referred for physiotherapy.
I dislocated my knee 12 weeks ago and still can't bend it more than 45 degrees (or walk on it... but hey, who needs a leg!) and was told by my physiotherapist that ligaments and other soft tissue takes, on average, four times as long to heal as bones.
Average time for a bone to mend - 6 weeks, so you're looking at 24 weeks for your soft tissue to heal. Be patient, be kind to it (don't force it) and do the exercises your physio gives you.
I hope it gets better
Bigbox said:
Sounds the same to me - even down to what caused me to dislocate it! I'm never playing in goal again!
i'm struggling to straighten it fully without pain and likewise with bending it - i've booked an appointment with the docs to get a medical opinion as it's starting to really pee me off
Only spotted the problem when I tried to pick up ball after the save and one of my fingers didn't move in glove.i'm struggling to straighten it fully without pain and likewise with bending it - i've booked an appointment with the docs to get a medical opinion as it's starting to really pee me off
Hand physios I saw at Stafford really good, every other session took measurements of joint sizes and angles with 1hr sessions using a variety of items (thick playdoh, hand clamps, velco sticks to push/pull with finger, weighted finger curls) to build mobility and strength.
Also made me a custom adjustable split that I could tighten to pull finger flat plus stopped me knocking it when sleeping and at work.
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