Smashed finger...

5 days ago I smashed my finger in my bike trainer when I was folding it up for storage. After dancing around I put ice on it and then heat (the heat felt MUCH better). Until today it really wasn't painful unless I tried to pick up something heavy with that hand - and the bruise pretty much wrapped around my finger. More the area beneath my nail and the entire fingertip. Now things are more red than before, throbbing MUCH more, and I can actually see my pulse in the nail bed. It would be more cool if it wasn't MY finger :)

I stepped into our employee clinic this morning and the NP told me that while it might actually be broken everything seems to be working fine and as she didn't see any pooled blood beneath the nail there wasn't any need to drain anything. (yayyyyy) She seems to be more concerned about my developing an infection in the crushed cuticle.

I've already decided that if it isn't any better, or worse, tomorrow to see my doctor for a stronger anti-inflammatory than what I am currently taking to help bring that swelling down. The area beneath the nail is more swollen than yesterday while the overall bruising is much better - the nail isn't black. Does anyone know of any other remedies that might help to ease this? All I can seem to find on the internet is instructions on how to drill a hole in my nail - which I am not about to do as it is my dominant hand AND the NP saw no indication that was needed.

OUCH!

I would think ice would be most helpful at first to reduce swelling and bruising.

I hope your finger feels better soon!

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Originally Posted by Yen

OUCH!

I would think ice would be most helpful at first to reduce swelling and bruising.

I hope your finger feels better soon!

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I don't think ice helps almost a week later, but I am going to try it again tonight when I get home :)

I would hold that puppy in a bowl of crushed ice and water until totally numb...might help temporarily anyway.

It sounds horribly painful -- so sorry!

Ow, ow, ow, ow.

I would think as much as you can stand to move it around will help the fluids circulate out of the finger. Maybe a little gentle self-massage. I think at this point heat is better than ice, since it'll help the circulation (though you probably didn't do yourself any favors by putting heat on it early...)

I've had really good success with electrical stimulation bringing swelling down, though if you don't already have an e-stim unit, it's probably more than you want to spend (less than a doctor visit, but it sounds like the doctor is a good idea regardless).

Hope you feel better soon. Hands and fingers are so painful!

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Originally Posted by Catrin

5 days ago I smashed my finger in my bike trainer when I was folding it up for storage. After dancing around I put ice on it and then heat (the heat felt MUCH better). Until today it really wasn't painful unless I tried to pick up something heavy with that hand - and the bruise pretty much wrapped around my finger. More the area beneath my nail and the entire fingertip. Now things are more red than before, throbbing MUCH more, and I can actually see my pulse in the nail bed. It would be more cool if it wasn't MY finger :)

I stepped into our employee clinic this morning and the NP told me that while it might actually be broken everything seems to be working fine and as she didn't see any pooled blood beneath the nail there wasn't any need to drain anything. (yayyyyy) She seems to be more concerned about my developing an infection in the crushed cuticle.

I've already decided that if it isn't any better, or worse, tomorrow to see my doctor for a stronger anti-inflammatory than what I am currently taking to help bring that swelling down. The area beneath the nail is more swollen than yesterday while the overall bruising is much better - the nail isn't black. Does anyone know of any other remedies that might help to ease this? All I can seem to find on the internet is instructions on how to drill a hole in my nail - which I am not about to do as it is my dominant hand AND the NP saw no indication that was needed.

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I don't understand. Did you re-injure it today by trying to pick up something heavy?

If the increased pain and swelling was not preceded by some activity that re-injured it, I would also think that there's an infection.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

I don't understand. Did you re-injure it today by trying to pick up something heavy?

If the increased pain and swelling was not preceded by some activity that re-injured it, I would also think that there's an infection.

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It doesn't appear to LOOK more swollen, but the finger is more red in general and the cutical area below the nail is almost pure white. The throbbing is pretty consistent now and I am far more aware of the finger than I was earlier in the week. I didn't think about a possible infection until the NP mentioned it today. She didn't see any signs of one but the increased throbbing and pain is from something that has changed...

I've still been working out, but not doing anything that hurts it or my shoulder. Thankfully I was able to change my grip on deadlifts so I could still lift the barbell without pain.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Owie owei owie! Sounds horrendous!

I would use a bowl of crushed ice in water. Very painful the first 5 minutes, but it you can get past that and do 20, it makes a huge difference the next day.

And go to the doctor no matter what. Dreadful-sounding injury. :(

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If ya'll think ice water would be helpful 5 days out I will try it - and I already have an appointment tomorrow at my doctor's office... It doesn't LOOK that bad at a quick glance, frankly I've a few other fingers that look worse with some painless arthritic changes to the finger joint.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

I'm not sure about the 5 days out at all. This injury sounds scary, though. Is it possible arthritis is making it worse?

(Go to the doctor right away from now on, okay? It won't hurt anything if you do).

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The arthritis is very minor, and not even in that finger. I didn't go to the doctor because it was Saturday afternoon so the ER was my only option...I have to pay 20% of an ER visit and I didn't think my finger was bad enough to do ring up, at minimum, a $700-$800 bill :o In retrospect I should have gone in Monday - but it wasn't hurting hardly at all by then even though it looked worse than now...

I've a pillow filled with seed corn that I use for a foot warmer in my bed. I think I will toss it in the microwave and get it all toasty - see if that helps my finger.

Saw the doctor, he burnt a tiny hole in the nail to release pressure and a bit of pooled blood under the nail. He saw more than the NP did yesterday. It is already starting to feel better, and we did an x-ray to make certain I don't have a hair-line fracture in my finger tip (crossing my fingers on this one). Hopefully I won't lose the nail, but he said I might, time will tell.

And yes, the most dangerous sentence I know is "but it isn't that bad, it might get better on it's own!"

The smashed finger is almost 100% now, apparently it really needed that hole that he burnt in my nail! X-ray came back fine, no hair-line fractures :) There is a very small amount soreness left in the finger-tip but that is only to be expected. Whewwwwww, I think I "missed the bullet" on that one!

Good news! Thanks for posting an update, Catrin. Happy for you! :)

Phew! Glad it's healing well!

Isn't it amazing what a difference burning a hole in the nail can make? 12 years ago I smashed my finger in the car door and fractured the tip, it sounds exactly the same as yours. The doc burned a hole in my nail to relieve the pressure and wow. So much less pain. I heard you can do it yourself by heating up a needle or a nail in a candle flame! I'd just as soon pay a professional to do it, even if that was exactly what they did!

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Originally Posted by Melalvai

Isn't it amazing what a difference burning a hole in the nail can make? 12 years ago I smashed my finger in the car door and fractured the tip, it sounds exactly the same as yours. The doc burned a hole in my nail to relieve the pressure and wow. So much less pain. I heard you can do it yourself by heating up a needle or a nail in a candle flame! I'd just as soon pay a professional to do it, even if that was exactly what they did!

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I thought about it, but the NP had said she didn't think it was necessary. It was also on my dominant hand...much better to pay the $25 co-pay and get it done right! There is less tenderness in the finger today, I think it will be 100% by the weekend - 2 weeks after I smashed it :o

Update...I think there might be a little nerve damage in that finger tip. While the pain is more or less gone, I don't have all of the feeling back in the finger pad and when my fingers gets cold it HURTS, even with gloves on! Can't think of what else might cause that, though I will mention it to my Dr on Friday when I see him for a checkup on my shoulder. Makes me nervous to pull the trainer back out but I think that is just an excuse since I really just don't want to ride inside.

Give it time. I am learning that injuries can take a long time to fully heal.
I would be willing to put money on it that you will never smash your finger in the trainer again. I definitely understand being a little shy of going anywhere near it.

I REALLY smashed my right middle finger just about a year ago. I closed it inside a folding wall in the classroom next to mine. I had a large gash on one side and lots of damage under the nail. It was kind of fun, giving my boss the finger while he bandaged me up. I never did go see the doctor. Thom sterilized a needle and put a few holes in the nail for me to relieve the pressure a couple of times. I just kept an eye out for infection. That would have sent me to the doctor. I lost the nail, ended up ripping it off while putting on my wet suit at tri. And I still have some nerve damage, not surprising since the finger was crushed. I am very careful when I close those walls now. :rolleyes:

Veronica

Youch Veronica! My finger hurt in sympathy reading it! Thankfully you had Thom around to do the work, I didn't have a choice but to go to the doctor. One thing is sure, I've become far more careful when doing things that could cause my finger to get re-smashed - like when putting up weight plates at the gym...

My poor fingers are just going through the ringer this year! First a smashed finger on my dominant hand (still healing). Then, last night, I wound up with a 2nd degree > 1-inch burn on a finger (other hand) from a pan that had just come out of a 400 degree oven! Inside of the finger where, somehow, I caught the pan between two fingers. Still don't know why both of them aren't burned. Then there is the thumb that split because the skin got too dry...poor hands :(

Thankfully we have an employee clinic in my building, makes it easy to get first aid prescriptions without having to fork over a co-pay :)

Last month when I was dealing with my hurt back, I burned a finger while cooking. My friend said "You should just go to bed and stay there for a while" and my daughter replied "Knowing her, she'd fall out of bed." I have a dream that one day I wont' be so clumsy...

For the dry cracky skin slather your hands with some extra good lotion and tuck them in to cotton gloves while you sleep. Without Burt's Bees, I probably wouldn't have any skin on my hands at all.

coming in late to this conversation but have to share. I took a really bad tumble off my son's bike a few years ago, broke my middle finger, ripped the nail completely off as well. All a week before hiking rim to rim of the Grand Canyon. My father who was 85 at the time looks at it and says "put a tampon shell over it" I cracked up but that is exactly what a did and it worked like a charm. It wasn't heavy, kept me from banging or bumping it when hiking and it was a pretty pink plastic :) of course, I had it taped on my finger so most people didn't know what it actually was.