Knuckle problems - advice please!

Knuckle problems - advice please!

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Marcellus

Original Poster:

7,151 posts

224 months

Friday 8th May 2009
quotequote all
At the beginning of March I hit a tree with my index finger whilst skiing.

I'm not sure whether I bent the finger back on itself or banged it on the end.

Immediately I took my glove off and put the finger into the snow for about 10minutes it had already become hard to bend.

Within half an hour the bruising and swelling had started and I couldn't use a fork properly.

I then strapped the finger to the one next to it and kept the strap on more or less for 3 weeks.. removing it for skiing and washing up only (after all it pays for the skiing) there was quite a bit of bruising and a lot of swelling.

Any how, now 8 weeks later I can bend my knuckle but it still really hurts..

Is this normal for a potential dislocated knuckle / broken finger and nothing to worry about as time will heal.... it doesn't really stop me doing anything.

I could go and see the doctors but will it be worth the €40 they charge just for me to walk through the door?

LMC

918 posts

218 months

Friday 8th May 2009
quotequote all
You wouldn't be bending the joint if there was a dislocation. I doubt if the mechanism of injury would cause a fracture, unless you hit the tree with real force, like throwing a punch. If the finger sits normally when relaxed (like its opposite on the other hand) it won't be a tendon break either. You may well have staved it, as you say, by hitting it dead on the end and banging the 2 joint ends together. This does take time to get back to normal. A lot of it depends on your age...

The bottom line is, if the only symptom is pain with no deformity or weakness, it'll be a soft tissue injury which will get better with time. You need to keep it moving though. And after this time you might want to try keeping it warm too.

Marcellus

Original Poster:

7,151 posts

224 months

Friday 8th May 2009
quotequote all
Cheers LMC - I always thought I caught it square on the end so that all sort of makes sense... thanks!

As for how long.... a relatively fit 41 year old bloke?

Edited by Marcellus on Friday 8th May 21:12

Nightmare

5,221 posts

289 months

Friday 8th May 2009
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3 - 6 months to be totally fine probably....ive done this sort of thing a few times and it takes far longer to heal than even breaks frown

LMC

918 posts

218 months

Saturday 9th May 2009
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Yeah that's the thing with these types of injury. People are glad to be told they haven't got a fracture, but then you watch them wilt when you tell them it can take longer for a soft tissue injury to heal frown