Dog Community

Anyone else broken a knuckle before?

Posted : 2/11/2008 9:50:38 PM

So, I smashed my hand into a door last night. Honor pulled hard exiting, and I didn't expect it, stumbled, and stopped my fall by smashing my full weight into my two left knuckles into the metal door jamb. It hurt like a *insert some creative expletive here*, but the pain subsided after a few hours. Well, a large "C" shaped bruise has been developing on the top of my hand (over the two knuckles) all day, and now there's an icky looking swelling on top and around the first base knuckle. Couple that with a nagging pain in the knuckle, and a general increasing (decreasing?) lack of movement.

I'm thinking I should go to the doctor. But I'm incredibly phobic, and DH won't be home until 10. I'm working myself up about it, so decided to take a deep breath and consult the forum! Lol. Has anyone else broken a knuckle before? I'm tempted to wait it out and ice it, but the swelling disturbs me. If it's broken, what can I expect in terms of treatment? I can't seem to find any good info on that online. Google failed! Argh.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm kind of panicky at the thought of seeing a doctor, and could truthfully use some soothing vibes. (Love me those iDog vibes!).

EDIT: Typos...typos.

griffinej5

Posted : 2/11/2008 10:00:44 PM

No, I've never broken a knuckle, nor have I broken anything else. However, I have done things that made me think I broke something. If you're really questioning whether or not it's broken, you should probably at least call, and see whether they think you should come in right away. You should definitely ice it though.

aDorkable

Posted : 2/11/2008 10:01:51 PM

If it's broken they'll probably put a cast on the whole hand. A kid I knew in highschool broke a knuckle when he punched a table, he said after the first week it didn't hurt anymore, the cast just itched.

ottoluv

Posted : 2/11/2008 10:10:00 PM

Do you have point tenderness? meaning is there ONE point that hurts the worst? If you do, it's likely that a bone is broken. For the hand, it is important to cast it in the "safe" position as soon as possible to prevent contractures of the ligaments in your hand which will limit movement in the future. Sometimes fractures of the metacarpals need to be fixed operatively too. The hands are not something you want to let slide. Get checked out! We won't bite, I promise.

Infiniti

Posted : 2/11/2008 11:20:20 PM

ottoluv
Do you have point tenderness? meaning is there ONE point that hurts the worst?

Yes, right aroun the biggest lump of swelling. I got the courage up to touch the bruising an swelling, and the first knuckle feels really weird.

You all have a point about taking the hands seriously. I was a violin major in college, and still practice seriously. Piano as well. I would be really upset if something bad happened.

*sigh*...I think I have to go. But my stomach's in knots. Embarrassed

ottoluv
Get checked out! We won't bite, I promise.

I'm taking your word on it! Smile

rwbeagles

Posted : 2/11/2008 11:28:53 PM

it'll be okay...I hope you feel better soon...maybe they'll give you Vicodin?? Devil

Infiniti

Posted : 2/12/2008 3:26:42 AM

rwbeagles
maybe they'll give you Vicodin??

They did! Lol. I'm glad I took everyone's advice. It turns out that my hand's badly bruised and swollen, but no breaks! They said that the bruises are painful, so they set up splints and gave me pills. Thanks so much to everyone who posted, I'm so glad I went!

sl2crmeg

Posted : 2/12/2008 8:10:51 AM

See! You lived!

Now send me Honor and I'll take good care of her while you heal...no snow here Honor! : )

l.michelle

Posted : 2/12/2008 8:20:05 AM

i am glad you went!

You can send me the vico...Honor, I will take care of her!!!

miranadobe

Posted : 2/12/2008 2:07:06 PM

It's so nice to have a good doctor on the forum!! Glad to hear your finger isn't broken - although painful, at least now you have some drugs to help! And a good experience w/doctors under your belt so maybe there will be less hesitation next time you think you might need to go! lol

Here's to a swift recovery!!! Drinks

HoundMusic

Posted : 2/12/2008 3:44:36 PM

     I broke the knuckle of my right index finger about a year and a half ago breaking up a kennel fight. Actually did go to the ER, and the doctors missed the fact that it was broken ... I didn't realize it until nearly a week later and the finger had begun to heal crooked Super Angry What I did to salvage it was to manually straighten out the finger (yeah, that wasn't exactly the hilight of that day) and use a finger splint we got for a few bucks from Rite Aid. It was metal on the outside, foam inside, with bands that allowed me to tighten the splint enough to keep the ringer as straight as possible. Truthfully, that's basically all the doctors can do, unless it's broken in several places, and surgery is required.
     My finger is semi straight today, and after the bone healed, I practiced bending it ... I can now close that finger into a fist (albeit not a tight one), and have most of the dexterity back. I actually can bend the broken knuckle, not quite as far as I can with the good ones, but pretty close! It is very stiff though, and taking MSM for several months afterwards helped trememdously with the healing.

Infiniti

Posted : 2/12/2008 7:16:14 PM

Aww, you guys are so supportive! I appreciate all the thoughts and celebrations. And it looks like Honor's going to have to make the rounds between people that want to take care of her. Smile

HoundMusic
Actually did go to the ER, and the doctors missed the fact that it was broken ... I didn't realize it until nearly a week later and the finger had begun to heal crooked

Wow, I hope that doesn't happen to me! I'm so sorry they didn't catch the break, I'm sure you were infuriated. At least you have a decent level of movement though.

Miranadobe - You're quite right about having a good experience! I was astounded at how comfortable the nurses and doctors made me in the ER. It definitely made me less leery to go back.

Yay! Party!!!

BCMixs

Posted : 2/13/2008 10:22:54 AM

My daughter crushed her thumb knuckle in the garage door track. I thought it would never be functional considering the amount of damage. They did a soft cast like the one described previously and said she'd need physical therapy after it came off, but she started bending and using it right away and hasn't had any lasting effects. Ah, the blessings of youth!

Hope yours is just a bad bruise and turns out alright!

ottoluv

Posted : 2/13/2008 6:58:48 PM

HoundMusic
     I broke the knuckle of my right index finger about a year and a half ago breaking up a kennel fight. Actually did go to the ER, and the doctors missed the fact that it was broken ... I didn't realize it until nearly a week later and the finger had begun to heal crooked What I did to salvage it was to manually straighten out the finger (yeah, that wasn't exactly the hilight of that day) and use a finger splint we got for a few bucks from Rite Aid. It was metal on the outside, foam inside, with bands that allowed me to tighten the splint enough to keep the ringer as straight as possible. Truthfully, that's basically all the doctors can do, unless it's broken in several places, and surgery is required.
     My finger is semi straight today, and after the bone healed, I practiced bending it ... I can now close that finger into a fist (albeit not a tight one), and have most of the dexterity back. I actually can bend the broken knuckle, not quite as far as I can with the good ones, but pretty close! It is very stiff though, and taking MSM for several months afterwards helped trememdously with the healing.

\ Actually some fractures don't show up on x-rays at the time of injury and significant swelling make the clinical diagnosis difficult so what you describe is actually quite common and not necessarily a "missed" injury. For people who have continued symptoms but an initially negative x-ray the standard of care is to repeat it in a week to seven days. You do not need to have your finger broken in several places to fix it. It just depends on where the fracture is and how it is displaced. I'm sooo glad you don't have a break! For someone with musical talent like you infiniti it's great you took your hand health seriously :)

Janet808

Posted : 2/13/2008 7:49:43 PM

Glad to hear it wasn't broken. I know, I smacked my knee so hard and had that same kind of bruising, and thought I broke my knee cap! At least you got something for pain. So, now when your on and you are mumbling some weird crap, and we have no idea what you're talking about, we can blame the drugs, right? LOL Glad that's all it was.