Smashed Finger

Visualize this - You are working with a hammer, repairing a wooden frame or the likes. You hold a nail on the spot, in order to fix the frame. Raising the hammer, you are ready for a blow and ouch! As luck would have it, it is the finger you smashed and the nail remained unscathed. This ladies and gentlemen, might not be an out-of-the-world situation for quite a few of us. A smashed finger can be really painful. In case, you want to know what to do about it, the text to come, will be helpful.

Symptoms and Causes

Bruising of the finger or the fingernail, finger pain, broken fingernail or complete loss of fingernail and swelling are some of the symptoms of a smashed finger. As far as the causes are concerned, as mentioned earlier, a finger can get smashed by a hammer or while coming in the way of a closing car door, your finger can get jammed in a drawer or during sports activity. Okay, now that we have checked the symptoms and causes of a finger getting smashed, let's take a look at the cures.

Treatment

The first thing you need to see is, to gauge the seriousness of the injury. See if there are any deformities and fracture. In that case, seek professional medical attention. If that is not the case, immediately apply ice to the thumb or the finger on the affected spot. This will decrease the swelling and soothe the pain as well. Also, take over-the-counter pain medications for pain relief. In addition to that, here are the different scenarios related to smashed fingers.

Swelling and Bruising
For dealing with swelling and bruising, ice pack is perfect or soaking the finger in cold water can work well for curing the injured finger.

Nail Injury
If the growth palate of the fingernail is destroyed, the fingernail would not grow. But if that is not the case, then do not worry, the nail will grow back. Carefully place the broken part of the nail back on the unharmed nail bed and put a bandage over it. The new nail will grow beneath the old and the broken nail would be lifted.

Blood Clots
There is no medical care needed, unless the injury is extremely painful and throbbing for blood clots. But you can probably try the following before you go to the doctor. Heat the end of a bent paper clip over an open flame till red hot. While it is hot, get the tip of the pin in contact with the injured fingernail. As you get the nail in contact with the clip, a hole will be created in the nail. Once you remove the clip, the blood will be let out through that hole. If this does not happen, do it again till that happens and the pressure is eased out. Follow that up with soaking the finger in warm water with few drops of disinfectant for 2 minutes, four times a day for a couple of days to treat your smashed finger. While doing all this however, make sure that you have consulted your doctor.

Lack of Movement
If the finger does not move properly and seems as if it is broken or it is dislocated, see a doctor.

If all this does not work, call the doctor or go and visit the doctor if the finger seems to be deformed or is not moving. It is advisable to do this as soon as possible after the injury!

This is where I sign off! Take Care!