Are You Sick?

Is this your symptom?

• Injury to the skin or nail of the finger
• Injury to a bone, muscle, joint, or ligament of the finger

Some Basics...

• There are many ways that people can injure their fingers.
• There are also many types of finger injuries. There are bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and muscles in the fingers. These can all be injured.
• Treatment depends on the type of injury a person has. A doctor will know the right way to treat a finger injury.

Types of Injuries

• Abrasion: this is the medical term for scraped skin. This happens when an injury scrapes off the top layer of the skin. An example is when people "scrape" their knuckles. Pain is usually mild. This can usually be treated at home.
• Contusion: this is the medical term for bruise. It is caused by a direct blow to the skin and muscles. The skin is not broken, and there is no cut. The bruised skin may first look red, then purple, and finally orange-yellow. These skin color changes are from blood that leaked from tiny torn blood vessels in the bruised area. The skin may also be swollen. Pain is usually mild to moderate. Bruises are tender to touch. Most often this can be treated at home.
• Cut - Superficial: superficial cuts (scratches) only go part of the way through the skin and rarely become infected. A scratch is an injury to the skin made by a sharp edge. For example, scratches can be caused by fingernails, a sharp nail, a piece of metal, or a branch of a tree or bush. A paper cut is a scratch from the edge of a piece of paper. This can usually be treated at home.
• Cut - Deep: deep cuts (lacerations) go through the skin. A laceration is caused by cutting the skin with the sharp edge of an object. Lacerations longer than ½ inch (12 mm) usually need sutures (stitches).
• Dislocation: this is when a bone comes out of the joint. The joint always looks crooked or deformed. The pain can be moderate to severe. A person with this problem should go to the doctor right away. A doctor will treat this by pulling the finger bone back into the joint socket.
• Fracture: this is the medical term for a broken bone. It means the same thing as a break or crack in the bone. The pain is severe and there is often marked swelling. The type of treatment needed depends on the type of fracture. Usually a person with a finger broken finger just needs a splint. A person with a bad fracture may need surgery.
• Sprain (Jammed Finger): a sprain is the medical term used when ligaments are torn or over-stretched. Ligaments are the bands of tissue that connect bones to each other. For example, this can happen when a person catches a basketball and the ball jams the fingertip. Pain and swelling can range from mild to severe. Minor sprains heal themselves with time and rest. Usually a person with a finger sprain just needs a splint.
• Smashed or Crushed Fingertip: this injury most often results from smashing a finger in a door. It can also happen from a heavy object like a hammer hitting the finger. Most often, the fingertip gets a few cuts, a blood blister, or a bruise. Sometimes the nail is damaged. Rarely, the fingertip bone can get broken.
• Bruised Fingernail (blood under the fingernail): it is caused by a crush injury to the fingertip. It can happen when a heavy object like a hammer hits the finger. The more blood under the nail, the more it hurts. If the pain is severe, the pressure may need to be released to help the pain go away. This is best done by a doctor or other trained provider. It involves making a small hole in the nail to release the blood. A rule of thumb is that this may be needed if blood is under more than half of the nail. The fingernail sometimes falls off after this type of injury. If it does, a new nail will grow back in 6 to 12 weeks.

Pain Scale

• None: no pain. Pain score is 0 on a scale of 0 to 10.
• Mild: the pain does not keep you from work, school, or other normal activities. Pain score is 1-3 on a scale of 0 to 10.
• Moderate: the pain keeps you from working or going to school. It wakes you up from sleep. Pain score is 4-7 on a scale of 0 to 10.
• Severe: the pain is very bad. It may be worse than any pain you have had before. It keeps you from doing any normal activities. Pain score is 8-10 on a scale of 0 to 10.

When are Stitches Needed?

• Any cut that is split open or gaping most likely needs stitches. Cuts longer than ½ inch (12 mm) most often need stitches.
• A doctor should look at any open wound that may need stitches. This is the case regardless of the time passed since the injury.