Fractures of the fingers on both the arms and legs are a common occurrence. This can happen when falling, hitting the end of the phalanx on a hard surface, sometimes there is a pinched hand in the door. Toes can be broken on your feet if you drop a heavy object on your foot or catch a leg of a bed or chair while walking fast. Little fingers often suffer.
If such a misfortune happened to you or your loved ones, then distinguishing a fracture is quite simple. The finger cannot be bent, it swells quickly, turns blue and is very sore. In this case, the first thing to do is to immobilize the limb by splinting, if the fracture is closed, apply cold and raise your finger up to reduce swelling of the limb.
If the fracture is open, then the first thing to do is to remove dirt from the wound with water and disinfect the surface with hydrogen peroxide, apply a sterile dressing and splint. It is recommended that the victim be given pain medication.
In the article, we will introduce the reader to how to develop fingers after a fracture, what can be done at home to speed up the rehabilitation process, tell you a set of exercises used for fractures of different phalanges and toes including.
Fracture Treatment
After providing first aid at home, it is urgent to consult a traumatologist or surgeon. Treatment is reduced to immobilization of the phalanx with a simple closed fracture. In the case of a displacement or fragments of bone, an open fracture, surgery is prescribed to restore the correct shape of the bone. To do this, use metal rods, plates and screws.
The bone grows together for at least 4 weeks, and all this time the phalanx is without movement. Naturally, during this time the muscles of the limb atrophy and after treatment and removal of the plaster cast, patients will still be painfully bent for some time. To restore flexibility to the joints, restore blood circulation and motor activity of the phalanx, you will have to listen to the doctor’s recommendations. He can advise physiotherapeutic procedures, massage and physiotherapy, which you can do yourself. We will consider further how to develop fingers after a fracture in different ways.
Rehabilitation stages
Recovery after a fracture of the fingers of the extremities is more effective if the patient uses all possible rehabilitation methods. Consider the benefits of each of them individually:
- Massage can be done in a plaster cast. The blood supply to the sore spot improves and the bone grows faster.
- Proper nutrition also needs to start from the moment of fracture. Food should make up for calcium and silicon lost by the body. It is recommended to eat dairy products, nuts and raisins, persimmons and sesame seeds, hard cheese, sea fish, beans and lentils, celery, spinach, dill and parsley, rhubarb and cabbage. It is good to drink milk and juices, liquid yogurt, treat the patient with jelly or jelly with berries of currant or raspberry.
- Exercises exercise faster develop joints that have been without movement for a long time.
- Baths for fingers reduce swelling, relieve pain, have a positive effect on metabolism.
- Physiotherapy stimulates the rapid healing of the bone, reduces pain and accelerates the blood and lymphatic outflow from the sore spot.
Physiotherapeutic methods
There are several methods that allow you to develop your fingers after a fracture by physiotherapy. Here are some of them:
- High-frequency therapy affects the tissues around the fracture with rays, causing prolonged hyperemia, which enhances the movement of blood and lymph through the vessels. At the same time, tissue metabolism improves and, on the contrary, neuromuscular excitability decreases. The patient feels the pain subside and swelling decreases.
- Magnetotherapy. Magnetic radiation accelerates bone restoration, so such therapy is prescribed even when the patient is in a plaster cast. The procedure promotes calcium metabolism, the development of osteocytes.
- Electrophoresis is prescribed to reduce pain by adding solutions of novocaine. They do it not in the most damaged area, but slightly lower and higher from the fracture site.
- The pulses of interference currents are fed through 4 electrodes with a rhythmic frequency, which improves blood flow and lymph flow, relieves pain and swelling.
Salt baths
One of the effective methods that helps to develop fingers after a fracture is salt baths. These procedures are available at home, however, you must know the rules for the manipulation, so as not to harm.
Restoring fingers with a warm and concentrated solution of sea salt will pass soon. The thermal effect of the baths enhances the immune processes, enhances blood flow through the vessels, and tissue regeneration. The pain is dull, the swelling of the limb is removed. Warm water penetrates to the joints, removing inflammatory processes.
The temperature of the bath should not exceed 42 degrees. You need to start the procedure from 10 minutes and gradually bring your fingers in the solution to 20. After the procedure, rinsing off the salt under the tap is not recommended; it is better to wet your fingers with a dry cloth and wrap the limb with a towel, cover with a blanket, put on warm socks or compression gloves.
It is advisable not to go outside immediately and do something at home after the procedure, but lie down for half an hour so that the effect lasts longer.
Contraindications to the procedure
Before you develop your fingers after a fracture, you need to consult a doctor, since it is not always possible to make baths with salt solution. Do not carry out the procedure if:
- there are damage to the skin or purulent formations;
- any inflammatory, chronic processes or tumors are present;
- a person suffers from high blood pressure;
- there is thrombosis or tuberculosis.
It is also forbidden to make baths for children, pregnant women or women who are breast-feeding a baby.
The dosage of salt and water should be determined by your doctor.
Finger massage after fracture
With a fracture of the fingers, it is possible to massage the diseased limb after the first week of wearing a plaster cast. They do this with gentle, stroking movements above and below the site of injury. Stroking and light tapping will speed up blood circulation in an immobilized limb, which will accelerate wound healing. After a fracture of the fingers, it is recommended to even tap and pat the plaster itself. The patient can do massage movements on her own, use only fingertips. You need to do this daily, for 5 to 7 minutes.
After the bandage is removed, you need to gently knead the recovered finger. Massage strokes begin over the fracture site and gradually expand the area of impact. Physical pressure should be gentle. It is advisable to make warm baths before the massage. Even plain water can relax muscles and relieve tension in ligaments.
Finger development after fracture
The most effective means of rehabilitation after a fracture of the fingers is considered therapeutic gymnastics. You can do the exercises after removing the cast at home. Before exercise, rub your palms of your hands to warm your muscles. Then put the brush on the surface of the table, palms up. Raising them, you need to touch the back of the little fingers and return to its original position.
Put your palms on the table and lift all your fingers together up. In this case, the palm itself does not come off the table surface.
You can fix the warm-up by rotational movements of the brushes clockwise and counterclockwise.
Phalanx exercise
Consider a set of exercises for the fingers that will help to effectively develop the motor activity of the phalanges of the hand.
- Put your fingers in a fist and open them to the sides.
- Make a lock and open the phalanges.
- Rub your palms in the "lock" position, moving them left and right.
- Put your palm on the surface of the table and fingering it, as if playing the piano.
- Fasten the fingers of both hands into the lock and turn the palms outward.
- Alternately raise each finger up from the table. In this case, the palm does not rise.
- Exercise "Caterpillar". They make it on a flat surface, the palm then opens, then the fingers fold into a fist. The hand gradually moves forward, as if imitating the movement of an insect.
- Snapping fingers in turn using the thumb.
Ball exercises
If it hurts you to immediately put your fingers in a fist, you can use a soft foam or rubber ball. Holding it in the palm of your hand, you can do the same exercises, only the range of motion will be different.
- Squeeze a sponge or ball in the palm of your hand and unclench it to its original position.
- Place a ball or simple sponge between your fingers and try to push.
- Roll the ball back and forth with your palm on the table.
Do all movements 10 times daily, only from regular classes in the near future you will see a positive result.
Thumb
Restoring the main finger takes more time. After the fracture, the further labor activity of a person depends on the state of the thumb. Therefore, it is he who needs to be given increased attention.
- Bending your fingers into a fist, close and open your thumb, pushing it to the side.
- The same thing, only hide the phalanx inside the fist and expose it outside.
- Touch all fingers in turn big.
- Repeat the same, only connect your fingers through one.
- Exercise "Salt food", an imitation of the process of pouring salt.
- "Lighter". Flick the lighter with a finger.
For toes
If you had a broken toe, then after a long immobilization you will have to do exercises immediately for the entire foot. Before the gym, massage the foot on top and on the sole.
Sit comfortably on a sofa or chair and first knead the joints with rotational foot movements clockwise and in the opposite direction.
Open your fingers to the end in different directions and collect them together and, conversely, squeeze all the fingers inside the foot and relax in the starting position.
Gather small objects, such as pencils, scattered across the floor with your toes.
Standing near a chair, hold on to the back for confidence and stand up on your toes, standing on your “chicks”.
Repeat all exercises several times, increasing the number to 10.
Additional load
If you still do not know how to develop your fingers after a fracture, then a few useful daily activities can be advised. They can be done in front of the TV or by reading a book. Sprinkle different types of beans on the table and play Cinderella, sorting out the small elements and stacking them in different bowls.
You can scatter matches on the table and simply collect them or make an animal figure out of them or write a note to a child.
For those working on a computer, keyboard support will be of great help to a faster recovery. Use a sore finger when typing. It will be a wonderful gymnastics, without leaving your workplace.
If you are engaged in needlework, then do not interrupt your activities with embroidery, quilling, modular origami or knitting. All these types of creativity involve fine motor skills of the hands. And if you take plasticine or dough, then in addition to the motor activity of the phalanges, you will make a good massage of the entire brush.
Promotes better recovery after a fracture and playing musical instruments - guitar and piano, accordion or button accordion.
With a child who broke a finger on his hand, you can put puzzles, create a beautiful picture from the mosaic elements, play a constructor, for example, "Lego".
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to help your fingers recover after an injury. Engage them alternately and the result will please quite quickly. Be healthy!