A large number of people often experience discomfort when they accidentally hit their little fingers on furniture. However, such cases are common. Sometimes such a blow is completely insignificant, so unpleasant sensations pass quite quickly. However, if the blow is quite strong, then there may even be a bruise or a fracture of the little finger on the leg. What do such cases do? We describe further.
Causes of fracture
The little finger has a rather complex structure, but at the same time it is very fragile. That is why often a person can get injured, bruised or fractured by this finger. At the same time, there is a risk of damaging it, even if you just inadvertently tuck your leg while playing outdoor games, or dropping a heavy object on your fingers. Most often, this problem affects the elderly. This is due to the fact that their bones are very fragile. Often a fracture of a finger (little finger) on the foot can occur due to diseases that affect bone strength. Such diseases include osteomyelitis, osteoporosis, as well as tumor or tuberculosis inflammation.
Types of Fractures
Fracture can be either open or closed, bone displacement can occur. Pathology can also be complete or incomplete, simple or complex, as well as intraarticular.
If it is an open fracture, then the bone will be visible to the naked eye. In this case, the skin will be severely damaged. What distinguishes a closed one is that when it does not violate the integrity of the tissues. If we are talking about a fracture with displacement, then here all the bone fragments will move from place. In the case of a complete fracture, the bones will move away from each other, cracks or breaks can occur if it is incomplete. If we are talking about disruption of one phalanx, then such a fracture is considered simple. With a complex finger, it will be broken in several places at once. Also often fragmented bone. In this case, the treatment becomes quite lengthy and difficult. An intra-articular fracture of the little finger on the leg occurs when the blow came just on the joint and violated it. Treatment in this case is slightly different.
Differences from bruising
A rather topical issue is how to distinguish a fracture from a bruise. Consider some of the factors that will allow this to be done. Firstly, when a fracture occurs, the finger has an unusual location. Injured bones crunch. The ability to independently move your finger is missing. With a fracture, there is pain that increases over time. Puffiness will spread to healthy areas of the foot. At the same time, 0 unlike bruises, it does not subside even after first aid.
If the symptoms differ from the above, then we are talking about bruises. In order to avoid errors in the diagnosis, it is imperative to take an x-ray. Now everyone knows how to distinguish a bruise from a broken little toe. You should be careful not to confuse the disease.
Symptoms
Symptoms of a fracture occur immediately. The first thing you need to pay attention to is a sharp and throbbing pain. However, it does not stop for a rather long time. A person cannot move his finger without severe pain, hematoma, hemorrhage under the skin, violation of the integrity of the surface also occur, crunching may occur during palpation. The finger has an unnatural location, and it also swells a lot. If not the whole finger is broken, but the phalanx, then a person has about the same symptoms. However, it is impossible to bend. Symptoms of a fracture of the little finger on the leg - this is the first reason because of which you should immediately consult a doctor.
First aid
If a person cannot immediately consult a doctor, then he needs to do everything possible in order to get rid of unpleasant situations further. That is why it is necessary to initially completely fix the little finger so that there is no load on it. If there is bleeding, then it must be stopped immediately. Next, the wound needs to be washed and treated with alcohol. To relieve puffiness, you can use a cold compress. It must be applied for twenty minutes. You can fix the little finger with a bandage, it can be wound to the next finger. The foot should be kept only in a raised state. If there is very severe pain with a fracture of the little finger of the foot, then painkillers can be taken.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis is carried out directly on the patient's complaints. In this case, you need to pay attention to both relative and absolute symptoms. In order to fully diagnose, it is necessary to take an x-ray. It should be noted that the usual signs of a fracture of the little finger on the leg (in the form of pain and the inability to bend the finger) are not one hundred percent evidence of bone damage.
Treatment
Of course, the most important question is how to treat the little finger. It should be noted that the fracture of a given toe is much more complicated than the same on the arm. As a rule, the little finger on the upper limb grows together and does not cause any particular trouble.
In order to choose the right therapy to treat a leg injury, you must first determine the type of fracture, as well as its severity. First you need to start with the use of pain medication. If there is a wound, then it must be disinfected. It is advisable for the victim to administer a solution with a special antibiotic in order to avoid infection of the body. Only after that it is worth applying gypsum.
If we are talking about a closed fracture of the little finger on the leg, the photo of which is presented in the article, then it is necessary to use conservative treatment. You can prescribe painkillers, while the finger should be completely immobilized. At the moment, a special synthetic material called scotchcast is used. It allows you to fix the little finger so that a person could not damage it again. Plaster for fracture of the little finger on the leg is also quite often used. It is an alternative, more obsolete method.
If a person has a fracture of the nail phalanx, then it is necessary to perforate the nail. This is necessary in order to get rid of blood if it accumulated under it. With such a fracture, gypsum is not applied. The little finger is simply wound to the fourth finger with a patch. Walking in this condition takes about 2 weeks.
If the middle or main phalanx is damaged, then the doctor imposes a special material that must be removed after a month. If we are talking about a complex fracture, then in this case a reposition of the bones is carried out. This procedure should be performed only under general anesthesia.
If the patient has an intra-articular fracture, then the treatment will be much more serious than described above. Surgeon intervention is often required. In order for the bone to grow together correctly, it is often used in knitting needles. They fix the crushed bone.
Very great difficulties arise in order to restore the finger. After the fracture of the little finger on the leg, it is necessary to impose plaster. However, because of this, cartilage functions in the joint may be impaired. That is why, two weeks after the application of this material, it is already necessary to start developing the joint. With such an injury, treatment should be started immediately. Many are interested in how to quickly cure a fracture of the little finger on the leg. However, in order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand how long the bone fusion takes. As a rule, complete regeneration occurs in only two months. However, this is the minimum period in the absence of complications. If the treatment is incorrectly prescribed, and the person does not follow the recommendations, the healing process may increase. For the entire period of therapy, it is necessary to leave the little finger in a stationary state, it is forbidden to step on the foot. It is advisable to constantly keep the affected limb in high condition.
Folk remedies
In some cases, after consulting with your doctor, you can use alternative methods. There are many recipes that will help relieve symptoms, as well as improve blood circulation. To do the latter, it is necessary to use special warming. You can apply for such purposes baths with the addition of herbs in the form of wormwood, chamomile and St. John's wort.
One good remedy is burdock roots. Rinse and dry them. Next you need to pour olive or sunflower oil and let it brew for about a day. For fifteen minutes it needs to be heated over low heat, it is impossible to bring to a boil. Such broth is recommended to be stored away from the sun, best of all in glass containers.
The second good recipe is the use of ammonia, camphor and laundry soap. The latter must be specially rubbed. Next, in the mixture you need to add turpentine, as well as oil lamp. Stir well. All these solutions must be applied to the finger and wait for relief. A few days after the injury, compresses and treatments can be done. Such therapy should not be performed for more than two weeks.
In order to do a similar procedure, you can use several recipes. For example, you can mix vegetable oil, vinegar and boiled water. Proportions should be equal. Next, you need to take oak bark, daisies, pour them with boiling water. In this case, one tablespoon of plants should be equal to 200 milliliters of boiling water. Next, you need to let him insist. Then you should mix the bark of linden, as well as lemon zest. It is necessary to fill this mixture with vodka and let it brew for the first four days.
Rehabilitation process
In order to speed up the rehabilitation process, it is necessary to use physiotherapeutic procedures, massage and gymnastics. Doctors often prescribe injections of vitamins. In order to improve the functioning of nerve endings, neurostimulation should be used. The rehabilitation process can last up to six months. It completely depends on the severity of the fracture of the little finger on the leg.
Effects
As with any other injury, a fracture can cause complications. If a person injures his little finger, he may have hematoma under the nail, arthrosis, and pain may also appear after treatment. There may be discomfort while walking, as well as displacement of the finger.
Summary
As a result, it must be emphasized that many confuse the fracture of the little finger with a bruise. In addition to the above symptoms of a little finger fracture on the leg, it is also necessary to highlight some nuances that will make it possible to understand whether a person has a bruise or not. If the patient knocks on the tip of the finger and he does not have acute pain, then most likely this is a normal bruise. If a person cannot move with his finger, this does not mean that there is a fracture. This condition can also be in the case if the patient has a severe tissue contusion. If a person has a suspicion of a fracture, it is urgent to go to the hospital and take an x-ray. As soon as the first signs of this disease appear, it is recommended to immediately contact a traumatologist. Only he can prescribe adequate treatment.