What to do if a bruised finger?

"A bruised finger, what should I do?" - Patients ask their doctors about this quite often. And for good reason. After all, such an injury is very painful and greatly interferes with everyday life, especially if several phalanges were bruised on the right working hand.

Types of injuries

In medical practice, such injuries are divided into several types:

1. Injury of the phalanx of the finger with a dislocation.
2. Bruise with a fracture.
3. A bruise with a hematoma under the nail plate.
4. Bruise with damage to the skin.
5. Minor bruise without any external injuries and complications.

In the first four cases, the victim should definitely visit a specialist. After all, if a bone is broken, there is a dislocation or torn tissue, urgent medical attention will be required , otherwise severe suppuration can go. If a person simply bruised a finger of a hand without any complications, injuries and other things, then it is not necessary to contact specialists.

Causes and symptoms

Such a trauma can be received by both a child and an adult. As a rule, the causes of injury are a blow to the fingers with a blunt object, an unsuccessful fall of a person on the arm, and others. In any case, with such an injury, the soft tissues are pressed quite tightly against the bones, which entails changes in their structure. That is why, if a person has a bruised finger, he will soon begin to observe the following symptoms:

• internal bleeding will open , as a result of which hematomas form;
• pain will appear, especially with pressure;
• the finger is swollen;
• the skin turns red significantly;
• finger mobility worsens;
• abrasions will appear on the skin;
• damaged nail plates turn black and exfoliate.

Injury of the finger joint: treatment and first aid

First aid for such injuries is as follows:

• Immediately immobilize the phalanx and provide immobilization. If possible, the finger should be fixed by bandaging it to the adjacent healthy joint.
• Cold should be applied to the damaged area.
• If you have not just a bruise, but also an open wound, then it should be treated with hydrogen peroxide, and then apply a bandage.

If you or someone from your loved ones has severely bruised your finger, then after first aid it must be taken to the hospital and take a picture of the injured phalanx. Such a study will exclude a possible fracture, and the doctor will be able to proceed to conservative treatment. As a rule, such therapy includes the administration of pain medications (oral or local), as well as vitamins and minerals. If the resulting wound is crushed, it is treated with ointment, which contains an antibiotic. This will avoid further complications in the form of the spread of infection. With minor bruises, which are accompanied by only a slight swelling and redness, doctors advise at home to use pharmacy ointments with anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to the use of such creams, the damaged area will very soon heal and recover.