We’ve all experienced finger injuries in our lifetime and for a magnitude of reasons…ranging from something as simple as a bruise or cut when preparing a meal in the kitchen, or for a more serious one such as it being crushed in the way of slamming door.
However, a Finger Dislocation is a totally different type of injury. As the word dislocation suggests displacement or dislodgement of the finger bone from the joints. Yes, Finger Dislocation is a much more distressing condition which requires immediate medical intervention and more so by an Orthopaedic Specialist.
In this post, we’ll look at some of the causes, visible symptoms, and the treatment options should you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of having a Dislocated Finger.
Common Causes of Finger Dislocation
The cause of a Finger Dislocation is either “jamming” your finger on the end of the fingertip with an excessive force, or it may be caused if your finger becomes overextended in a particular direction. This can happen when experiencing a fall…landing wrongly on the outstretched hand perhaps trying to desperately get hold of something to avert the fall.
One of the most common cause resulting in Finger Dislocation is a Sports Injury. It can happen when you’re playing a variety of sports such as basketball or baseball and having the ball jam your finger. Finger Dislocation is also common in the game of cricket where hands and wrists are at high risk of impact.
Or it can be getting your finger caught in sports equipment or other type of equipment and pull your finger out of its normal placement.
Visible clues of a Dislocated Finger
Typically, when you have dislocated your finger you’re going to know it. It’s visible and not a subtle injury that you may question.
Your finger will look either crooked or bent in an odd shape and it will be quite painful and distressing followed by swelling. You may also experience numbness or tingling in the finger and the finger will start to look pales as well.
In the worst scenarios, depending on how severe the finger injury was, it even may break/rupture the skin when you have a finger dislocation.
Treating a Dislocated Finger
Any sign of a finger dislocation calls for a trip to an Orthopaedic or Emergency Room Doctor. You need to have the finger put back into place before any permanent damage is done. The longer you wait to receive treatment, it can make it more difficult to put it back into place or can cause irreversible damage.
Before you get to the doctor, make sure to remove any items of jewelry, watch, etc from the injured finger if you have any on. Travel to the doctor’s office with ice on your hand.
Once you arrive at the medical center or hospital, they will most likely give you a local anaesthetic or some pain medications via IV or mouth so that the doctor can put your finger back into its proper place.
Thereafter, you may receive either a splint or have your finger taped to the healthy one next to it. This will help it to heal and prevent any chance of it slipping back out of place during healing.
Treatment options would vary with the severity of the injury. In cases where torn ligaments and broken bones are involved then surgery and K-wire Fixation may be carried out. At Singapore Sport & Orthopaedic Clinic our specialist team have helped many patients recover from Finger Dislocation conditions. Call us today, we are here to serve you.
