Broken little finger help please

[zoec18]

I have a broken finger and have to get my little finger re broken if hand therapy doesn't work. I can not bend my finger in the middle part it is too painful. The hand therapy will not see me until a couple of weeks as there is a waiting list is there anything I can do in the mean time. do you think I need to see my GP to get another referral to a different doctor??

[HeronNS]

What's the reason your finger won't bend? Is it arthritis?

[zoec18 in reply to HeronNS]

its broken

[HeronNS in reply to zoec18]

So it healed improperly?

[zoec18 in reply to HeronNS]

I think so I had re xray an its not joining the bone properly

[HeronNS in reply to zoec18]

You migth be able to do something while you wait for the appointment. I found this:

myhealth.alberta.ca/health/...

Don't do anything if it hurts more than a little bit. Gentle massage may help, too. Take finger and thumb of the opposite hand, hold the affected knuckle and gently make a circular motion, moving the skin over the knuckle, rotating three times in each direction. Again, if it hurts, stop.

[HeronNS in reply to zoec18]

Oh if the bone is not knitting properly I don't think you should try any manipulation. Ignore my previous reply. Try to get the trip to the specialist speeded up if you can.

[zoec18 in reply to HeronNS]

I have seen the consultant and he just sent me to the hand therapy

[HeronNS in reply to zoec18]

Did they give you any advice about what to do (or not do) in the meantime? Maybe your GP can help with that.

[zoec18 in reply to HeronNS]

no nothing

[HeronNS in reply to zoec18]

Eat plenty of protein to give the bone something to work with as it heals. Good luck!

[DeannaAlphi]

Hi. Bone needs time to heal. When I broke my thumb they didn't even xray it. They said they wouldn't do anything for it anyway, same with toes. Broke my wrist a year ago it has healed deformed, I have restricted movement and it is always painful. Had hand therapy for months. It is strenghthening exercises and encouragement to use our hands. What was helpful was the tip to soak the injured part in hot water before and after exercise. It helps the pain and sometimes allows more movement. They had a container of warm melted candle wax which we sometimes dipped our hands into to make a warming glove and wrapped a towel around it to retain the warmth. Hot water, not too hot, did the same thing. They had a selection of "toys" for us to play with, eg, play dough stuff like putty and bits of foam to squeeze. Any thing really to encourage strength and movement. Hope this helps. Xx

[DeannaAlphi in reply to DeannaAlphi]

Forgot to say. I'm waiting for a date to have my wrist re broken and set with a plate. This is a year after I broke it. Hand therapy helped to a degree. Probably will have to go through it all again after they operate. Strange isn't it? We take our fingers for granted until we lose their use or strength. Keep fit classes never include fingers.

I'm learning to play the ukelele as a fun way to try and help regain better use of my fingers. They lost their strength because the cast was too tight for so long while the wrist healed. Hoping the operation will allow me to play properly as at the moment my wrist wont move enough to hold the uke properly.

Hope your finger improves. Dido xx