Fingers are one of the most commonly injured areas of the body. Since we use our hands so much, our fingers are exposed to a number of things that can injure them. When it comes to car accident injuries, wrists, hands, and fingers are the most frequently broken, and it can be difficult to know what to do next when you’re feeling pain after an accident. If your finger or hand is hurting, you may be tempted to brush off the pain as typical soreness from the accident, but this type of pain shouldn’t be ignored. Most likely, you won’t be able to ignore finger pain for long anyway, even if you want to, due simply to how much you use your hands.
If you think your finger may be broken or you’re curious about the cause of your finger pain after an accident, be sure to get it checked out with a Marietta orthopedics specialist. Their expertise will allow you to get to the root cause of your pain and get effective treatment quickly. The two main ways to determine if your finger is broken after a car accident include the finger’s physical appearance and how the finger feels.
Physical Appearance
While looking at the physical appearance will not always definitively confirm a broken finger, it’s a good starting point. Sometimes, a broken finger is obvious—it looks deformed or bent and there is no denying the injury. Other times, you may have injured a finger but only suspect a minor strain or sprain, or maybe you just jammed it really bad.
Look for swelling, bruising, and redness, as these are all common with broken fingers. When a finger is broken, the swelling may spread to other fingers or even the hand. Bruising can occur within minutes of the break occurring, or it can take several days to manifest.
It’s important to note that while a different than normal physical appearance can be a good indicator of a broken finger, a lack of changes in appearance are not necessarily signs that the finger is not broken. Sometimes breaks are minor and the finger may not show any physical signs of the fracture. It’s important to be aware of the second sign of a broken finger—how it feels—as you decide when to visit a Marietta orthopedics office after your car accident.
Pain, Tenderness, & Stiffness
You use your hands for nearly every task you complete. If your finger is broken or otherwise injured, you will feel it. It may not feel like you expect, so be aware of the different sensations that can indicate a broken finger after a car accident.
The first indicator is pain. This may be a dull ache, a sharp stabbing pain, a radiating pain, or something else. If you have a broken finger, the pain will not subside after a few days like it might with another finger injury, so any sort of lingering or long-lasting pain should definitely be looked at by a Marietta orthopedics specialist.
Tenderness upon touching is another sign of a possible broken finger. Particularly if you notice bruising, swelling, or redness, the tenderness will likely coincide with the area that looks different, and even it doesn’t lessen within a few days, you definitely need to seek the care of an injury doctor.
Stiffness may occur due to the swelling, and feelings of numbness or tingling sensations may result from that as well. Stiffness can sometimes happen after a car accident because of the abrupt jolt of the accident, but this is not typically present in the hand and fingers, meaning that finger stiffness is likely an indicator of a finger injury that needs care.
Getting Treatment for Finger Pain
If you think you may have a broken finger after a car accident, it’s important to seek injury care promptly. While a few days delay may not bring about long-term problems, delaying treatment of a broken finger for several weeks can lengthen healing time and result in a reduced poor range of motion after the injury has healed. Since our hands are used so frequently, you should take precautions to get quality care quickly when you have a finger injury as it can significantly impact your quality of life and overall wellbeing.
AICA Orthopedics has a Marietta orthopedics clinic that can take care of you after an accident, for everything from broken fingers to back pain and headaches to knee pain. Schedule your appointment today to get your injury evaluated and to begin treatment soon for optimal health and healing.