Dislocated finger
March 27, 2023 11:35 AM Subscribe
Two weeks ago I dislocated my finger. I have a finger specialist and OT, so you don't need to be either of those things. Instead, I'd really like to know if you dislocated a finger how long until you got flexibility back. What you did that helped (or didn't)?
My finger was relocated by Urgent Care within an hour of the dislocation and put in a splint. I iced and kept elevated and saw a proper finger/wrist specialist a few days later. The splint I was in was wrong for the condition and made things worse, so the Ortho removed it and sent me to occupational therapy for a custom splint and home exercises for flexibility and strength. Yay! It has been a few days with the proper splint and exercises (which I have been doing as directed), but I'm frustrated with the stiffness and pain. I've heard it can take weeks to months for full recovery. Ugh.
Please give me a reality check. If you've dislocated a finger: did you ice? massage? what did you do to deal with stiffness? give me your tips, please
My finger was relocated by Urgent Care within an hour of the dislocation and put in a splint. I iced and kept elevated and saw a proper finger/wrist specialist a few days later. The splint I was in was wrong for the condition and made things worse, so the Ortho removed it and sent me to occupational therapy for a custom splint and home exercises for flexibility and strength. Yay! It has been a few days with the proper splint and exercises (which I have been doing as directed), but I'm frustrated with the stiffness and pain. I've heard it can take weeks to months for full recovery. Ugh.
Please give me a reality check. If you've dislocated a finger: did you ice? massage? what did you do to deal with stiffness? give me your tips, please
Best answer: Been there, bought the splint. Mine is a cautionary tale.
Three years ago a horse pulled back and bent and twisted my ring-finger, but like an idiot, I decided to tough it out. Bought the splint--didn't work, so I taped it together with the middle finger for two months. After that, I used it doing maintenance and working with my horses despite another 4 months of miserable pain.
About a 18mos out, I got disgusted with it since it was still mildly sore with use, and happened to be at the primary docs for another issue, so I asked about it. Long and the short, a following Ortho exam showed the tendon had been severely torn, a sliver of bone separated, and I was clean out of luck because surgery most likely wouldn't be successful because it had healed so wonky.
The end result is a big fat finger from the hand to the last knuckle that won't close properly into a fist and is 4 sizes larger than my wedding band. I can't get the finger fixed and haven't bothered to resized the wedding band. Doesn't hurt any more, though!
So, don't be an idiot like me. Do all the exercises, but don't overdo, take your anti-inflammatory, rest, ice, and elevate for pain. Be a smart patient who listens to the Ortho and PT. Heat will make it feel better, but ice is best for inflammation. It most likely hurt for 2-2 1/2 months, but will gradually hurt less, and after you won't notice it except for a minor ache with over-use for about 6-7 months out. Yes, it will probably take 10-12 months to be fully healed to full strength, but unless you're doing something dumb, like working a resistant horse, you won't notice it.
Thus ends my story.
posted by BlueHorse at 2:11 PM on March 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Three years ago a horse pulled back and bent and twisted my ring-finger, but like an idiot, I decided to tough it out. Bought the splint--didn't work, so I taped it together with the middle finger for two months. After that, I used it doing maintenance and working with my horses despite another 4 months of miserable pain.
About a 18mos out, I got disgusted with it since it was still mildly sore with use, and happened to be at the primary docs for another issue, so I asked about it. Long and the short, a following Ortho exam showed the tendon had been severely torn, a sliver of bone separated, and I was clean out of luck because surgery most likely wouldn't be successful because it had healed so wonky.
The end result is a big fat finger from the hand to the last knuckle that won't close properly into a fist and is 4 sizes larger than my wedding band. I can't get the finger fixed and haven't bothered to resized the wedding band. Doesn't hurt any more, though!
So, don't be an idiot like me. Do all the exercises, but don't overdo, take your anti-inflammatory, rest, ice, and elevate for pain. Be a smart patient who listens to the Ortho and PT. Heat will make it feel better, but ice is best for inflammation. It most likely hurt for 2-2 1/2 months, but will gradually hurt less, and after you won't notice it except for a minor ache with over-use for about 6-7 months out. Yes, it will probably take 10-12 months to be fully healed to full strength, but unless you're doing something dumb, like working a resistant horse, you won't notice it.
Thus ends my story.
posted by BlueHorse at 2:11 PM on March 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I did not quiiite dislocate but sprained the shit out of my non-dominant thumb in mid-September, and the worst lesson I learned is how ridiculously easy they are to re-injure. The primary vector was in my sleep - even splinted, I'd grab and yank the covers, shove it into the pillow, stick it under my head, grab at things in dreams, bonk it on myself and others.
I don't think I stopped routinely yelping several times a day for about eight weeks, which was also how long I had obviously-limited range of motion. It probably stopped hurting undisturbed after 3 weeks, though that was dependent on my NOT doing something inadvertent so that it proceeded to ache for hours. I also had some exercises to do and sometimes those left me aching for a while too.
I was told I could use cold packs whenever, and modest ibuprofen, and I also used CBD salve that gave me better relief than the ibuprofen most of the time (though the two together were how I'd get back to sleep after a sheet-clutching incident). I was told specifically not to do any proper massage because of joint instability, since I was at risk of actually dislocating now that the connective tissue was all loosey-goosey, but that I could, like, fingertip-rub around the base if it helped with pain relief, and I was cleared to use a massage gun on the rest of my arm and shoulder, which did sometimes complain from the various weird ways I was holding my arm to favor my hand. I was also okayed to do my exercises either in a warm shower or just before one if it helped with pain.
I'm sure by the time I then did a very similar thing to my knee in December it was back to probably 90% pain free and range of motion. I could use a cane with my left hand when needed and the pressure/grip caused no pain. But I also just now got a bowl out of the microwave and it twinged, so that last 10% is slow going, and I definitely still have slightly less range of motion in the bad thumb versus the good (but also that's my dominant thumb so maybe it's always been slightly better and I wouldn't have noticed).
I recommend keeping a general daily log of your pain, mobility, and nature of discomfort/lack of motion. My PT has me doing this with my knee because I have several separate problems: joint damage right in the place where my knee did the bad thing, and then alllll that supporting connective/soft tissue I sprained that has their own various healing paths before they can properly hold my knee in place again. I get it now, because early on my most intrusive pain was the tendons all the way down and I initially reported zero pain under/at the patella for probably six weeks. It seems clear now that I do have some kind of meniscus issue that needs to be followed up on.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:12 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't think I stopped routinely yelping several times a day for about eight weeks, which was also how long I had obviously-limited range of motion. It probably stopped hurting undisturbed after 3 weeks, though that was dependent on my NOT doing something inadvertent so that it proceeded to ache for hours. I also had some exercises to do and sometimes those left me aching for a while too.
I was told I could use cold packs whenever, and modest ibuprofen, and I also used CBD salve that gave me better relief than the ibuprofen most of the time (though the two together were how I'd get back to sleep after a sheet-clutching incident). I was told specifically not to do any proper massage because of joint instability, since I was at risk of actually dislocating now that the connective tissue was all loosey-goosey, but that I could, like, fingertip-rub around the base if it helped with pain relief, and I was cleared to use a massage gun on the rest of my arm and shoulder, which did sometimes complain from the various weird ways I was holding my arm to favor my hand. I was also okayed to do my exercises either in a warm shower or just before one if it helped with pain.
I'm sure by the time I then did a very similar thing to my knee in December it was back to probably 90% pain free and range of motion. I could use a cane with my left hand when needed and the pressure/grip caused no pain. But I also just now got a bowl out of the microwave and it twinged, so that last 10% is slow going, and I definitely still have slightly less range of motion in the bad thumb versus the good (but also that's my dominant thumb so maybe it's always been slightly better and I wouldn't have noticed).
I recommend keeping a general daily log of your pain, mobility, and nature of discomfort/lack of motion. My PT has me doing this with my knee because I have several separate problems: joint damage right in the place where my knee did the bad thing, and then alllll that supporting connective/soft tissue I sprained that has their own various healing paths before they can properly hold my knee in place again. I get it now, because early on my most intrusive pain was the tendons all the way down and I initially reported zero pain under/at the patella for probably six weeks. It seems clear now that I do have some kind of meniscus issue that needs to be followed up on.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:12 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I dislocated my little finger while playing in goal. I was wearing goalkeeper’s gloves and didn’t realise what I’d done until I felt it with the other hand. Without really meaning to, I popped it back into alignment myself.
It hurt for a few weeks but it’s been normal ever since. Maybe for a year or two, the joint was swollen. No other ill effects.
posted by rd45 at 3:51 PM on March 27, 2023
It hurt for a few weeks but it’s been normal ever since. Maybe for a year or two, the joint was swollen. No other ill effects.
posted by rd45 at 3:51 PM on March 27, 2023
Best answer: I sprained the shit out of the ring finger on my dominant hand this past Christmas Eve and it still trying to swell up if I overuse it. I iced it and applied Voltaren and CBD cream and tried not to use it, but dominant hand. At this point I would say it’s about 85% of what it should be. It does not like lateral force on it at all (I’ve been surprised to discover that that’s a huge amount of what that finger does, too! Like supporting a teacup, etc.) but other than that it’s pretty okay.
posted by HotToddy at 4:59 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by HotToddy at 4:59 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I dislocated my left middle finger on August 18, 2021 - it was bent about 45 degrees to the right. I went to urgent care and it was relocated(?) the same day. I wore a splint for awhile and had some occupational therapy and physical therapy appointments. I didn’t do the exercises at home as much as I should have but I made an effort to clench my fist when I thought of it.
Up until just a few days ago I wore a finger sleeve (Flents) constantly. I found that if I left it off for a few hours my finger would swell up again. Now I’m just tired of it and making an effort to not use it, I’m not seeing much swelling now.
Now my finger is still a little swollen and I have a bit of pain when flexing my hand. I’m surprised it’s still painful after more than 2.5 years, but if you stick to the exercises hopefully you’ll progress more quickly.
posted by bendy at 11:36 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Up until just a few days ago I wore a finger sleeve (Flents) constantly. I found that if I left it off for a few hours my finger would swell up again. Now I’m just tired of it and making an effort to not use it, I’m not seeing much swelling now.
Now my finger is still a little swollen and I have a bit of pain when flexing my hand. I’m surprised it’s still painful after more than 2.5 years, but if you stick to the exercises hopefully you’ll progress more quickly.
posted by bendy at 11:36 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I broke my ring finger - avulsion fracture, where the tendon or ligament pulls off a chunk of bone. It was tiny so no interventions or anything, and after 5 weeks I worked with a hand physio to regain flex, function etc. She - or maybe it was the hand surgeon - told me that my finger would be weird for 3 years and that was true. If my hand got cold (skiing, being outdoors in winter) my formerly broken finger would be blue and cold - it was alarming!!! After a year or so, other than when it was blue and frozen it was indistinguishable from the rest of my fingers in terms of movement and function. I think skiing (cross-country) and hiking and biking were really good for recovery as they all involved gripping and flexing my hand. Not sure how much or if any of this will apply to your dislocation.
posted by lulu68 at 1:33 AM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by lulu68 at 1:33 AM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
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One really important tip my OT gave me... Don't do more exercises than recommended! If you're supposed to do your routine four times a day, doing them ten times a day will actually cause stiffness and make things worse. And don't push past the point where it really starts to hurt, as much as it's tempting. You're not speeding the process along that way, you're adding time to your recovery. (Lessons I learned the hard way as a chronic overachiever.)
Massage can really help with the swelling, too -- just very light pressure down the finger and then down the hand to keep the fluid moving. Also warming up my hand with some warm water or microwaved gel packs before my OT exercises helped me get the most out of them too.
I'm back to basically full functionality a year later, with a little knobby knuckle to show for my experience. You probably will be back to 100% too! Stay the course and do your OT. Best wishes from my wonky finger to yours.
posted by adiabat at 12:40 PM on March 27, 2023 [4 favorites]