What can I do about a broken pinkie other than splinting it?
My GF punched a car yesterday (darn taxis in NYC bike lanes, they should know better) and her pinkie is in pain. We put a makeshift splint on it (cardboard and electrical tape). There are moments when the pain is severe, others when it isn’t. Is it necessary to see a doctor/go to the ER?
The pinkie isn’t swollen, but it feels wonky and a structurally “off.” Can bend without extreme pain. Could be hairline, could be a contusion…(and what else could it be?)
Also – what else can we do right now if we choose not to see a medical professional (e.g. icing, etc)?
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Are you sure the bones are aligned correctly and there are no bone chips which can float and cause harm?
That is why you need to see a doctor.
If not, immobilize it. Ice it. Take an anti-inflammatory.
If it can bend without extreme pain it can’t be worse than a hairline fracture. Splint with something a bit better than cardboard (I believe metal finger splints can usually be found in drug stores), and like @marinelife said take some anti-inflammatory painkillers and maybe ice it.
When in doubt tape it to the next finger.
I would go to an immediate care center and have it x-rayed, just to make sure nothing is torn. Otherwise, ice it, get an aluminum finger splint at the drug store; they’re about $5.
After the splint and whatever painkillers she needs to get through the first few days of pain, get her a pair of brass knucks if she’s going to make a habit of punching taxi cabs. And drivers.
Don’t immobilize the finger in in a splint, @woodcutter hit it. You need to keep the finger moving or it will “lock-up”. Tape it for 12 to 15 hours at a time. If it swells up or you get a lot of pain, by all means go and get an X-ray.
Years ago when it was my turn to serve, my opponent whacked a tennis ball to me. The ball had a lot of speed, and when I put my hand up to catch it, it bent the pinky back and broke the bottom of the distal phalange.. I had a plaster cast on the finger for six weeks. Even so, the bone knit and the extra calcium that formed left a bump on top of the joint (connection of distal and intermediate phalange).
I would take no medical advice here except to see a doctor.
Go see a doctor. Splint it in the meantime.
it might just be jamed, give it a couple of good tugs(make sure the bones are still alligned) it will hurt but it could solve the problem. also, there is really nothing you can do about a broken pinkie then to tough it out or a small splint that u can get from like cvs
@magicboreedo:Bad, bad advice. Rarebear, just above you, ^^, is an MD.
And as I mentioned (two comments above yours),there is plenty you can and should do about a broken bone in any finger.
I had a plaster cast on my broken pinky distal phalange. It would have been unthinkable to tug on it to align broken bones.
Welcome to Fluther but be sure of your advice before you offer it.
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