Dislocated finger recovery

Yabsley

Yabsley

Yabsley

Associate
Joined
25 Apr 2006
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202
Not sure if this belongs in SA but wasn't sure where else it should go. I dislocated my finger 2 and a half weeks ago and am still having trouble making a fist with my left hand. Can bend that finger about 50% before I start getting stifness/bit of pain. The middle knuckle has stayed fairly swollen since doing it but the rest of the swelling and bruising (there wasn't much) has subsided. I didn't have it x-rayed or checked out because I managed to immediately reset it myself and assumed it would be OK. I've now read in a few places that this might not be the case. I've booked into see my GP on Friday which is better late than never I suppose and hopefully they will be able to advise if I should have it x-rayed or not.

Has anyone else suffered from this kind of injury before and how long did it take for the full range of movement to return?
 
Dislocations will always be xrayed prior to popping them back in. This is because they can go back wrongly, catch blood vessels, stop circulation etc.

At least you are going to your GP.
 
Errrr thanks for the confidence boost.

I think I panicked a little when I saw it all crooked and just gave it a yank. It must have only been out for a few seconds and from what I could tell went back in OK. Seemed absolutely fine immediately after, other than a bit of discomfort and I could bend it fully no problem. It was only after a while that it became stiff. I was kind of expecting it to be back to normal by now.
 
not sure about fingers but when my shoulders go it takes about a week for full mobility to come back and maybe a week and a half before theres no little niggly aches
 
Different type of joints I suppose but still this is what I'd have expected for my finger. Because it wasn't particularly painful I didnt bother going to get medical advice immediately which was probably a bit foolish I admit. It has improved slightly over the 2.5 week period since doing it; just not fully. It's hard to know if I'm being paranoid and not giving it enough time or if maybe there was a fracture or something like that which is causing it to take longer.

It doesn't cause me any pain other than if I wiggle it sideways with my other hand or if I forget about it and try to grip something hard. I'm able to naturally extend my fingers past the point where they are straight but this is also restricted to just straight on the finger I did it to.
 
Go see a doctor.

At best you spend an hour or two waiting an the doctor says it is all ok. Hopefully at worst the doctors are able to catch a problem before it gets worse if there is one.

Not seeing a doctor and relying on the fine folk at overclockers could result in something much worse happening if there is a problem and you don't get it checked out.

Having said that, I fractured one of my toes recently and was told it could take up to 6 months to heal due to being on an extremity of the body and therefore not getting as rich a blood flow. Toms shoulder is much closer to his heart, I would guess thats the case Tom ;), so quicker healing.

Hope everything checks out ok.

RB
 
I dislocated two knuckles playing rugby in 1997. It took several months for me to be able to make a fist again. That said, I did pop them both back in, strap my hand up and play the second half, which the doctor felt was inappropriate (we didn't have any subs). For the record, straight after the match I went for an xray and had my strapping done properly.

You probably don't want to hear this, but when it's cold my hand can really hurt, 13 years on - and I'm only 35. You might have issues for the remainder of your life. My hand also feels really fat when I make a full fist (even though it looks totally normal) - it's a very odd sensation. I can sense a lot of pain coming later on in life.

I would definitely suggest visiting a doctor and, if they feel it's even remotely appropriate, a specialist.
 
Pookie Bear said:
I dislocated two knuckles playing rugby in 1997. It took several months for me to be able to make a fist again. That said, I did pop them both back in, strap my hand up and play the second half, which the doctor felt was inappropriate (we didn't have any subs). For the record, straight after the match I went for an xray and had my strapping done properly.

You probably don't want to hear this, but when it's cold my hand can really hurt, 13 years on - and I'm only 35. You might have issues for the remainder of your life. My hand also feels really fat when I make a full fist (even though it looks totally normal) - it's a very odd sensation. I can sense a lot of pain coming later on in life.

I would definitely suggest visiting a doctor and, if they feel it's even remotely appropriate, a specialist.
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Yeah I did the same thing, (different sport) pulled it back into place, buddy strapped it and carried on playing. Rubs! I had a friend who did it too, back when we were in school and he did the exact same thing. I should ask him about it but I don't remember him mentioning that it gives him trouble since.

Some google results I came across said that it could lead to arthritis and that sort of thing later in life which is a bit worrying but not much I can do about that now. I'm seeing my GP later, who I'm expecting to say either just give it some time or go get it looked at by someone at the hospital. If that is the case at least the balls in motion.

Did the full range of movement return for you or was it restricted in any way?
 
Yabsley said:
Did the full range of movement return for you or was it restricted in any way?
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My hand is perfectly normal these days, apart from the feeling strange when I make a fist (it's very subtle) and the occasional pain when it's cold. For the first year or so, the knuckles were visibly larger but it was a long time ago now, so I can't give you a more accurate timescale.

One final note - I don't know if you ever crack your knuckles, but don't ever expect to do it again with those joints - even trying it (absent-mindedly) caused me to nearly black out from the pain a few months after the incident. These days my knuckles feel like they need cracked all the time, but I refuse to even try - an odd sensation, but you get used to it.

Now my knuckles feel all funny - they don't often get talked about this much :D
 
I'm not one for cracking my knuckles so that shouldn't be an issue. Just been thinking about all the times I've hurt my fingers/hands playing sport, trying to catch a ball and stubbing it against objects/people. This led me to think about other injuries I've sustained over the years. It all gets pretty tired after a while and when it starts effecting you long term it's no longer worth it all in my opinion. I've got a dead tooth right in the front which required root canal, what feels like tendonitus in both my elbows and now this finger business. I'm thankful I've not done anything more serious and I'm sure there are others who have some pretty horifying injury stories but still everythings relative right?
 
Yabsley said:
I'm not one for cracking my knuckles so that shouldn't be an issue. Just been thinking about all the times I've hurt my fingers/hands playing sport, trying to catch a ball and stubbing it against objects/people. This led me to think about other injuries I've sustained over the years. It all gets pretty tired after a while and when it starts effecting you long term it's no longer worth it all in my opinion. I've got a dead tooth right in the front which required root canal, what feels like tendonitus in both my elbows and now this finger business. I'm thankful I've not done anything more serious and I'm sure there are others who have some pretty horifying injury stories but still everythings relative right?
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The bottom line is I get occasional discomfort - that is all. It's rare and does not affect my ability to use my hand whatsoever.

Now, ask me about dislocating my knee, snapping an ankle tendon or fracturing six different toes during my rugby career and their affects on my current health and the answer will be wildly different!
 
So went to the doctors on Friday and my GP told me to go and get it x-rayed at the hospital. I was informed I could only do that Monday to Friday and as it was too late to go on Friday I went yesterday morning (monday). They did the x-rays and now I have to wait 7 to 10 days before the report gets sent to my GP.

I've got a feeling they are going to come back fine and there will be something else wrong with it. ****ed off I have to wait 7 to 10 days.
 
I phoned the doctors today and got the results from the x-ray I had done last week. It isn't broken and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong from the scan. I spoke to my doctor who advised giving it some more time and seeing how it is.

I'm pleased that there was no break but feel a bit confused as to why I've not seen any improvement to it, the last couple of weeks. The swelling intially died down after about a week, to a point and it seems as though it's stayed at that point ever since.

Oh well, nothing I can do I guess other than wait longer.
 
Yabsley said:
I'm pleased that there was no break but feel a bit confused as to why I've not seen any improvement to it, the last couple of weeks. The swelling intially died down after about a week, to a point and it seems as though it's stayed at that point ever since.
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I think some of it might be in your head. I was convinced for months that my knuckles were still swollen when everyone else couldn't see any difference between my hands. Dislocating your fingers is a right knacker and like I've said before, you'll be suffering for a while but time will heal it eventually. Turn it into a good story for the pub :D
 
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