Treating A Broken Finger
If you want to treat broken finger at your house rather than a clinic, try these methods:- Make a splint (immobilize the finger - you may put a popsicle stick or pen next to it and wrap something around the stick and the finger).
- Apply ice to the injured finger. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. Put a towel between the ice and the finger.
The RICE injury treatment method is an excellent way to not only assist in treating the broken finger, but also helps relieve pain on the broken finger while it heals.
- Rest:
- The first 24-48 hours (1st and 2nd days) after the injury is considered a critical treatment period and activities that require use of the finger that is broken should be ceased. Gradually use the injured extremity as much as tolerated to keep it from healing in a locked position, but try to avoid any activities that cause pain. Often using a splint is necessary to adequately rest the injured finger and also assists in a nice, straight finger recovery.
- Ice:
- For the first 48 hours post-injury, ice the sprain or strain 20 minutes at a time every 3-4 hours. The ice pack can be a bag of frozen vegetables, allowing you to be able to re-use the bag. I've found that Peas or Corn work best as they conform to the area of the broken finger better than say Broccoli or Beans. Another popular treatment method is to fill paper cups with water then freeze the cup. Use the frozen cube like an ice cream cone, peeling away paper as the ice melts. Do NOT ice a fracture, sprain, or strain for more than 20 minutes at a time! You will not be helping heal the injury any faster, and you can cause damage to the tissues! Do NOT fall asleep with ice applied to your broken finger, this can cause frostbite!
- Compression:
- Use compression when elevating a sprain or strain in early treatment. Using an Ace bandage (Ace bandage with velcro 4 inch x 5.3 ft (Google Affiliate Ad)), wrap the area overlapping the elastic wrap by one-half of the width of the wrap. The wrap should be snug, but not cutting off circulation to the extremity. So, if your fingers or toes become cold, blue, or tingle, re-wrap!
- Elevate:
- Keep your sprain or strain as best possible--try to get it higher than your heart if possible. Elevate at night by placing pillows under your arm or leg.
Remember, these home remedies are excellent but it is always a good idea to consult your physician. The injury on your broken finger could be severe enough that it may require surgery and applying these techniques would certainly not work as surgery.
If you are wondering what to do if you think you have a broken or jammed toe, check out Broken Toe Help!
