How To Recover From A Finger Hit With A Hammer

By Greg Garner

Who among us has not missed one nail while swinging a hammer and hit another, the one attached to the end of our fingers? Unfortunately, even the best carpenters and handy men get fingers smashed and crunched. The fact is, if you go through life without ever smashing your finger with a hammer, it would be pretty unusual. Most of the time, we get away with a bruised finger and bruised pride, however, sometimes, we are not as lucky and we fracture a finger along with plenty of soft tissue damage. Severe injuries that involve bone fractures, profuse bleeding, or severed parts lying on the floor require emergency medical treatment. Anything other than that can be treated like this.

— The moment it happens, wrap the injured finger in an ice pack or run it under ice-cold water. This will serve two purposes. It will ease the pain by making the finger numb and it will help to decrease the immediate swelling that often occurs with this type of injury. Remember to place a cloth or rag between bare flesh and ice. This advice applies to fingers and toes.

— You should follow a schedule for applying ice. Apply the ice pack to finger through a cloth for 15 minutes every hour for two hours. Do not apply any ice to the finger for the following two hours Repeat this cycle of ice on, ice off for 48 hours or the swelling is gone. Remember; never apply heat when there is swelling.

— Remove any jewelry from near the affected area as long as you can do so without causing yourself or your patient unnecessary pain.

— For broken skin with a cut or abrasion, clean the wound gently with soap and water being careful of the bruised finger. If it does not need stitches, cover the wound with a clean, soft dressing

— God gave us extra fingers so we would have a natural splint if one is injured. Use the surrounding fingers as a splint by taping the damaged finger to its healthy neighbor. Taping the finger to the one next to it is the perfect way to keep it splinted against excessive and painful movement. If you are lucky enough to have damaged a middle finger, you can tape it to a healthy finger on either side.

— Elevate your hand over your heart, resting for 48 hours. You can also immobilize the hand in a sling and use it as little as possible. Remaining still is the key to recovery at this point. Make sure to elevate your hand as often as possible and remain this way for 24 to 48 hours.

— Aspirin or ibuprofen will help with the pain and reduce swelling. Never give aspirin to children as this could result in Ryes Syndrome, which is a rare but often fatal condition.

— When the swelling is gone, you can apply heat to the area. This might provide some comforting relief should there be pain.

Recover Full Range Of Motion

HIPAA Compliance Training covers first aid training for many injuries like this. When the swelling is completely gone and you have been immobile for at least 48 hours, you can resume range of motion. Begin slowly by flexing the finger to stretch the muscle tissue and prevent limited motion at a later date. It is important to recover your full range of motion now, as it will be much harder to do if you wait until a later date.

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