Smashed fingers is an injury involving trauma to one or more fingers.
If an injury to a finger occurs at the tip and does not involve the joint or nail bed, you may not need the help of a doctor. If the tip of your finger bone is broken, your doctor may not recommend a splint.
If the injury is more towards the palm or involved the joint, be sure to seek medical help right away.
Finger(s) can be smashed by a hammer blow, a car door, a desk drawer, a baseball, or some other force.
Apply an ice pack to decrease the swelling. Over-the-counter pain medications may help relieve discomfort.
If pain becomes excessive, with blood under the fingernail, talk to your health care provider. Your health care provider may assist you in taking the following steps to relieve the pressure and prevent the fingernail from falling off.
Call for immediate medical attention if the finger is deformed, or if the injury is not limited to the tip of the finger.
Teach safety to young children, and use caution when shutting doors to make sure fingers are not in danger.
Finger(s) - smashed; Crushed digits
Lyn ET, Mailhot T. Hand. In: Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, et al, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 47.
Butler KH. Incision and drainage. In: Roberts JR, Hedges JR, eds. Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 37.
Reviewed by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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