A&E or not?

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newboult51

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So I stupidly had the lunge line accidentally wrapped around my middle finger while lunging the beastie this afternoon and he did a rodeo impression. It’s now very swollen and painful and going black and I can’t bend it. Do I bother A &E or just man up as it’s only a finger after all. Anyone had any experiences with fingers ?
 
Personally I'd just strap it up, take some ibuprofen for the swelling and crack on as there's not an awful lot else they can do for broken fingers.

Then again, I am also the one that rode with a broken foot when my horse spooked as I went to mount so maybe not the best person to listen to! Lol
 
newboult51 said:
So I stupidly had the lunge line accidentally wrapped around my middle finger while lunging the beastie this afternoon and he did a rodeo impression. It’s now very swollen and painful and going black and I can’t bend it. Do I bother A &E or just man up as it’s only a finger after all. Anyone had any experiences with fingers ?
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Have it looked at, may just need a rest but you don't know. (I've got enough wonky bits that weren't shown to someone with a medical degree when they got damaged to say get it seen :-) )
 
I have broken all of my fingers at least once over 50 years of mucking about with horses (and a few cows). I've only been to hospital with one of them, and that's the one that doesn't bend now. I have strapped myself up with lollipop sticks and gaffer tape, had the vet pop a dislocated one out for me (I know; illegal), ignored, and even been blissfully unaware a digit was broken at all until X-rays years later. But I would say go and have it checked out (although if it was me I probably wouldn't take my own advice....:-)
 
Yep A&E. I broke three fingers at once in 1990 , didn't get them looked at, and they've given me trouble ever since. Sometimes they do need a bit of specialist sticking back together.
 
Another one for A&E I'm afraid, also another one who loathes going to the doctors. PF is right keeping hands in working order is a fairly useful thing on the whole!
 
I've got a finger bent in a very odd angle from not getting one of mine looked at - Go! They might need to set it as it sounds likely you might have messed up the alignment with the lunge line presumably pulling it. Good luck!
 
yup, friend thought she'd resolved her dislocation recently- she'd actually just realigned the fracture and had it pinned in surgery the next week.

Black is not normal.
 
Cortez said:
I have broken all of my fingers at least once over 50 years of mucking about with horses (and a few cows). I've only been to hospital with one of them, and that's the one that doesn't bend now. I have strapped myself up with lollipop sticks and gaffer tape, had the vet pop a dislocated one out for me (I know; illegal), ignored, and even been blissfully unaware a digit was broken at all until X-rays years later. But I would say go and have it checked out (although if it was me I probably wouldn't take my own advice....:)
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Actually it is not illegal for a vet to treat a human it is however illegal for a medical doctor to treat animals unless they have a home office licence which are breed specific! Caveat first aid type treatment is of course completely legal.

I would however advise the OP to go to A&E and get it looked at while initial treatment may well be splinting it is the follow-up physio that is important as I know to my cost.......................
 
Go to minor injuries ... they can X-ray and if it needs k wiring or something they can refer you to fracture clinic and you are more likely to get it seen within the hour rather than the 7 hour wait you’ll get in a and e ... if you have no minor injuries I’d advise going about 6.30 in the morning - you’ll piss the staff off but you’ll probably be seen quite quickly...
 
I fractured a finger a few years ago and A&E just put tubigrip on it but it was a clean break, then last year thought Id dislocated my thumb, it was agony and looked deformed, still does, so went A&E but they didnt xray, just said it was a soft tissue injury and it would be right in a couple of days ha ha. I felt like Id really wasted their time but 3 weeks later it was still bad, doc sent me for an xray, nothing shown up??? It was still bad so ended up seeing an orthopaedic consultant who said he was actually a cosmetic surgeon lol and that it would be right soon, 3 mths on its still not right so Im waiting to go back again. I'd say deffo go, you dont realise how much you miss having a fully functioning hand until you have one! Hope your ok
 
I'd ice it and take some anti inflammatories and reassess it in the morning. I'm about to start a 12.5 hr night shift in A&E - last night we had a 7 hr wait to see a Dr...............
 
monkeymad said:
I'd ice it and take some anti inflammatories and reassess it in the morning. I'm about to start a 12.5 hr night shift in A&E - last night we had a 7 hr wait to see a Dr...............
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I think this is the best advice so far. Try to wrap it up and immobilise it so that you won't hurt it more if you roll onto it in your sleep, though...

If you still have feeling all the way to the end of your finger, then I don't think there's nerve damage or serious damage to blood vessels; the blackness may be just bleeding that might be blue and yellow by morning. You might just have soft tissue damage, that will fix itself with time and rest.

When I broke a couple of bones in my hand, I knew it, and went to A&E straight away. Well, maybe not within fifteen minutes: after I'd walked back to the lodge with my skis over my shoulder and then sat down and eaten for an hour and a half with my skiing friends. The doctor in A&E pulled on each finger in turn. Then agreed with my thoughts and sent me to radiology.
 
I broke my little finger when horse trod on my hand. I despise sitting in a & e and always go to my doctor's first. They strapped it to the other one and said there's not a lot they can do. It healed ok but is bent and knuckle gets stuck/hurts when it's cold. I would definitely check it at the doctor's the middle finger seems like an important one!
 
So, I'd be in the pah, Its just a finger, they wont do anything anyway and its a waste of time....
However last winter i broke a finger, then am pretty sure i re-broke it about a month after. Its now healed all wonky and horrible and i hate it and wish i'd gone to have i looked at so I'd say go. (but still probably wouldn't myself in your situ!!)
 
I didn't take my ankle to A&E once (bucked off jumping, horse galloped back over me while I was trying to get up & trod on my heel...) and it has healed stiff. I didn't go at the time as I was worried that I wouldn't be able to ride said new 4 yo with a plaster cast on... But now I wish it hadn't healed stiff as I struggle to get my heel down on that side.

I did go recently when kicked in the face by my new horse (not her fault...turned out to have mild shiver), and although I was xrayed, MRI'd, steristripped & sent home (i.e. no major treatment required), it was immensely reassuring to *know* that there wasn't any proper damage.
 
By way of an update, went to A&E this morning while it was still quiet and had an x Ray - it’s a spiral fracture and I’ve been referred to the hand specialists so glad I went now ! Just trying to re-jig a busy few weeks as driving is impossible at the moment (it’s my gear changing hand!) nor can I muck out or ride of course!
 
newboult51 said:
By way of an update, went to A&E this morning while it was still quiet and had an x Ray - it’s a spiral fracture and I’ve been referred to the hand specialists so glad I went now ! Just trying to re-jig a busy few weeks as driving is impossible at the moment (it’s my gear changing hand!) nor can I muck out or ride of course!
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Oh dear! I had this on my left ring finger. Was told to go back the next day to have it looked at by hand specialist, I was in theatre later that day as it was well and truly mashed. They screwed it back together but it was never a happy looking finger! I had an argument with a haynet 8 weeks later (obviously I wasn't supposed to be 'doing' horses) and re-broke it and all the pins dislodged :( another op followed with plates and screws and 4 weeks off horses (supposed to be 6 months!) it took a long, long time to heal and physio was mega painful but my aim was to be able to hold reins well which I can do but it doesn't straighten and has a cracking scar :)
 
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