A knuckle fracture is an extremely painful trauma and can make your life very difficult if you do a job that requires the use of your hands. Sometimes it's hard to tell a simple bruise from a break. While the latter usually requires medical attention, a bruise or even a minor fracture can heal on its own. Learn to recognize a broken knuckle to seek the care you need.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Assessing the Situation
Step 1. Pay attention to a pop
People who have suffered this type of fracture often report hearing or feeling a snap or pop in their hand at the time of the injury. This sensation is transmitted by the bone that breaks or by the fragments that come off; in this case, you should stop the activity you are doing and check your hand.
The snap is not a constant when a knuckle fracture occurs, its presence depends on the severity of the injury
Step 2. Identify the cause of the trauma
This injury is also called a "boxer's fracture" because it is more common among people who punch a hard surface. Think about the moment you hurt yourself: did you hit a wall or other still surface? Were you involved in a fight? If you've hit a hard object, your knuckle has likely broken.
- There are other accidents that cause this type of injury, but which are not as common; for example for a fall, working with a machine or carrying out an activity that exposes the hand to a trauma.
- Some doctors have recently defined it as "fracture of the brawler" and no more than the "boxer", because the sportsman wears adequate protection; it is more likely to break your knuckle by throwing a fist with your bare hands.
Step 3. Assess immediate pain
The fracture is accompanied by instant and very strong pain; as soon as it takes place, you moan a stabbing pain in your hand followed by a throbbing pain. Based on your personal tolerance, this feeling could be debilitating and force you to stop what you are doing.
If you suffer a minor fracture, the pain is not very intense; however, you should stop using your hand, as it could make the situation worse
Step 4. Monitor the temperature
By the time the accident occurs, blood begins to flow to the area causing it to become hot. Compare the temperature of the affected hand with the uninjured one; if the former is much hotter than the latter, you may have broken a knuckle.
Part 2 of 3: Examine the Appearance of the Knuckle
Step 1. Look for swelling
If a fracture occurs, the area should become swollen within 10 minutes; usually, edema is localized to the site of the injury but can spread to surrounding areas. This is an intense swelling that can prevent hand movements.
- You may feel tingling or loss of tactile sensation as your knuckle begins to swell.
- Take an aspirin, ibuprofen, or another over-the-counter pain reliever to reduce swelling and manage pain.
- If the hand is too swollen, doctors may not be able to intervene. Apply ice to reduce edema. wrap a compress with kitchen paper and place it on the affected area, alternatively, use a bag of frozen vegetables. Hold the pack for up to 20 minutes at a time and then allow the skin to return to normal temperature before repeating the treatment.
Step 2. Assess for a bruise
When there is a bone break, the hematoma appears faster than it happens with bruises. Blood flows quickly to the area and begins staining the skin within minutes. The bruise also causes intense pain to the touch; probably, it hurts to even touch the knuckle.
- In some cases the fracture is not accompanied by a hematoma, but this is a rare occurrence.
- Keep your hand raised to reduce the bruise keep it higher than the heart to allow blood to flow out of the area.
Step 3. See if the knuckle is sunken
A certain evidence of fracture is the deformation of the joint, which appears more sunken than the others. If you are able, close your hand into a fist to compare the site of the injury with the other healthy parts; generally, the knuckles "protrude": if one is not visible, it is surely fractured.
The injury could alter the position or inclination of the knuckle making it appear recessed
Step 4. Identify the areas where the skin has torn
If the bone is sticking out of your epidermis, you have suffered an open fracture and need to undergo surgery to replace it. Wash the entire area with antibacterial soap; any wound surrounding the fracture can easily become infected and complicate the situation.
- You may experience pain when washing your knuckle, but it is a very important step.
- Make sure you dry the wound thoroughly, as humidity promotes bacterial growth; also remember to cover it with clean gauze to prevent infections.
- Remove any loose fragments from the wound; if an object has entered the knuckle, do not touch it and let the emergency room doctors take care of it.
Part 3 of 3: Check Motility
Step 1. Bend your finger
Try to move it to see if the knuckle is dislocated or rotates abnormally. If you have a dislocation, you are unable to bend your finger, as the bone has moved in a way that prevents movement. If the bone is rotated, you may be able to bend the end, but the tip may point towards the thumb. Abnormal rotation indicates that the bone has twisted, moving the finger in an unnatural direction.
- If the joint is dislocated or malrotated, the doctor should restore the joint to its normal position.
- This type of injury typically requires longer recovery times than a simple fracture.
Step 2. Close your fist
If your knuckle is broken, you have great difficulty closing your hand. You can check the gravity of the situation by trying to punch; if the bone breaks, the hand may be too swollen and large to bend all the joints or the pain may be too intense. You may be able to bend all of your fingers except the one affected by the trauma; if you can make a fist and the knuckle is fractured, the corresponding finger may not align properly with the others.
Do not overdo it. If you try to ignore the pain and close your fist despite obvious limitations, you could aggravate the damage or cause a dislocation
Step 3. Grab something
The fracture of the knuckle drastically reduces the strength of the hand. The brain "deactivates" the muscles surrounding the injury site to avoid other problems; if you find that you cannot keep a firm grip on objects, it is likely that the brain is trying to protect the broken joint.
If you have suffered a minor injury, you may be able to take things almost normally; however, if you are concerned about a fracture, take your time. Shaking hands with too much emphasis could aggravate the situation
Step 4. Try moving your wrist
The knuckle is the upper part of the metacarpus, the other end is connected to the carpus, i.e. the bones of the wrist. Because the two bones are connected, the fracture of the knuckle can impair the range of motion of the wrist. Try moving it horizontally and vertically; if you feel a pain in your hand, there is likely a severe bone break.
Step 5. Look for a treatment
If you suspect this type of fracture, go to the doctor or emergency room as soon as possible for treatment. likely, you will need to wear a splint or brace for a few weeks until it heals completely. Cast is not usually used for finger and hand fractures.
Advice
- To keep the knuckle in place, you should splint it on the adjacent finger.
- If you are concerned that you have a fracture in this joint, see your doctor as soon as possible, who will give you an x-ray to confirm the suspicions.
- Always bandage or bandage open wounds to prevent bacteria from contaminating them.
Warnings
- If you don't want to break your knuckles, avoid punching solid objects; if you practice boxing or martial arts, wear appropriate protection.
- Sometimes, surgery is needed; if so, the fracture takes longer to heal.
- Never subject the hand that has suffered a fracture of this type to strain, in order not to transform a slight injury into a serious trauma.
- If you have a major fracture that needs to be cast, it may take 4-6 months for full recovery. Be prepared not to go to work if your duties require the use of your hands.
