Posted by bsed55 on Saturday, July 7, 2012
I Smashed! my 3rd finger on my left hand today. (Let's here all the fiddlers go "Oooohhh!!")
It happened in a sliding door in our house that tends to stick.
There were two problems that I experienced (other than pain & swelling from some broken blood vessels that has made the back of the finger kind of "purply"). One is that I had to go to work within minutes, so I couldn't put ice on it. The other is that I have to play a gig tomorrow.
Well, as of right now I am able to play in spite of the swelling. The finger is not broken, because I can move it w/o a lot of pain. So I guess that's the good news.
I guess I'm mainly wondering now whether it'd be worth trying to put a small cut in the finger to relieve the swelling that way. Anybody ever try it?
OTJunky Says:
Saturday, July 7, 2012 @2:03:54 PM
Now that's the kind of medical advice that IMO ought to come only from a doctor.
Any way you can see one between now and your gig?
--OTJ
richdissmore Says:
Saturday, July 7, 2012 @2:15:04 PM
bruce i know what that feels like i have done that to my finger how about trying a leach that little blood sucker could make the swelling go down make the purple go a way to find leaches try bait shops
Humbled by this instrument Says:
Saturday, July 7, 2012 @4:01:48 PM
Oooooooooohhhhhh!
KCFiddles Says:
Saturday, July 7, 2012 @4:32:22 PM
Traditional formula:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
I think ice will help the most, even after some time. Compression and elevation help the fluids drain back toward your body. You might even be able to play OK with a partly-wrapped finger.
KCFiddles Says:
Saturday, July 7, 2012 @4:33:59 PM
FWIW, I've drained black fingernails, which seemed to help a lot, but never was tempted to try draining swollen tissue.
fiddlepogo Says:
Saturday, July 7, 2012 @8:44:26 PM
Salt is an amazing tool to draw fluids through tissue including skin. You could do some kind of salt or Epsom salts, but I think COLD water would be better than the usual hot.
Do some online research for proportions and applicability.
I've made a salty mudpack out of pure clay cat litter to draw out pimples that are trying to turn into boils. It's amazing how quickly it draws the nasty stuff to the surface. If anybody has used such a mudpack for smashed fingers successfully, it's probably on the internet somewhere.
something like "salt mudpack smashed finger" might point you to people who have used it effectively.
Also, it occurred to me that aloe vera juice is a great healer, and no part of the finger is all that far from the skin surface. I've stuck strained or arthritic fingers in a narrow plastic pill bottle filled with liquid aloe juice, and kept it in about long enough for the skin to get wrinkly- that means that some aloe has penetrated the skin. Such a treatment seems to sooth my hurting fingers almost as fast as aloe soothes burns.
Maybe initially rest is good, but in the longterm, increased blood flow promotes healing and long walks are good for that.
mudbug Says:
Sunday, July 8, 2012 @4:11:20 AM
Yes, elevate above the heart. I just dealt with this and elevation kept me from having to burn a hole through the fingernail.
bsed55 Says:
Sunday, July 8, 2012 @4:42:05 PM
I did see a doc at the clinic today, had it x-rayed, & found it is broken at the tip of the finger. She didn't want me to play my gig today, but they were depending on me, and I don't have any pain.
So I had little problem playing, and
i'm now icing it down (which I started yesterday) & taking IB and doing the elevation thing.
You guys are pretty smart!! Those are all the things my dr. told me to do too.
Thanks for all the helpful input.
i
nfritzjr Says:
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 @12:03:20 PM
Hey Bruce hope all is well, and getting better!
I cringe everytime mudbug talks about drilling a hole in his fingernail!!! Not that I'm squeamish type but I had to do that to one of my fingers when I was a younger. For some reason it seemed the sound echoed in my ears when the pressure was released.. Weird, yeah I know :-)
TuneWeaver Says:
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 @6:13:01 PM
Good luck with that finger. That problem is a fiddler's worse nightmare. Yep, seeing you DR was a good idea. You'll be back to fiddling in no time at all.. LEE
Mary Dillon Says:
Friday, January 18, 2013 @3:49:34 PM
Sorry about your finger===from my own experience actually on several occasions when I smashed my finger==The pressure was so bad; and I had my husband take a drill with a small bit and drill right thru the nail. When the bit went through it was a tremendous relief and it actually shot blood from the hole. It hurt when he was drilling but it was so worth it. After the pressure was released it didn't hurt that bad. Us country folk that live way out sometimes need to find alternatives to running all the way to town for things----this is what worked for me. Good Luck Mary
bsed55 Says:
Friday, January 18, 2013 @5:24:08 PM
It's long since heeled & I'm back to my same old fiddling used-to-be.
bsed55 Says:
Friday, January 18, 2013 @5:25:07 PM
And thanks for the good wishes!
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