Is it too late to fix a broken finger? The short answer is “no,” but the longer answer is that it depends on your injury and its location. If you have recently broken your finger, then the answer is no. That’s because these injuries happen fairly quickly after the fact. As such, there isn’t much time to heal properly before you play again. If you have an old broken finger, then the answer is probably yes. This type of injury takes longer to heal than a new one, and therefore there is more time for it to cause problems down the road. With that being said, not all broken fingers are created equally. Each player has their own unique set of factors that impact how long it takes them to heal and what consequences they face as a result.
When Is It Too Late To Fix a Broken Finger?
There is no set time frame when it is too late to fix a broken finger. The best way to know if it is too late to fix a broken finger depends on the severity of the injury. If a person has a fracture or breaks in the bone, then it is most likely too late to fix the injury. However, if there is swelling and pain, then it is still possible to fix the fracture or break.
What Is The Cause Of A Broken Finger?
- A fall or fall on an object:
A broken finger can result from a fall. If a person falls on their hand and it is not set properly, then they may have a fracture.
- A punch:
Most of the time, it is possible to fix a broken finger if it came from a punch. However, there are certain scenarios that make this impossible to fix. For example, if the punch has damaged the bone in such a way that makes it impossible for it to heal correctly or if there is heavy swelling in the area.
- A kick:
If someone kicks you with their barefoot or with shoes on, then you may have fractured your finger. The same goes for someone who kicks you with a shoe or boot in their hand and then falls down after they kick you. In this case, the damage is done before the person falls down and therefore there are no options for fixing it after that happens either.
- Weight lifting:
If you lift weights with weights around your wrist and then drop them suddenly, then you may have fractured your finger. There are also other scenarios where weight lifting can cause problems like in this example: If someone lifts weights without wearing gloves and one of them falls out during an intense weight lifting session; If someone lifts weights without wearing gloves while using power bars; If someone uses too much weight while doing exercises like push-ups; and Other examples involving weight lifting can be found here:
- Sneezing:
Sneezing can be very painful and if it happens with a finger in the way, then you may have fractured your finger.
- Stretching:
If you stretch your finger while it is bent or while it is straight, then it can cause a fracture or break in the bone.
How Does A Broken Finger Heal?
- Immobilization:
If you break a finger and it is not too severe, then you can immobilize it by wrapping your hand in a bandage. However, if the fracture is very deep or if the bone breaks off then it may be necessary to have surgery to fix it.
- Immobilization & Splint:
If the break is not too severe and the bone does not go all the way through your finger or if it breaks off, then immobilizing your finger with a splint will help it heal.
- Immobilization & Casting:
If your finger breaks but does not go through your bones and there are no fractures in them, then you can use an immobilizer cast to help heal them. This type of cast is made from plaster that is applied to your finger like a sock and has a plastic covering over the top of it that covers up all of the skin on top of your finger so that there is no contact between skin and plaster which will cause infection. The plaster casts are good for about 4 weeks before they need to be changed out because they dry out over time until they become hard as rock which makes them impossible for you to move at all since they are so stiff. If you do not change out of this cast within 4 weeks, then they will need to be removed surgically. The good thing about this kind of cast is that you can still use most things like phones and computers while wearing these casts because they are not very thick compared to a boot cast.
- Immobilization & Crutch:
If you break your finger but only the tip is broken off, then you can use the tip of your finger as a crutch for support for a few weeks until it heals. This is very helpful in preventing you from injuring the other fingers on your hand or even breaking them as well.
- Immobilization & Wrap:
If you break both bones of a finger, then immobilizing them with a splint will help them heal much faster than if they were not immobilized. However, this also causes problems because it makes it impossible for you to move either of your fingers at all which will cause them to get worse and possibly turn into arthritis before they ever heal completely. If this happens, then they may need to be removed surgically and replaced with an artificial bone graft once they have healed enough to come off of the splint.
What Are The Consequences Of A Broken Finger?
- A broken finger can be very painful and annoying.
- You may have to learn how to do things with your hand, like typing, writing, or playing an instrument that you usually use without a hand.
- You may have to take time off of work or school in order to rest your hand and heal it.
- If you have arthritis that develops afterward, then it will get worse over time which will make it harder for you to move and do things with your hand later on in life.
- If you break both bones of your finger, then the doctor will need to surgically repair the bones before they can come off of the splint. This surgery is called a “discectomy”.
- If you break one bone but not both, then the doctor will leave the broken piece in place so that it does not get infected and heal on its own. The doctor may also need to surgically repair this broken piece as well. This surgery is called a “minor surgery”.
What Are The Different Types Of Broken Fingers?
- Fracture: When you break a bone in your finger, it will leave a crack in the bone. This crack is called a fracture.
- Dislocation: When you break a bone in your finger, it may dislocate from the rest of the bones in your finger. The bone may also twist or bend out of place.
- Avulsion: Sometimes when you break a bone in your finger, the broken piece will tear away from the rest of the bones and come off of them. This can be very painful and can even get infected if left to heal on its own.
- Compound Fracture: In this type of fracture, several different bones are broken at once. This causes more damage to your finger than just one broken bone would cause. It is also more likely that you will need surgery to fix this type of fracture because it is more complicated than just one broken bone.
- Simple Fracture: In this type of fracture, only one or two bones are broken at once, which causes less damage to your finger than if multiple bones were broken at once. It is also less likely that you will need surgery for this type of fracture because it is not as complicated as other types of fractures (compound or simple).
- Avulsion Fracture: In this type of fracture, usually only one part (usually on the tip) comes off with the others still attached to each other. If left untreated
Bottom Line
Broken fingers happen, and they can be painful and expensive to repair. However, they don’t have to be the end of the world. With the right recovery techniques and a little bit of luck, you can get back to normal in no time!
