From Cuts to Fractures: Understanding the Full Range of Finger Injuries and How to Avoid Them

24 Dec From Cuts to Fractures: Understanding the Full Range of Finger Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Trapping your fingers or hand in a closing door can be a traumatic experience, especially for babies and children. Yet, such an incident is seen as a rite of passage in many societies. Yes, everyone has trapped their fingers in doors at some point in their lives, but it doesn’t have to happen!

Here at Fingersafe, we have long been campaigning for change, and are passionate about the mandatory use of finger guards as a result. From home and school to workplaces and public buildings, every setting you encounter should be free from the risk of finger entrapment. In this blog post, we explain why by cataloguing the many, many finger injuries our guards help to prevent.

Bruising and swelling

Usually experienced during the first 24 to 48 hours of the initial injury, bruising and soft tissue swelling are both no picnic. They’re injuries that cause tremendous pain and tenderness, as well as discolouration and restricted movement, following the impact and compression of the finger or hand. Thankfully, in most scenarios, these symptoms are short-lived.

Knowing when to seek medical help and abandon at home treatment is important however. Here HealthHub shares the signs to look out for:

“However, if your finger remains swollen a month after the injury, it’s crucial to visit a hand specialist or orthopaedic doctor. Persistent swelling could indicate a more serious condition that requires medical intervention. Additionally, if the swelling is accompanied by severe pain, numbness, or any colour changes, it’s essential to seek urgent care immediately.”

Crushed nail bed

The fingertip and nail bed are perhaps the most vulnerable parts of the hands and fingers. Nail bed injuries don’t just affect the health of the nail area to cause bleeding in the short term, and nail loss a little later down the line, they impact the soft tissue and bone beneath.

Long term, crushing at the fingertip or nail area can lead to permanent deformity, sensitivity and stiffness, although this is rare.

Deep cuts and fractures

If you’re unlucky enough to break the skin, you’ll need to seek proper treatment to avoid infection and scarring. Skin and tissue tears that go beyond the superficial can expose deeper layers, including tendons, and may require professional medical attention to close.

Whether the skin is broken or not, you’ll need to keep an eye out for fractures. If you experience severe swelling or bruising, intense pain, restricted movement, numbness or tingling, this may point to a break in the finger or hand bones. Your finger may also look crooked, bent or misshapen.

No matter how minor the fracture, proper treatment (such as splinting and surgery) is essential to preventing painful, long term consequences.

Tendon or nerve damage

Injury to internal structures of the fingers and hands can mean lasting damage and lifelong pain. Numbness, weakness or loss of motion could be the result of tendon and nerve damage. For those affected, recovery is slow, with function not fully restored in some cases.

Extensive damage to the skin, bone, tendons, blood vessels and nerves may also lead to partial or complete amputation if other treatment options have been exhausted.

The solution is simple!

It really is – our door finger guards have been designed, developed and installed for the very purpose of preventing the full range of injuries above. Take a look at our brochure to discover the anti-trapping devices that can help you do the same in your setting.