Fractured pinky finger

[Billy'smom]

My son is 15 and suffered a fracture of the joint of his right pinky in the palm of his hand. The fracture is in the small area that sits to the inside of the bottom knuckle on his pinky. We took him to an orthopedic doctor who xrayed his hand and confirmed the fracture and then put him in a hard cast from his elbow to his wrist with a wrap the rest of the way. This was on for 10 days. He returned today and with my husbands request the doctor did not put the hard cast on but taped the pinky to the ring finger and then put a soft cast from the tip of his fingers to his elbow. My son fractured his hand playing baseball, went on to play in three more games with the fingers wrapped before we were able to get the first appointment. He states that there is no pain but there is bruising and a smal amount of swelling in the area between the two fingers.


Finally, my question....As a parent I am struggling with the DR and the 15 year old. He is unable to swim, unable to play video games, unable to play baseball  and miserable. He has broken both pinkies in sports before and this type of extensive treatment has never been done. AM I WRONG...in going against medical advice and allowing him to use his hand WITHIN REASON? What is the chance that just keeping them taped will have the same end result as the cast that now has his other fingers and wrist stiff? The doctor consulted a hand specialist and told my husband that taping the fingers and a splint would be fine and a cast would not be needed. Is the splint protecting the joint or is keeping the entire are immobile helping to heal it? It is the summer, he is miserable....we are miserable and it is just a pinky......HELP!

[Daisygirl472]

I first want to remind you that your orthopedist is the "specialist' when it comes to bone healing.  My next thing would be to ask whether the previous fractures of the pinky's were in the same area.  When you fracture a bone right in the joint area the healing is much different than a fracture in the shaft of the same bone.  When the joint is involved a little more stabilization is needed.  When you simply tape the 4th and 5th fingers together the bottom joint of the finger is still mobile.  I'm assuming that's why the dr. recommended the splint.  

Also consider that the 4th and 5th fingers are the most mobileof the 4 fingers with respect to the palm moving.  For instance when you make a fist the pointer and middle finger bones in the palm stay in about the same place, but the ring and pinky  actually wrap toward the thumb.  A splint will help control this movement, I would recommend a splint that crosses the wrist at the very least.  Just some things to think of... and to top it all off... if it doesn't heal now, it will cause trouble for the rest of his life, what's one boring summer compared to that!!!  Hope this helped...

[KsSoccerMom]

I understand your frustration.  My daughter is 13 and just fractured her pinky finger playing soccer.  The ER doctor put it in a soft cast all the way up to the elbow and told us no more sports for now.  We went to an orthopedist and he wants to do surgery and put pins in her finger.  Then they will put a hard cast on her arm for 4 to 5 weeks.  He says whether we elect to do the surgery or not, he does not want her to play any sports for 4 to 5 weeks.  Supposedly this is a non-displaced fracture, but the end of the bone is bent down.

It seems strange to us to have such extensive treatment for just a small fracture.  My daughter just made the team that she had been practicing for all summer.  It is very disappointing.

[Freddy687]

I just broke my right hand pinky in the same place i broke it before and i just made the basketball team they gave me a splint. i didnt think that it would be such a big deal but its worse then i thought it would be. it affects my shot. Iguess its a hairline break/ spiral break so close to the joint. but i dont know if i should have surgery or not. My pinky is bend out more thwen my other pinky it really sux.

[hannahlamb]

I am typing for my 10 year old girl because she fractured her pinky today in her gym class by getting the rebound to her basketball shot! So my husband came to pick her up and take her to the doctor,and they said she fractured her pinky on her right hand. So now she has a splint on her pinky. Her pinky is dis-located to so she has to keep her splint on for two months.Send a comment to my sweet hannah about this message on this website
                  thanks tina

[Judeye]

My 12 1/2 year old daughter just was at the Pediatrician for a fractured pinky finger on her right hand. She was playing soccer when the accident happened.  I have to take her to an Orthopedic Dr. now.  She has a splint on it right now.  I have read what everyone else has written about casting it and that.....wow she will be bummed.  She won't know what to do with all her free time if that happens.  You for sure can't play the trumpet either if your in a cast up to your elbow!

Busy Girls Mom

[usarmymedic1]

no cast need for a frature at the of the small finger phalanx frature metacarpol frature it would need to be casted. splinting for a finger frature is the best thing but for two months at 4 weeks the splint should be changed out to a functional splint allowing some movment. under protocal for hand therapy that is what would be done unless there is angulation and or distration of the bones then it might require surgery..

[hannahlamb]

Hello everybody who has a fractured pinky{s}. My daughter hannah her pinky is getting a lot worse from earlier today. So she has a spelling test a reading test and a bible test and she cannot right because she rights with her right hand and that is the pinky she hurt.So i am going to ask her teacher if she can type her work on the computer so pray for my hannah
thanks tina

[MisterTimC]

I'm old. I am not a doctor. I broke a finger when I was young. I taped it to the next finger. It healed crooked. Although I am used to it and there is no pain, it affects some things that I really like to do, like playing guitar. Doctors are overly cautious now because of petty lawsuits. (I'm suing you because you didn't take care of my broken pinky and it healed wrong.) If you want it to heal correctly, do what your doctor says. End of sermon.

[hannahlamb]

hi please leave comments about my messages for my fractured pinky thx
             hannah

[goolia75]

The ortho is a specialist for a reason. If you choose not to listen to him, you may be handing your daughter problems years down the road. A few weeks of one summer is nothing compared to pain or mobility issues for the rest of her life. My advice to you would be to let the specialist decide what's best for your daughter's broken finger. It will heal soon enough.

[debbiev2]

My child is 11.5 and never had any injury. Today, a friend felled on my child hand while my child help the hand up. I took my child to the doctor and Xrays, and to my suprise, the doctor said it was broken. Then he wrote fracture on the doctor slip, I didn't understand. So it was explain to mean that fracture means broken in the court of law...Anyway, I  am glad to have read all of the comments and my child will be in splint for three weeks then a follow up.  I guess when in doubt, see a doctor.  Also, there was so many children in the surgery area, I had to ask why, the doctor smiled and said, its summer and this is when we get really busy.

[luc268]

My pinky finger on my left hand will not straighten, when people tell me to straighten my fingers i won't, it just bends slightly... Ive never had it seen to, but everyone asks if i broke it when i was younger but i really don't know. It now annoyes me as everyone points it out, but i don't know what to do about it.

It doesnt hurt, well only at times wen i am asked to straighten it, and it takes effort but otherwise i don't get any pain..

[KR85]

I broke my pinky sliding into 2nd base in a softball game. I fractured my proximal phalanx left small finger on 07/24/08.  The break was so bad, that my finger bend down, and so far over, that it could touch my middle finger with it.  The break is apparently "one of the worst" places to break the finger.  the break required surgery, including the insertion of 2 K-wires .035 (aka-pins).

My recommendation to all of you is to research your hand surgeon before allowing them to perform the procedure.  You think you can trust the hospital to make a recommendation, but you really cannot.  RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH the surgeon(s).  My surgeon inserted the pins into one joint too far and has caused me to go through way to much physical therapy.  It is now 09/23/08 and I still cannot bend my finger or straighten it correctly.  According to my physical therapist, the chances of me EVER being able to do it, are slim.

So, yes. Accidents do happen.  Just be sure that when they do, you research your surgeon and feel comfortable with him or her before allowing them to treat you.

Good luck Everyone!!

[lee122]

worried now. just had 2 k wires taken out of my pinky after just ubder 4 weeks. really swollen and no chance of bending it. not got therapy till end of month.

[tcsurfeast]

I recently broke my left pinky in my Aikido class (martial art) and today saw a hand specialist. He gave me two options being have a non-removable type splint/cast put on or just tape the two fingers together which he did for me right then and there as to his recommendation, mainly because of the work I do. He said 4-6 weeks is the usual recovery time for this type of break which was at the base of my pinky.

[lil_LIL]

hey Im lilian my friends calll me lill im 13 in the eighth grade and i may have fractured my pinky but Im not sure. i was playing with my friends in the cafeteria at my school and one friend kicked me in my hand and now the bottom of my pinky where the knuckle bone thing is swollen. i can bend it but the finger can get straight unless i move it and it hurts when i move it up and down. but it gets tense and tight when i make a fist.ok you know how you have lines in fingers, well after the third line my finger gets reallly really thick like thicker than my other pink. I dont wanna go to the hospital and i really dont know what to do. its the hand i write with and we have a bunch of standardized test coming up. plz help if do bad on theses test i cant get into the high school i want to go to.

[katyho]

My Son who is a 15 year old competitive figure skater broke his left pinky right below the 2nd joint when he fell and slid into the boards.  To his horror the ER doctor at Children's hospital put him in a half cast all the way from below his elbow and "buddy casted" the ring finger to the pinky.  Although it is his left hand everything is hard to do and it especially affects his training because of the fear of falling again.  I thought it would be a little splint or something so I am quite shocked at this "cast thing..." At present we call him the "lobster man" as his hand looks like a lobster claw!?  

[Motormouthmorgan]

I am 13 and 1/2. I just went in today for x-rays on my left hand pinky and they think i fractured it. I was tumbling when this incident happened. I just have a splint on it right now with tape wrapping it around my palm so it can't move. I am just taking ibuprofen to ease the pain. I am still going to play sports, actually i am going to be active very soon. Dirt bike riding tomorow, 2 soccer games on saturday and tumbling again next monday and wednesday.
I hope it gets better. Haha

Best wishes to everyone else...

[s_ballkidd11]

hi i am typing right now with a broken/fractured pinky i am not completely sure what entirely is wrong with it but i have to wear a splint and it has been killin me so my mom is taking me to the doctor it hurts mostly in the middle knuckle section and was hurt by a basketball rebound in p.e right off the goal if u have any info abot what should probably be done plz help

[uuuuia]

Quick cure for broken pinkey:

6 pack, 2 vicoden and cortison shots and then some shots of petron.  Either that or be a man and have it cut off like Ronnie Lot.  

Tell your kids that Doctor is a doctor for a reason.  And that your kids can perscribe thier own treatmeant when they go through 12 years of school and training or they move out.  Also remind them that life ***** and then you die and at least they arent the ones paying taxes and the doctor bills.  Then put them to work mowing lawns so they can pay for their own bills.  If they say it hurts their poor little hands, then remind them that pain is weakness leaving the body, and if they weren't so weak they wouldn't have got hurt in the first place.

If you are seriously typing homework for your little wuss, then they are probably going to end up on unemployment as an adult.  If some one with a real disability can make it through life and support themselves, then your little wuss should be able to type a few pages.  They do have another hand, until some one catches them stealing, which is what they will have to do to survive, since you raised them to be a wuss.  I bet you don't spank your kid, because "it's a form of abuse."  well somebody should kick you in the groin and give them a lifetime of spankings, so they don't turn out like you, a wuss, the track that they are currently on.

Web based medical advice is about as usefull as some of you people.  it gives you enough information that you know something is wrong, but following advice for treatment of something serious, is a good way to cause youself future problems, just like following the idiots advice that post on this page.

All I can think of is all you idiots cloggin up the government clinics when socialized medicine takes over.  I dread the day when I pay for a smokes emphazima and lung cancer treatments or a drunk's new liver.  But get denied bypass surgery because I am too old, eventhough I did my part and exercised and avoided bad foods and bad chemicals.  Then I'll have to wait behind some idiot who's kid hurt their poor little hand to get the news that the governent is going to let me die.

people are plain stupid, and that is why this site exists!