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

[OldManTim]

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.