Boxer's Fracture?? How long to seek medical attention?

[sparky00]

I got in a fight last night.  One hitter quitter.  The knuckle of my middle finger is pretty swollen right now.  It wasn't that bad last night.  Two hours after the fight, I was playing pool with minimal pain.  Since I have no insurance, I'm wondering how long I can wait before having the more serious consequences of a fractured hand...  my friend's mom says hours... but I'd guess a couple days??  Hopefully the swelling will decrease, and I'll be able to close my fist in those couple days of icing & elevation.

There's also a bump on the back of my hand... right above my wrist, and what seems to be my middle finger (and maybe index too, but I can still move that one).  I've read that this bump prolly wont go away.  Is this a clear sign of a fracture?  Is there any clear sign??

I've also read that boxer's fractures are usually associated with ring and/or pinky fingers.  What's up with that?

[Michael L Gross, MD]

Boxer's fractures are typically fractures of the fifth metacarpal, just before the (MCP joint)knuckle.  Even when reduced properly, the often heal with a deformity of the knucle, but no loss of function.
The only definitive way to determine if there is a fracture or not, is with an X-ray.  I would suggest a visit to an ER and an X-ray as soon as possible.

[sparky00]

I didn't have a fracture, even tho the swelling was so large.

I'd say if anybody else is in this situation, like not hitting a wall... and you can still move your finger thru half its range.... pass on the xrays for a couple days.  If it's fractured, the doctors can't really do anything anyway.

Put your hand/wrist in a splint... and do the RICE method.  I just had to pay a butt load of money and wasted 4 hours for a splint and some Motrin IB.