Finger and Thumb Injury (suspected injury to the finger(s) and/or thumb)
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Emergent Care - Have you identified one or more of the following symptoms?
- Amputation
- Protruding bone
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Bone out of alignment
- Finger or thumb is blue, cold or numb
- Open wound over area of injury and/or uncontrolled bleeding
- Severe crushing injury
- Foreign body other than splinter
| Yes |
No |
Seek Immediate Medical Attention!
These symptoms can be life-threatening. |
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| A good way to recognize swelling and/or change in appearance is to compare the injured finger/thumb to the uninjured finger/thumb
The ability to normally move a joint or a limb is called range of motion (ROM) |
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Urgent Care - Have you identified one or more of the following symptoms?
- Painful bleeding /bruising underneath a nail or tearing away of the nail
- Symptoms of infection (pain, redness, swelling, fever)
- Severe pain and/or swelling
- Decreased ability to move hand, finger(s) and/or thumb
- History of chronic disease (sickle cell, rheumatoid arthritis, bleeding disorder, etc.)
| Yes |
No |
Contact Your Health Care Provider. |
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Self-Management - You can help in the following ways:
- Remove rings from injured fingers
- Stabilize injured area
- Ice to finger/thumb, 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off, for first 24 hours to reduce swelling
- If skin is broken, wash with antibacterial soap and warm water
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