Fractures of the fingers, both on the hands and on the feet, are not uncommon. This can happen when falling, hitting the end of the phalanges on a hard surface, sometimes the hand is pinched by the door. On the feet, you can break your fingers if you drop a heavy object on your foot or catch on the leg of a bed or chair while walking fast. Little fingers often suffer.
If such a misfortune happened to you or your loved ones, then distinguishing a fracture is quite simple. The finger cannot be bent, it quickly swells, turns blue and hurts a lot. In this case, the first step is to immobilize the limb by splinting, if the fracture is closed, then apply cold and lift your finger up to reduce swelling of the limb.
If the fracture is open, then the first step is to remove dirt from the wound with water and disinfect the surface with hydrogen peroxide, apply a sterile bandage and splint. It is recommended to give the victim pain medication.
In the article, we will introduce the reader to how to develop fingers after a fracture, what can be done at home to speed up the rehabilitation process, we will suggest a set of exercises used for fracturesvarious phalanges and toes including.
Treatment of broken fingers
After providing first aid at home, you must urgently consult a traumatologist or surgeon. Treatment is reduced to immobilization of the phalanx with a simple closed fracture. If there is a displacement or fragments of the bone, an open fracture, surgery is prescribed to restore the correct shape of the bone. To do this, use metal rods, plates and screws.
The bone grows together for at least 4 weeks, and all this time the phalanx is motionless. Naturally, during this time, the muscles of the limb atrophy, and after treatment and removal of the plaster cast, it will be painful for patients to bend their fingers for some time. To restore flexibility to the joints, restore blood circulation and motor activity of the phalanx, you will have to listen to the doctor's recommendations. He can advise physiotherapy, massage and therapeutic exercises, which you can do on your own. Consider further how to develop fingers after a fracture in different ways.
Stages of rehabilitation
Recovery after a broken toe is more efficient if the patient uses all possible methods of rehabilitation. Consider the benefits of each of them separately:
- Massage can be done even in a plaster cast. The blood supply to the diseased area improves and the bone heals faster.
- Proper nutrition also needs to start from the moment of the fracture. Food should replenish the calcium lost by the body andsilicon. It is recommended to eat dairy products, nuts and raisins, persimmons and sesame seeds, hard cheese, sea fish, beans and lentils, celery, spinach, dill and parsley, rhubarb and cabbage. It is good to drink milk and juices, liquid yogurt, pamper the patient with jellied meat or jelly with currant or raspberry berries.
- Exercise exercises work out joints that have been inactive for a long time faster.
- Baths for fingers reduce swelling, relieve pain, have a positive effect on metabolism.
- Physiotherapy stimulates the rapid healing of the bone, reduces pain and accelerates blood and lymphatic outflow from the affected area.
Physiotherapy Methods
There are several methods that allow you to develop fingers after a fracture through physical therapy. Here are some of them:
High-frequency therapy uses rays to affect the tissues around the fracture, causing prolonged hyperemia, which increases the movement of blood and lymph through the vessels. At the same time, tissue metabolism improves and, conversely, neuromuscular excitability decreases. The patient feels the subsidence of pain and reduction of swelling
- Magnetotherapy. Magnetic radiation accelerates bone regeneration, so this therapy is prescribed even when the patient is in a plaster cast. The procedure promotes calcium metabolism, the development of osteocytes.
- Electrophoresis is prescribed to reduce pain by adding novocaine solutions. They do it not on the most damaged area, but a little lower and higher from the fracture site.
- Impulses of interference currents are delivered through 4 electrodes with a rhythmic frequency, which improves blood flow and lymph flow, relieves pain and swelling.
Saline baths
One of the effective ways that helps develop fingers after a fracture is s alt baths. These procedures are available at home, but you need to know the rules of manipulation so as not to harm.
Recovery of the fingers with a warm and concentrated solution of sea s alt will be faster. The thermal effect of the baths contributes to the activation of immune processes, increased blood flow through the vessels, and tissue regeneration. Pain is dulled, swelling of the limb is removed. Warm water penetrates to the joints, removing inflammation.
The temperature of the baths should not exceed 42 degrees. You need to start the procedure from 10 minutes and gradually bring the fingers in the solution to 20. After the procedure, it is not recommended to wash off the s alt under the tap, it is better to blot your fingers with a dry cloth and wrap the limb with a towel, cover with a blanket, put on warm socks or compression gloves.
It is advisable not to go outside immediately after the procedure and not start doing something at home, but lie down for half an hour so that the effect lasts longer.
Contraindications to the procedure
Before you develop fingers after a fracture, you need to consult a doctor, as it is not always possible to do baths with a s alt solution. It is forbiddencarry out the procedure if:
- there are damage to the skin or purulent formations;
- there are any inflammatory, chronic processes or tumors;
- man suffering from high blood pressure;
- have thrombosis or tuberculosis.
It is also forbidden to give baths to children, pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding.
The dosage of s alt and water should be determined by the attending physician.
Massage of fingers after a fracture
When the fingers are broken, it is possible to massage the diseased limb after the first week of wearing a plaster cast. Do this with gentle, stroking movements above and below the injury site. Stroking and light tapping will speed up blood circulation in the immobilized limb, which will speed up the healing of the wound. After a fracture of the fingers, it is even recommended to tap and pat the plaster itself with the palm of your hand. The patient can do massage movements on his own, using only fingertips. You need to do this daily, for 5 - 7 minutes.
After the bandage is removed, you need to gently knead the recovered finger. Massage strokes are started over the fracture site and gradually expand the area of influence. Physical pressure should be gentle. It is advisable to make warm baths before the massage. Even plain water can relax the muscles and relieve tension in the ligaments.
Development of fingers after a fracture
The most effective means of rehabilitation after a fracture of the fingers is therapeutic exercises. Do the exercisesYou can after removing the plaster at home. Before exercising, rub the palms of your hands to warm up the muscles. Then place your brush on the table surface with your palms up. Raising them, you need to touch the back of the little fingers and return to the starting position.
Place your palms on the table and raise all fingers together up. At the same time, the palm itself does not come off the surface of the table.
You can fix the warm-up by rotating the brushes clockwise and counterclockwise.
Phalange exercise
Let's consider a set of exercises for the fingers that will help to effectively develop the motor activity of the phalanges of the hand.
- Create your fingers into a fist and open them to the sides.
- Make a lock and open the phalanges.
- Rub your palms in the "lock" position, moving them left and right.
- Place your palm on the surface of the table and move your fingers as if playing the piano.
- Close the fingers of both hands into the lock and turn outward with the palms.
- Alternately raise each finger up off the table. In this case, the palm does not rise.
- Exercise "Caterpillar". They do it on a flat surface, the palm opens up, then the fingers fold into a fist. The hand gradually moves forward, as if imitating the movement of an insect.
- Flipping fingers one at a time using the thumb.
Ball exercises
If it hurts you to immediately put your fingers into a fist, you can usesoft foam or rubber ball. Holding it in the palm of your hand, you can do the same exercises, only the range of motion will be different.
- Squeeze the sponge or ball in the palm of your hand and release it to its original position.
- Place a ball or sponge between your fingers and try to apply pressure.
- Roll the ball back and forth with your palm on the table.
Do all movements 10 times daily, only from regular classes you will soon see a positive result.
Thumb
Recovery of the main finger takes more time. The further labor activity of a person depends on the condition of the thumb after a fracture. Therefore, it is he who needs to be given special attention.
- Bending your fingers into a fist, close and open your thumb, pushing it to the side.
- The same, only hide the phalanx inside the fist and stick it out.
- Touch with all fingers in turn the thumb.
- Repeat the same, only connect fingers through one.
- Exercise "S alting food", the process of pouring s alt is imitated.
- "Lighter". Make a flicking motion with the finger with the lighter.
For toes
If you had a broken toe, then after prolonged immobilization, you will have to do exercises for the entire foot at once. Before gymnastics, massage the top of the foot and on the sole.
Sit comfortably on a sofa or chair and stretch firstjoints rotational movement of the foot clockwise and in the opposite direction.
Open your fingers to the end in different directions and collect them together and, conversely, squeeze all your fingers inside the foot and relax to the starting position.
Collect small objects such as pencils scattered on the floor with your toes.
Standing near a chair, hold on to the back for confidence and rise on your toes, standing on tiptoe.
Repeat all exercises several times, increasing the number to 10.
Additional load
If you still do not know how to develop fingers after a fracture, then we can advise a few daily useful activities. They can be done in front of the TV or while reading a book. Scatter beans of different varieties on the table and play Cinderella, sorting through small elements and putting them in different bowls.
You can scatter matches on the table and just collect them or make an animal figure out of them or write a note to a child.
For those working on the computer, keyboard work will help to get well soon. Use your sore finger when typing. This will be a great gymnastics without leaving the workplace.
If you are into needlework, then do not interrupt your embroidery, quilling, modular origami or knitting. All these types of creativity involve fine motor skills of the hands. And if you take plasticine or dough, then in addition to the motor activity of the phalanges, you will make a good massage of the entire hand.
Promotes better recovery after a fracture andplaying musical instruments - guitar and piano, accordion or button accordion.
With a child who broke his finger on his hand, you can put together puzzles, create a beautiful picture from mosaic elements, play a constructor, for example, Lego.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to help your fingers recover from an injury. Use them one by one and the result will please you pretty quickly. Stay he althy!
