Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Immediate Assessment of the Situation
• Part 2 of 3: Visual inspection of the joint
• Part 3 of 3: Testing Joint Mobility
• Tips
• Warnings

A broken knuckle can be very painful. In addition, such a fracture can complicate your life, especially if you need to do something with your hands while working. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a finger joint is broken or if it's just a bruise. Although a serious knuckle fracture requires medical attention, a bruise or even a minor fracture can heal on its own. Learn to identify a broken knuckle so that you can seek medical attention if needed.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Immediate Assessment of the Situation

1. 1 Notice if you felt a click. With fractures of the finger joints, people often feel a cotton or a click in the hand at the time of the fracture. This can be caused by a real bone fracture, or by the fact that the knuckle jumped out of its intended place. If you feel this sound, pause your activity and examine the hand.
   • A knuckle fracture is not always accompanied by this sensation, it all depends on the severity of the fracture.
2. 2 Determine the cause of the injury. Knuckle fractures are often referred to as “boxing” fractures, as they often occur as a result of punching against a hard surface. Did you hit a wall or other stationary surface with your fist when you were injured? You may have fist-fought with someone. If you hit something hard, you could easily break your knuckle.
   • There are other, less common causes of knuckle fractures. The joint can be broken as a result of a fall, when working with machinery or performing other actions in which there is a risk of injury to the hand.
   • Nowadays, some doctors call a knuckle fracture not a “boxing” fracture, but a “brawler's injury” because boxers wear protective gloves. This type of injury occurs more often when you hit someone with your bare fist.
3. 3 Pay attention to immediate pain. A knuckle fracture is accompanied by immediate acute pain. You will immediately feel a sharp pain in the hand, which will then be replaced by a throbbing pain. Depending on how you handle the pain, it can be so severe that it will force you to immediately interrupt your current activities.
   • A slight fracture of the knuckle may be accompanied by less severe pain. However, in this case, you should stop using your hand so as not to aggravate the injury.
4. 4 Assess the temperature of your palm. Immediately after injury, blood begins to rush to the injury, which increases the body temperature at the site of the fracture. Compare the temperature of the injured palm with that of the other hand. If your injured palm feels hot to the touch, you may have a broken knuckle.

Part 2 of 3: Visual inspection of the joint

1. 1 Check for swelling. About ten minutes after a knuckle fracture, the damaged area begins to swell. Edema forms at the site of the injured joint and can spread to the entire palm. This injury can be accompanied by severe swelling, making it difficult for you to move your hand.
   • When the injured joint begins to swell, you may feel tingling or numbness.
   • Take aspirin, ibuprofen, or another over-the-counter drug to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
   • Severe swelling can make it difficult for the doctor to use your arm. Apply ice to the affected area to reduce swelling. Wrap the ice pack with a paper towel and place it over the broken joint, or use a pack of frozen vegetables. Hold the ice pack for 20 minutes at a time, then let the skin warm up before applying a new compress.
2. 2 Pay attention to the bruise. When a knuckle is broken, bruising will develop much faster than in other cases. Blood quickly rushes to the damaged area, and its color changes literally within a few minutes. In addition, with the formation of a bruise, the sensitivity of the damaged area will greatly increase. You may experience severe pain just by touching a broken joint.
   • Sometimes a bone fracture is not accompanied by bruising, but this rarely happens.
   • Keep the injured hand in an elevated position to reduce bruising. Raise your palm above heart level to improve blood flow from the injury site.
3. 3 Find the depressed knuckle. A sure way to spot a broken joint is to look closely at which knuckle is below the rest. Try to fold the injured hand into a fist and examine the knuckles. They have to push themselves out.If one of the joints is not visible, then it is probably broken.
   • With a fracture, the position and rotation of the joint can change, which leads to its immersion in the hand.
4. 4 Look closely for skin breaks. With an open fracture, the bone protrudes from under the skin, and in this case, surgery is required. Be sure to wash the damaged area and the skin around it with antiseptic soap. An open wound around a broken bone can easily penetrate an infection, making it much more difficult to treat the injury.
   • While washing the damaged joint, pain is possible, but disinfection is necessary.
   • Do not forget to dry the washed area properly, as moisture promotes the growth of bacteria. You can also cover the wound with a clean bandage to protect it from infection.
   • If any objects come into contact with the wound, remove them. However, if something has penetrated deep into the damaged joint, leave the item for the doctor to remove.

Part 3 of 3: Testing Joint Mobility

1. 1 Bend your finger. Try to bend the injured finger to determine if the joint is dislocated (dislocated) or rotated. When a joint is dislocated, it shifts in such a way that you cannot bend your finger at all. When you rotate the joint, you can bend the injured toe, but it will bend towards the thumb. If the joint is rotated incorrectly, the bone is deployed in such a way that the finger bends in the wrong direction.
   • If the knuckle is dislocated or twisted, you will need the help of a doctor who can put the joint back in place.
   • A malformed or dislocated knuckle takes longer to heal than a simple fracture.
2. 2 Make a fist. If the knuckle is broken, it will be very difficult for you to clench your hand into a fist. This serves as a reliable way to check the severity of the injury. The hand can become very swollen, or a fractured joint can cause too much pain in moving your fingers. You can also make a fist, except for the one with a broken knuckle. If you are able to make a fist and you have a broken finger joint, it is possible that the damaged finger will not mate properly with other fingers.
   • Don't force yourself. If you are in severe pain and find it difficult to make a fist, do not persist so as not to exacerbate the injury and move the joint further.
3. 3 Take something in your hand. A broken knuckle can significantly reduce the strength of your fingers. In severe injury, the brain forces the surrounding muscles to contract to prevent further damage. If you find that you are unable to grip anything properly in your hand, your brain may be trying to protect the broken joint.
   • If you break your knuckle slightly, you may be able to grip objects in your injured hand. However, if you suspect you have a broken knuckle, be careful. Gripping the fingers too tight can make the fracture worse.
4. 4 Check your wrist. The knuckles are located at the tops of the metacarpals. At their second ends, the metacarpal bones are connected to the carpal bone. Because of this bone connection, a fractured finger joint can affect wrist mobility. Move your wrist from side to side and up and down. If you feel a sharp, shooting pain in your hand while doing this, you most likely have a severe knuckle fracture.
5. 5 Get medical attention. If you suspect you have a broken knuckle, see your doctor or emergency room right away. You may need to apply a splint or bandage for several weeks until the injury heals. For fractures of the hand and fingers, plaster casts are rarely applied.

Tips

• To keep the knuckle in place, you may need to tie the injured toe to the adjacent toe.
• See your doctor right away if you suspect you have a broken knuckle. The doctor will order an X-ray to confirm or refute your concerns.
• Always dress open wounds to keep bacteria out.

Warnings

• Never try to continue working if you suspect you have a broken knuckle, as this can worsen the injury.
• Do not hit hard objects with your fist to avoid breaking your knuckles. Wear gloves if you are sparring or doing martial arts.
• Sometimes a broken knuckle requires surgery. After surgery, the bone may take even longer to heal than usual.
• If you have a severe knuckle fracture that requires a cast, it may take four to six weeks for the injury to heal. Be prepared to skip work for a while if it involves both hands.