Bruise spreading?

[TPMB12]

What's happening when a bruise spreads out of the area of injury?

[Jaded]

Breakdown blood products moving in the epidermal fascia?

Is it painful or infected? If not, just the above, I'd think.

[hellymedic]

Gravity, pressure from clothing etc...

[T42]

If it's big enough it'll turn all kinds of interesting colours after a while.

[TPMB12]

It's not too bad but it was a humdinger of a crush injury. Within a few minutes it had made my finger swell from just below the knuckle to the first finger knuckle. Both swelling edges were quite sharp step. Normal to just below the knuckle then badly swollen after it.

A metal bar dropped off something but pivoted so the end near me caught my hand and sent it hard up to a static, fixed metal pipe.

I had no ice so ran my hand under the cold tap for 5 minutes which stopped the swelling getting worse. Its down now to normal but for a spreading blue area.

I've had bruises with a small lump of a bruise that went down as the bruise spread. It's obvious something was moving then but there's been no prominent bruise this time.

[chrisbainbridge]

X-Ray?

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'd immobilize that (gently strap to adjacent finger with something like a lollypop stick in between, or similar sized bit of firm plastic), and go for an xray.

You don't want a fracture to heal crookedly.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I had something similar with a cricket injury.  Our Australian fast bowler pitched one on a daisy on the pitch and it shot under the bat, under my gloves and caught me square on the bridge of the foot (at least stopping a bye).  The impacted area bruised that day, but the bruise spread in technicolour across most of the foot over the following week and then gradually reduced back to the original impact over the following week.  No long lasting impacts - my entire Audax career and running career have been subsequent to my cricket playing days.

[hellymedic]

The bruising and discolouration from my sprained ankle (came off high heels) extended to the base of several toes.
That's gravity!

[TPMB12]

My bruise is moving uphill from my third finger towards my wrist.

No need for xray. Full movement at all times once swelling managed a bit. No tingling, numbness or any of the symptoms of fractures I reckon. My partner thinks I should have logged it at work where it happened in case it was more serious.  Or an A and E visit. Personally it's not serious just the swelling was alarming because it was significant but localised to a cm from the knuckle down to the finger knuckle below it what 3cm length tops. Plus the swelling stepped up from no swelling to double finger size without a transition.  Cold water from the tap for 3 minutes made the swelling go down. No pain other than 2 or 3  minutes of Intense pain. Only a little when I forgot about the injury and knocked it.

[Gattopardo]

The bruising and discolouration from my sprained ankle (came off high heels) extended to the base of several toes.
That's gravity!

Had a similar injury obtained the same way.

[T42]

I'd immobilize that (gently strap to adjacent finger with something like a lollypop stick in between, or similar sized bit of firm plastic), and go for an xray.

You don't want a fracture to heal crookedly.

Yebbut watch it and get a doc to have a gander.  MrsT fell when running ~10 years ago and broke her little finger.  The nurse at the Urgences straightened her finger and strapped it up, and now she can't curl it up all the way.

[mrcharly-YHT]

My bruise is moving uphill from my third finger towards my wrist.

No need for xray. Full movement at all times once swelling managed a bit. No tingling, numbness or any of the symptoms of fractures I reckon. My partner thinks I should have logged it at work where it happened in case it was more serious.  Or an A and E visit. Personally it's not serious just the swelling was alarming because it was significant but localised to a cm from the knuckle down to the finger knuckle below it what 3cm length tops. Plus the swelling stepped up from no swelling to double finger size without a transition.  Cold water from the tap for 3 minutes made the swelling go down. No pain other than 2 or 3  minutes of Intense pain. Only a little when I forgot about the injury and knocked it.

My son had an accident, finger hit between two pipes.

He could move all of his fingers, so people said "It isn't broken".

I took him to A&E. One operation later, he had two pins in place to hold the snapped-in-two bone in place while it healed.

Just because you can move your fingers doesn't mean nothing is broken. Get it X-rayed. chrisbainbridge says get it X-Rayed and he's a hand/wrist surgeon.

[TPMB12]

X-Ray?

Do you mean get an x-ray or have you had one?

I hear you're a wrist/ hand surgeon so without consulting you I wonder if you'd clarify.

I would be very surprised if there is a break. I've fractured my hand before and whilst this is on a different place I know the crush force wasn't anywhere near as great. Still hurt like hello for a minute.

Now it just looks red and blue from the third finger last joint to halfway up the hand to the wrist. No swelling, no pain,  no movement reduction,  no lumps where there shouldn't be just a deep red slab on the outside of my finger I keep knocking. Doesn't hurt even when I knock the flesh just the scab. Sorry if that's gross.

It is interesting to wake up and check out what colour my hand is each morning!  😆

[chrisbainbridge]

My comment was just a gentle hint that crush injuries often cause a fracture. I cannot say you must get an x-Ray. I was simply hinting that if it hurt enough consider it.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

My comment was just a gentle hint that crush injuries often cause a fracture. I cannot say you must get an x-Ray. I was simply hinting that if it hurt enough consider it.

Indeed.  Another cricket injury - keeping wicket to one of bowlers who had the over of his life. 4 out of the 6 balls hit the seam, moved away, lifted, beat the bat (our standard of cricket didn't have batsmen good enough to get a bat on any of them, and I took each one on the outside of the upper glove.  One of them broke the pinky at the end joint.  Kept wicket in pain for most of the rest of the season, with some extra tube-gauze around that finger.  It was only at the end of the season that I noticed the distinct bend at the end joint.

The same finger suffered again when sledding with my boys a few years later.  I knew I had broken it, but by the time I got back home, it would have been 6pm on Saturday and I didn't fancy A&E.  So now the finger has a distinct S-shape. 

[TPMB12]

My comment was just a gentle hint that crush injuries often cause a fracture. I cannot say you must get an x-Ray. I was simply hinting that if it hurt enough consider it.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if you were asking if I had or making the recommendation or a strong suggestion I should.

It's very unlikely to be a break. It stopped hurting quickly and is only when I forgot about it and knocked my hand it would hurt. Now it feels like my other hand just more colourful and with a deep red,  purple,  black graze on the side of my finger.  It's starting to look like an old,  deep suntan that's close to peeling off. Bruises are colourful and change at times.