Author Topic: Finger injury  (Read 197 times)

Finger injury
« on: 16 March, 2024, 12:19:02 pm »
Minor stuff compared to the issues many face on here, but as it is likely others on here have had similar, I thought it worth asking.

Just before Christmas, I decided to do some fettling. As I was putting the bike up on my Park work stand, I got my finger caught in part of the clamp as it closed over, in the way that cams do, on the seat post.

I had a thin Muc Off work glove on at the time but my hand was not entirely clean within said glove due to previous fiddling about with stuff before putting the glove on. The clamp came down on the fleshy part of the distal phalanx of my left index finger. I am left handed. It was intensely painful, but only for a few seconds. On removing the glove, there was blood but not a huge amount, and the bleeding stopped fairly quickly. There was a large U-shaped flap of flesh, with closed end of the U distal, pinched off. It was a very thick flap.

I washed it as best as I could, and bandaged up it up. This was on Christmas Eve and I couldn’t face the urgent care centre. There wasn’t much pain, no more bleeding although there was a bit of clear exudate. I decided to watch and wait. Over the next week or so it started to heal, or at least the flap started to reattach itself beginning at the attached end. Eventually I could see that a small fringe at the free end of the flap was drying out and dead so I trimmed that off, a couple of mm. There was a little bleeding at the edge. That reattachment continued gradually. At the free end, there was a small area that didn’t have skin cover and filled up from below.

So far so good. It was never very painful and in fact a bit numb, except for being intensely sensitive to cold even with gloves on.

A few weeks ago I considered it job done. However, something is amiss. It remains sensitive to cold, a little painful when gripping things tightly, and part of the wound is breaking down a bit superficially. My suspicion is that there is something in there, perhaps oil based debris.

Will this eventually be ejected or what is the best thing to do?

Edited to add, in the light of T42s reply, I don’t think my GP would be the slightest bit interested.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Finger injury
« Reply #1 on: 16 March, 2024, 12:30:26 pm »
<cringe>

Get a pro to look at it.  I had grit embedded in my left elbow for a couple of years after a trivial off. No infection but multiple ouches when I leant on it. GP took it out in 30 seconds with lidocaine and a scalpel.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Finger injury
« Reply #2 on: 16 March, 2024, 05:17:49 pm »
Not easy to answer simply. A picture might help. I would on first review think unlikely there is anything inside given the crush/pinch nature of the injury. A poor healing edge might be more likely.  Picture though would help.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Finger injury
« Reply #3 on: 16 March, 2024, 06:17:10 pm »
Chris is the expert!
Sounds as if it needs lots of TIME to heal from the bottom & edges.

If it doesn’t seem to improve, you might be best to see your GP for onward referral.