How can he fix his hand?

Question

my buddy accidently punched a stud in the wall, and busted up his hand, he's never broken a bone so he doesn't konw how it feels, but his thumb hurts whenever he touches it, and he cant squeeze his hand that well... it was swollen on top of his hand but its going down, and his only pain in inside the palm of his hand? what should he do cause he doesnt have health insurance ot go to the hospital!

ur a smart guy, i took sports med in hs and a boxers fractura was the first thing that came to mind, but if i remember correctly, boxer fracture broke ur digits, and it seems like the growth plate area of his thumb, like where thumb meets wrists? thanks anyways!!!

Answer 1

It's possible he has broken one of the small bones in his wrist from the impact of the punch.

If the thumb looks in the right position and he has good colour in his hand and fingertips. (Press on the nail to check how quickly colour comes back when you let go)

Bandage the wrist not too tightly nor too loose take the bandage over and around the hand. Keep it like this until it feels better.
This will immobilize the wrist so if there is a break at least it can heal up in a good position. When the bandage comes off, he will need to exercise it gently.

Ideally, this should really be x rayed as later on breaks can cause pain and stiffness if they have not been treated properly.

Answer 2

Your friend likely has what is called a Boxer's fracture, although he could well have broken other bones of his hand. There is no fix you or he can do. You need to go to an Emergency Room, at a municiple hospital, where he can be treated. If the bones are not reset correctly he can lose some, and possibly all, of the function of that hand. There is no other fix, I'm sorry. They will treat him even if he doesn't have insurance, although they may ask him to make some sort of arrangements for repayment. It's a small price to pay to use your hand in the future.