how to tell if broken or dislocated?

Question

i injured my pinkie knuckle a couple of weeks ago.I haven't been to a doctor yet because i can still move it.The best way to describe it is it looks and feels like the bone that is the knuckle or covering the knuckle is pushed maybe half an inch down from were it's supposed to be.Its not swollen but i'm pretty sure that the big lump below the joint is the actual knuckle.I don't have pain in it.Any thoughts on this

the hard lump that i have now popped up right after i injured my hand,if this helps

Answer 1

The knuckle is the joint, not a separate piece of bone. Where the bone of the lower finger is attached to the bone of the hand for that particular finger, there is cartilage which pads the ends of each bone. The shape of the ends of the bones form the joint, which we choose to call a knuckle. The term dislocation means the bones which form the joint are not in the proper location to form the joint anymore, and they may or may not be broken. You can have both a fracture and a dislocation, or you can have just a dislocation. But you can't break a joint or have it move somewhere else. Without an xray there is no way to tell for certain if it is broken or not. It isn't dislocated, though, because you can move the finger. If this injury were caused when you hit something with a closed fist, you could have a " boxer's fracture". That would require the hand to be splinted or casted until the bone heals. But you say there is no pain, and that type of fracture usually is both painful and swollen- and the little finger usually isn't the one broken. At this point, there really wouldn't be any benefit to splinting or casting, since a fracture would already be healed enough that it wouldn't make any difference. What you may be seeing is the unset fracture being mended, and since it was not properly set, there would be a lump develop on the spot. An x-ray at this point would confirm that, but it wouldn't change the treatment any. They would just say be careful next time, and to take your favorite pain reliever as needed. I suppose it it were that critical, they could refracture the bone to reset it, but that's rather radical for a little finger and the improvement would only be cosmetic. But it would be painful and expensive to do that. The lump itself may or may not get smaller as time goes on. Best bet is to just be careful in the future with your hands, and if you injure yourself, the sooner you get it looked at the better off you are. It may have been broken, but it's not now. It wasn't dislocated, though, because dislocated joints don't move the bones below the joint.

Answer 2

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I am not a nurse...I am a Physical Therapist. You can not tell from physical exam if the leg is sprained, you CAN feel dislocation BUT that might also be a break. It could be all three! Problem is this is NOT something you can ignore. A dislocation does not "heal". It stays out of place causing pain and loss of function until MAYBE the dog gets used to it. Why would anyone want a dog to go through that? If it is a dislocation and you get to a vet soon enough, he or she may be able to manipulate the joint into place and it can then rest and heal. If you do NOT know what you are doing you can NOT splint the dog's leg! If the splint is not applied correctly and in the exact position, you can cause MORE damage, prevent healing and cause the dog more pain. I get that you are a kid...BUT someone in your household needs to get this dog to a vet ASAP. Witholding medical care and allowing a dog to be in pain is animal abuse. I know you don't want to be part of that, and I get that times are tight. But as a dog owner your mom is responsible to provide proper medical care to your pet. Hope you can get her to do the right thing. Good luck.

Answer 3

Dislocated Knuckle

Answer 4

Dislocated Pinky

Answer 5

Get an x-ray as it is the only way to be sure what is going on. Being able to move it doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't broken. If it is your pinkie knuckle and you hit someone or something with your closed fist, you may have a fractured 5th metacarpal. This is actually the bone in the palm of your hand and is the most common bone broken by fighters and boys between the age of 14 and 21. ( because they often lose their temper and hit with a closed fist) It may not cause you pain right now, but you are setting yourself up for arthritis in that hand as you get older. Since you will be needing your hand for the remainder of your life, go get it looked at. It often requires a pin and plate to fix it properly as young guys don't do well with the 5=6 weeks in a cast that repair requires.

Answer 6

You could have jammed it. But to be honest , there is only so much you can do for a broken finger besides wear a finger splint---you can get these at any drug store.
The swelling could be inflamation from it being traumatized.
Advil(Ibuprofen) will help that.
If not better, or pain returns, or your movement becomes limited---see an MD to be sure.
Good Luck!

Answer 7

An X-Ray will tell you - Its best to visit your doctor. Meanwhile, take care not to strain your finger. Pain is the body's way of telling you that something is wrong but just because you don't have pain doesn't mean everything is alright. If possible, avoid using that hand as much as possible till you see the doctor.

Answer 8

Thump the end of your finger, if it sends you through the roof, go to the doctor, it's broken. If knot, Ice, rest and tape it to the next finger.
Good health!