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Came off about a month ago and hurt my finger (no idea what happened, just that it hurt afterwards), it swelled up and went purple/yellow but could still use it without too much pain and could still grip the bars. There was tenderness on the joint but nowhere else, so I figured I'd just sprained it and tried to minimise use for a while.
Seemed to be getting better, but last week it started hurting a lot more during use and being quite stiff, e.g. it's painful on any bumps on the commuter whereas it wasn't prior to that.
Is this just a normal part of healing, i.e. do I need to start bending it more to get some flexibility into it? Or could I have damaged a ligament/tendon? And if so, is there anything a Dr can actually do for it?
Don't really want to bother the NHS for something that'll probably just be "don't use it and keep an eye on it"!
And if so, is there anything a Dr can actually do for it?
Yep they can chop it off.
I would go and see a doc.
Get it looked at.
For me soft tissue finger and thumb injuries often take months to sort themselves out so it may just need more time.
I'm hoping it just needs more time. Can't really be arsed going to the GP to get referred for an X-ray, which will then (probably) show nothing and I'll just be told to strap it up and keep an eye on it!
[i]I'll just be told to strap it up[/i]
I suspect the opposite if there's no break - you'll be told to carry out gentle stretches to keep it moving.
You got a minor injuries clinic near you?
Had a similar situation with my wrist, went down on sunday afternoon while Wimbledon was on, was in, xrayed and out within an hour.
you are injured its not healing and getting worse
Of course you should see a doctor
You got a minor injuries clinic near you?
No don't. It is not a recent injury.
You need now to be referred to Orthopaedics, potentially via x-ray review.
Its a GP job
There's a walk-in clinic nearby but I doubt they have an X-ray as it's quite small. Might give them a phone and see if it's worth me going down there or if they'll just tell me to bugger off and see my GP!
Will take months to get a referral and x-ray via GP. Walk in will get it looked at same day. If they don't have an x-ray they can give you a referral to A&E where you can just turn up with a note and they'll get you sorted with an x-ray and maybe not have to wait in the triage queue.
Doesn't matter if it's not a recent injury, it's an issue that's got worse and may need immediate attention.
Anyway with finger like that it could be a ligament tear and/or fracture. I had something similar smashing my hands at BPW. Got patched up for broken finger in one hand but finger on other hand seemed just bruised and didn't bother x-raying. Went to local A&E to get booked in for fracture clinic and they spotted swelling on the finger and looked concerned. X-ray and sure enough fractured with ligament having torn off a bit of bone.
Had to wear finger splint for a while, not allowed to bend finger for months, and then needed physio to get it to bend again. Slightly problematic being also my braking finger.
[i]Will take months to get a referral and x-ray via GP[/i]
I always get one next day with my GP - there's a local X-Ray clinic that allows a walk in service if you have a referral letter.
Results are normally a week after that.
Like dead kenny I had a 'mallet finger'. I ignored it for a week. It has gone lots worse since. It's now bent, painful, and restricted in movement. YMMV. My experience says get it looked at.
You're following the correct protocol OP.
1. Ignore the injury.
2. Seek medical advice off a mountain biking forum.
3. Go and see a Doctor as a last resort.
😀
IANAD
My toe got crunched at football once. Had exactly the same pattern of bruising/swelling/limited movement, and an initial improvement followed by deterioration. Picked a quiet time to pop into A&E. It was a small fracture.
some threads you know the answer before you click on the title , go to your dr gp , round here they can refer you for a walk in x ray with out delay .
slowoldgit - Member
Like dead kenny I had a 'mallet finger'.
Yeah, that's the term for it. I couldn't remember what they call it.
As for GPs, unless I'm dying the earliest appointment I can get is usually 3 weeks away. Walk in centre can be seen same day and they'll judge whether to send for an x-ray anyway which is all the GP will do.