Contents
Sudden and strong muscle contraction causes dislocations of the fingers and toes. Such an injury consists in the displacement of the articular surfaces of the bones. Dislocations of the fingers are quite painful, since there are a large number of nerve endings in the hand. However, this allows you to determine the presence of an injury in time and provide first aid. As a result of dislocation of the fingers, the ligaments and joint capsule are torn. Damage can also be caused by direct trauma.
In most cases, the thumb in the metacarpophalangeal joint suffers, due to its remote location, and its excessive overextension leads to dislocation. The bones move to the back of the hand, and the articular head changes its position.
Weak muscles and ligaments of the little finger contribute to injury. Therefore, its dislocations are considered one of the most common after thumb injuries. This happens most often with a sharp blow to the brush during a fall or unnatural movement. It is possible to simultaneously dislocate several fingers, for example, the little finger, index and ring fingers. Sometimes damage goes unnoticed for a long time. You can dislocate the little finger by causing joints to crack, or even by shaking hands too tightly. It is important to distinguish such damage from a bruise or fracture.
Dislocation of the toes is much less common. In terms of external manifestations and symptoms, it is practically no different from a dislocation on the arm. To restore the function of the toe, you will need to set it. This must be done before soft tissue edema has formed. In this case, the finger will heal faster.
Finger dislocation symptoms
When a finger or toe is dislocated, the patient feels severe pain. Indeed, during an injury, a large number of nerve endings located on the hand or foot are affected. This sends signals to the brain indicating damage. The finger at the same time takes an unnatural position, the skin turns red, and then acquires a pale shade. Soft tissue edema gradually appears at the site of the damaged joint. The patient is unable to make active finger movements. It is usually impossible to bend or unbend. All attempts to move a finger cause acute pain.
On examination, you can see that the head has come out of the articular bag and is palpable outside of it. Depending on the nature of the displacement of the bones, the finger also changes its length, shortening or lengthening. Dislocation by symptoms should be distinguished from subluxation, which is accompanied by a less pronounced deformity. In addition, the patient is able to move his finger.
Causes of dislocation of fingers
Any careless movements lead to dislocations of the fingers, in which the external influence is so strong that the ligaments and muscles are unable to hold the bones of the joint in their usual position. It could be a fall, a blow to the hand.
Professional athletes often face such dislocations. For example, while playing volleyball or basketball, it is easy to dislocate a finger of the hand, unsuccessfully taking the ball with the fingertips. That is why athletes are advised to use elastic bandages to protect themselves from injury.
Many people like to squeeze their joints hard, causing them to crunch. Such an impact also causes dislocations.
The toes are injured as a result of a strong impact of the foot on a hard surface. So, a dislocation can be obtained by landing unsuccessfully on an unbent foot or sharply twisting it.
Types of dislocations of fingers and toes
In medicine, the following types of dislocations of the fingers are distinguished:
fresh – damage that occurred no more than 2 days ago;
stale – injuries that happened a few weeks ago;
old – if the dislocation occurred more than a month ago.
Chronic dislocations are classified as irreducible. They differ in that in the process of displacement of the head relative to the articular cavity, soft tissues are clamped between them. In this case, treatment involves surgery. Dislocations can also be habitual. This means that the same joint is injured repeatedly. If, during dislocation, damage to the main vessel or nerve trunk occurs, an intraarticular or periarticular fracture occurs, it is called complicated.
Treatment and diagnosis of finger dislocations
If you have sprained fingers or toes, you should see a doctor. He will diagnose and confirm the nature of the damage. A layperson can easily confuse a dislocation with a subluxation or fracture. The main diagnostic method in this case is radiography.
When the possibility of a fracture, which requires special treatment, is excluded, the traumatologist, under anesthesia, repositions the finger. During the procedure, he stretches his finger with a smooth but strong movement, returning the head to the articular cavity. In this case, you can hear a click, indicating that the bones have taken the desired position. After the end of the procedure, a plaster cast is applied to the forearm. It can be removed after a few weeks.
The sooner the reduction is performed, the greater the chance of eliminating the injury. With chronic dislocations, it turns out to be ineffective, so the Volkov-Oganesyan apparatus is used. It helps to fully restore the function of the damaged joint. Trying to straighten your finger on your own is not recommended: you can not only not achieve the desired effect, but also harm. The procedure must be carried out under anesthesia, as it is quite painful.
First aid
If it is not possible to immediately seek help from specialists, first aid should be provided for a dislocation. It is necessary to apply a bandage that is not too tight, winding the injured finger to a healthy one. For this, a bandage and cotton wool are used. To ease the discomfort, you can take painkillers and urgently seek help from the hospital.
In the presence of a complicated dislocation, surgical intervention is required. To restore an injured finger after removing the cast, simple exercises help, which consist in performing flexion-extension movements.