Bruised little toe: characteristics, symptoms, treatment

How to distinguish a bruised little toe from a fracture? A fracture is a violation of the integrity of a skeletal bone under the influence of force, while a bruise is a closed tissue injury without disrupting its structure.

In uncomplicated cases, a bruise can be distinguished from a fracture by the characteristic signs of these injuries.

Very often, a fracture of the little finger without displacement occurs without pronounced symptoms, so the patient ignores the pain and does not pay enough attention to the injury. The consequence of such an attitude may be bone deformation, malunion, osteomyelitis or the appearance of a false joint.

Characteristic

A bruise of the little toe is a closed injury of the fifth toe, which is characterized by damage to soft tissues and capillaries without compromising the integrity of the skin. The damage can be minor if there is a slight impact on a hard surface and severe if a weighty object falls on the little finger.

The fifth finger is not involved in active movements, but given its anatomical location, it is not surprising that the little finger is often injured. Usually the entire surface of the finger is bruised, while the small nail plate is also involved in the pathological process. The nail may crack, change color, or peel off as a result of injury.

Features of the structure of the little finger

This finger has a rather complex structure. Small bones and thin tendons are most susceptible to injury. The nail plate is small, which means it can break even with a light blow. The soft tissues of the finger are endowed with a large number of nerve endings. Because of this feature, any damage to it is very painful.

But small does not mean insignificant, since most of the toes are responsible for maintaining balance. More of the index finger is needed for running, jumping and other physical activities. The little toe has a separate muscle on the foot - the short flexor, which retracts and bends the toe and is responsible for strengthening the arch of the foot.

Impact or pressure on the index finger causes severe damage, swelling and bruising. Diagnosis and treatment should begin immediately.

The appearance of a bruised toe

Clinical manifestations

Trauma can have manifestations of varying severity. The brightness of the clinical picture depends on the force of the blow, the angle of its application, and the presence of protection (shoes) on the leg at the time of injury. The further course and speed of recovery is a direct consequence of the severity of the lesion.

Main features:

1. A bruised little toe is always accompanied by severe pain, which changes in character and intensity within a short period of time after the injury. At the moment of impact, the pain impulse is piercing; the reason for the pronounced manifestation is the high concentration of nerve endings on the surface of the finger. After a few minutes, the pain loses its strength, and after two hours it becomes muffled and aching. Repeated intensification of pain symptoms may occur when swelling appears (pressure is created on the nerve endings) or when trying to move a finger.
2. Swelling does not occur immediately; after a few hours the finger becomes very swollen. Swelling is rarely isolated, spreading to surrounding tissues. At the same time, the skin becomes very stretched and shiny. The swelling can persist for up to two days, after which the little finger gradually takes on its previous shape.
3. When the little finger is bruised, the skin turns red. After a while, the color changes to dark blue, and in case of severe injuries, almost black. This is due to damage to the capillary network, which leads to a hematoma. Subcutaneous hemorrhage usually involves not only the entire surface of the finger, but also spreads to adjacent tissues of the foot. The bruise can involve the area under the nail plate, after which the nail falls off, and a new one will grow in its place for a long time.
4. The mobility of the little toe in the event of a bruise is preserved; a reduction in the range of movements is observed with the development of swelling or damage to the muscle that is responsible for the abduction of the fifth toe.

In case of minor injuries, the general condition does not suffer, but difficulties with movement cause inconvenience. While walking, when the body weight is transferred to the foot with the damaged toe, pain occurs. A person spares a bruised leg, as a result of which lameness develops.

Injury resulting from a strong blow to the finger can lead to a deterioration in the general condition. This fact is due to different pain thresholds in people. The body of some victims may respond with a painful shock, a sharp drop in blood pressure, tachycardia, and sometimes loss of consciousness.

Distinctive symptoms

Hematoma on the little toe
A bruise on the little toe has its own distinctive signs. The main one is severe pain. But you need to know the symptoms of a bruise in order to distinguish such damage from other injuries.

Main symptoms of bruise:

1. Sharp pain of a pulsating nature in the place where the leg hit. The pain is especially pronounced in the first 10 minutes after the finger is injured. After this, the pain may continue for several hours or days in the form of aching sensations, often when walking or heavy exertion. This severe pain is explained by the presence of a large number of nerve endings in the toe. If the little finger continues to hurt for more than a few days, this may indicate a dislocation or fracture.
2. The damaged little finger swells gradually and swelling appears. Within a few hours or days, the injury site swells and the painful condition may return. The contours of the little finger and knuckles become smooth and continuous, and the skin becomes thin. Swelling can spread to the fingers adjacent to the little toe and to the foot.
3. A hematoma occurs at the injured site. A traumatic injury damages the blood vessels, causing the finger to become covered with a hematoma. The skin of the little finger changes its color - first it turns red, and then it may turn blue. The hematoma also often continues, after which the nail plate may peel off.
4. The damaged finger retains its motor mobility. Swelling and hematoma may prevent the finger from bending and straightening normally, but in the first minutes after the blow the little finger is able to move. This distinguishes a bruise from a dislocation, as well as from a fracture.

In addition to these symptoms, a person may feel a loss of strength, headache, and generally be in a state of shock.

After receiving an injury, timely primary care is necessary, and only after that you can decide what to do next. For a bruised finger, both medicinal treatment methods and the use of folk remedies are used.

Differences between a bruise and a broken finger

A bruised little toe can be an isolated injury or combined with damage to ligaments, muscles, and a bone fracture. Complicated injuries are always accompanied by distinctive symptoms that will help to promptly recognize a complex injury:

• Violation of bone integrity is accompanied by intense pain, which intensifies after injury and does not go away for a long time. If with a bruise the pain stops 3 days after the injury, with a fracture the pain becomes chronic.
• After the fracture, the finger is deformed. This may manifest itself in pathological curvature of the phalanges of the fingers, their displacement or the inverted position of the little finger in an unnatural way.

Common Complications

Fracture of a finger on an x-ray
A bruise to the little finger can be aggravated by complications, which depend on how hard the foot was hit when injured.

Possible complications often include the following:

1. The impact breaks the phalanx of the finger (as in the photo). Fractures of the little fingers often resemble bruises, especially if they occur without displacement. But with a fracture of the little finger, trying to bend the finger brings severe pain. The best way to determine a finger fracture is to take an x-ray.
2. The injury causes subungual hematomas and bruises, and the nail plate loses its integrity. The victim feels the nail bursting and pulsating.
3. Long after the injury (several months, a couple of years), the joints of the little fingers are affected by post-traumatic arthrosis if treatment is not carried out on time. When walking, arthrosis gives pain in the leg, the foot swells.

First aid

As part of first aid, you should adhere to the general algorithm of actions for bruises:

1. Free the injured area by removing your shoes. This must be done carefully so as not to cause additional injury through rough actions.
2. Ensure rest of the injured limb.
3. Apply ice to the bruised finger, but for no more than 10 minutes. A hypothermic first aid bag, a cloth soaked in cold water, or frozen foods are suitable as cold.
4. If there is no deformation of the finger, fix the little finger by connecting it to the adjacent fingers using a narrow adhesive plaster.
5. In case of severe pain, give the victim analgesics - Ketanov, Baralgin, Analgin.
6. Take the patient to the trauma center for a medical examination.

The outcome of an injury often depends on the correct actions. When providing first aid, you should not rub or move the bruised finger, press on the nail, or try to forcibly remove the torn nail plate. It is forbidden to wipe the skin with alcohol solutions, apply warming ointment and make a compress.

What actions can you do yourself?

When a little finger is bruised, people rarely rush to see a doctor. As a rule, they try to treat the consequences of such an injury at home. Actions recommended by doctors:

• A pressure bandage is applied if the nail plate peels off after a bruise. Before applying the bandage, the hanging parts of the nail should be removed.
• Immobilization of the little finger is required by bandaging it to the ring finger with a bandage or piece of cloth. The bandage is not applied very tightly, since a fracture is not excluded.
• The injured leg should be placed on an elevation and ensure rest. This helps prevent disruption of blood circulation.
• An anesthetic is used. This can be tablets or ointment.

Diagnostics

Timely determination of the type and severity of injury is important for prescribing effective treatment. A bruised little toe is diagnosed by a traumatologist based on clinical signs and patient complaints. Instrumental diagnostics using an X-ray examination will help to exclude a fracture of the little finger bones.

If ligament damage is suspected, magnetic resonance imaging results will be required to assess the condition of the connective tissue. After a detailed examination, the presumptive diagnosis is confirmed and a treatment regimen is drawn up.

How long does it take to treat a bruise or fusion of the bones of the little finger?

The recovery period depends on the severity of the injury. For mild bruises, symptoms disappear within 4–7 days. Severe soft tissue injuries or bone fractures are treated for 2–3 weeks.

For a displaced fracture, in the most favorable cases, the recovery period will be 3–4 weeks. For comminuted fractures, this period increases to 6 weeks.

The rate of tissue regeneration depends on the age of the patient. Children and adolescents heal faster than older people. From the age of 40, the rate of regeneration decreases significantly with each passing year.

Therapeutic actions

Therapeutic tactics are aimed at relieving unpleasant symptoms and speeding healing of the fifth toe. In the first two days after injury, therapeutic measures are aimed at preventing the inflammatory reaction and reducing the manifestation of the main symptoms. At first, warming procedures are prohibited.

Ice should be applied to a bruised little finger every 3 hours throughout the day. You can use a heating pad with cold water or chilled foods as ice. Cold is applied for no more than 10 minutes, after wrapping it in a thin cloth. This measure is necessary to reduce swelling and prevent inflammation.

During treatment, you should not lean on the foot with the damaged toe. For safe movement, you can use axillary or elbow crutches. When choosing a rehabilitation remedy, you need to take into account the height and weight of the victim. For local anesthetic effects, cooling gels with an anti-edematous effect are used - Dolobene, Nise, Bystrumgel.

Starting from the third day, warm compresses (Dimexide with Novocaine) and ointments (Finalgon, Indomethacin ointment, Voltaren) are used to resolve bruises and restore damaged tissues. To resolve hematomas, topical agents are used - Troxevasin, Lyoton, Heparin ointment. Throughout the entire period of treatment for pain, NSAIDs (Ketoprofen, Ketorolac) are prescribed in tablet form.

Pills

Analgesics for internal use are effective. The following remedies are considered the best:

• "Paracetamol". Painkillers reduce the response to pain by blocking secreted enzymes. The drug is used in the treatment of adults and children. The doctor calculates the dose based on the patient’s age, weight and other characteristics. The product can be combined with other drugs; it has few side effects. It has a short duration of action (up to 4 hours), so it is not often used in traumatology.
• "Ibuprofen." It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Often used by traumatologists in the treatment of various tissue injuries. It has a longer effect – about 6 hours. Ibuprofen should not be used for gastrointestinal diseases. Can be used in the treatment of children.

• "Ketanov." This is a powerful remedy that is often used for serious injuries. You should not use it for more than 2 days. The drug is ineffective for hematomas, but it allows pain relief from the bruise quickly and for a long time. The product should not be used by patients under the age of 16 years, as well as during pregnancy and lactation. These painkillers should not be taken if you have diseases of the heart, kidneys, or bleeding disorders. Ketanov has many side effects, so this drug is used only in cases where the effect is higher than the possible negative consequences.
• "Diclofenac". Eliminates pain, reduces swelling and accelerates the resorption of hematomas. It is a safe remedy; side effects include only allergies to the substances contained in the drug.

It is necessary to use any tablets after consulting a doctor. Equally important is to first read the instructions for the chosen drug. Dosage and treatment period must be observed. Then the course of therapy will be effective.

Physiotherapy

In the later stages, a bruise of the little finger is treated with physiotherapy. Additional methods enhance the effect of traditional treatment and restore damaged tissue.

List of procedures:

• Analgesic effect - cryotherapy of an injured finger (cold), electrophoresis (low-frequency direct electric current) with Lidocaine, diadynamic therapy (current of different frequencies), amplipulse therapy (alternating electric current).
• Cold compresses are used to constrict blood vessels to eliminate swelling.
• Anti-inflammatory effect - electrophoresis with Cortisone, Dexamethasone, UHF (ultraviolet exposure), magnetotherapy (pulsed magnetic waves).
• To remove excess lymph fluid - alcohol compresses.
• To expand blood vessels for resorption of hematomas - galvanization (galvanic current), ultraphonophoresis (ultrasound), infrared radiation, magnetotherapy (pulsed magnetic waves), salt heating pad (dry heat).

The choice of technique and duration of the course is determined by the doctor after assessing the general functional state and concomitant diseases.

Traditional treatment methods

As part of alternative medicine, recipes from traditional healers are used for home treatment of a bruised little finger. To prepare medicinal infusions and decoctions, plant components and beekeeping products are used. Despite the apparent safety, alternative treatment can cause harm to the body. Therefore, traditional medicine methods can be used only after the prior approval of the attending physician.

Possible consequences:

• individual intolerance to components;
• allergic reactions in the form of urticaria, Quincke's edema;
• the appearance of irritation and burns when using products on damaged skin.

Popular recipes for treating a bruised little toe:

1. Pass the onions through a meat grinder. Add two teaspoons of sugar to the resulting mass. Spread the mixture on a gauze napkin and apply it to the bruised little finger, cover with a gauze disk and cover with a blanket. Keep the onion for two hours.
2. Grate raw potatoes and apply to the affected area. Cover with a cotton pad and secure with cling film. Cover with a warm scarf and leave for 40 minutes.
3. Crush viburnum berries (6 teaspoons), add 2 teaspoons of aloe juice and the same amount of celandine juice. The composition is applied to the bruised finger and covered with a napkin or gauze. Exposure time – 12 hours. The compress has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-edematous effects.

Traditional therapy

If the bruise of the little finger is not accompanied by a crack in the bone tissue, treatment takes from 1 to 3 weeks.

In the first days, it is recommended to limit mobility and not overload the leg. For 2 days after the blow, you need to apply cool compresses to the affected area for 20 minutes every 2 hours. They stop internal bleeding and reduce swelling.

After 3 days, doctors advise starting to warm up the bruised area. You can heat sand in a frying pan, pour it into a fabric bag and apply it to your little finger 2 times a day. Good results are achieved by using a blue lamp for 15 minutes three times a day.

Drug therapy includes the use of analgesic and anti-inflammatory external ointments, gels and creams. Doctors prescribe:

• Diclofenac;
• Heparin ointment;
• Troxevasin;
• Ketonal gel.

The products are applied to the affected area in a thin layer and gently rubbed into the skin with massage movements 3-5 times a day.

To treat severe bruises, chondroprotectors and muscle relaxants are prescribed. To speed up healing, vitamin complexes are used.

Rehabilitation therapy includes physiotherapy. They restore mobility to the little finger, improve blood flow, and resolve bruises and bruises. Fast efficiency is ensured by:

• electrophoresis;
• infrared ray;
• UHF.

In severe cases, it is difficult to restore motor function to the finger. During the rehabilitation period, doctors recommend massage sessions that develop joints and ligaments .

Rehabilitation

The recovery period is carried out after the acute phase. In addition to auxiliary physiotherapeutic treatment, motor activity is limited, and orthopedic products are used for successful rehabilitation. In addition to support for movement, silicone or fabric protectors for the fifth finger are used. The medical device does not function as a fixation device, but in case of bruises it returns the finger to its normal physiological state and protects it from mechanical impact.

A bruise on the little toe can cause a temporary disruption of the biomechanics of the foot, which subsequently threatens the development of transverse flat feet and corns on the toe. Orthopedic insoles, which correctly distribute the load on the foot, are well suited for the prevention of drooping arches. Among the physical procedures for rehabilitation, regular warm baths with sea salt are suitable.

Consequences

Many people, after bruising their little finger, believe that everything will go away on its own, so they do not consult a doctor. Also not all self-medication. This can lead to negative consequences. Complications may be:

• Subungual hematoma. Since the little finger is a small finger, when a bruise occurs, the nail is usually damaged. Hemorrhage is observed under the nail plate. There is a feeling of fullness and pulsation in the finger from the accumulation of blood under the nail.
• Post-traumatic arthrosis of the finger joints. Appears after a while. Characterized by pain when walking, swelling of the finger.
• Fracture. If such a finger injury is not diagnosed in time, then if left untreated, the bones will not heal properly. Subsequently, painful sensations arise and gait changes. In severe cases, lameness develops.

Prevention

Strict adherence to medical recommendations will help quickly restore damaged tissue and return to the previous range of motion. After rehabilitation, the time comes for preventive actions. Compliance with the basic rules will be relevant for those who have already had a bruise on their little toe, and for those who have not received such an injury:

• choose comfortable shoes with low, stable heels and thick soles;
• during intense physical activity, be careful and do not rush;
• to protect your toes, wear slippers around the house;

In case of a strong impact, consult a traumatologist to exclude severe forms of injury.

Causes of bruised fingers

Bruise - damage to soft tissues with preservation of integrity and bones, sometimes minor scratches on the skin are observed.

Why do bruises occur:

• falling of a heavy object, several fingers or the entire hand are affected;
• impact on a hard surface;
• landing on your palm when falling;
• pinching of the phalanx by a door;
• violation of safety rules when working with tools;
• fight, active recreation, sports.