A smashed finger can be the result of an injury involving direct trauma. The following article provides certain options for treating a wounded finger.

Visualize this: you are working with a hammer, repairing a wooden frame. You hold a nail on the spot in order to fix the frame. Raising the hammer, you are ready for a blow and then, ouch! As luck would have it, you have hit your finger instead. This might not be an out-of-the-world situation for quite a few of us. A smashed finger can be really painful. If you want to know what to do about it, the ideas of treatment in this article will be helpful.

Symptoms and Causes
Bruising, pain, broken fingernail or complete loss of it, and swelling are some of the symptoms of a smashed finger. As far as the causes are concerned, as mentioned earlier, a finger can get smashed by a hammer or while coming in the way of a closing car door. Your finger can get jammed in a drawer or be injured during sports activities.

Treatment
The first thing you need to check is the seriousness of the injury. If there are any deformities and fracture, seek professional medical attention immediately. Otherwise, apply ice to the affected thumb or finger as soon as possible. This will decrease the swelling and soothe the pain as well. Also, take over-the-counter painkillers for pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the swelling. In addition to that, here are the different scenarios related to such injuries.

Swelling and Bruising: For dealing with such cases, an ice pack is perfect. Soaking the finger in cold water, too, can work well as a cure.

Nail Injury: If the growth palate of the fingernail is destroyed, the nail would not grow, but otherwise, it will. Carefully place the broken part of the nail back on the unharmed nail bed, and put a bandage over it. The new nail will grow beneath the old, and the broken nail would be lifted.

Blood Clots: There is no medical care needed, unless the injury is extremely painful and throbbing due to blood clots. But, you can probably try the following before you go to the doctor. Heat the end of a bent paper clip over an open flame till red hot. While it is hot, get the tip of the pin in contact with the injured fingernail. As you get the nail in contact with the clip, a hole will be created in the nail. Once you remove the clip, the blood will be let out through that hole. If this does not happen, do it again till it does, and the pressure is eased out. Then, soak the finger in warm water with a few drops of disinfectant for 2 minutes, four times every day. While doing all this, however, make sure that you have consulted your doctor.

Lack of Movement: If the finger does not move properly and seems as if it is broken or dislocated, see a doctor. Lack of movement or a paralyzed finger is surely bad news.

If all this does not work, call up the doctor. It is always better to visit a physician if the finger seems to be deformed or is not moving. It is advisable to do this as soon as possible after the injury.

Disclaimer: This Buzzle article is solely for informative purpose and not intended to replace the advice of medical experts.