Daughter Injured Finger(s)...

I would call the ortho doc and ask their opinion, an ortho doc can often see things the regular X-Ray doc might not see. Not that they aren't good docs but an ortho doc makes decisions daily based on X-Rays.

Two years ago my daughter was in line to go from recess to class. The last kid was running, not looking, and pushed a bunch of kids to the ground. My daughter's thumb broke when she fell. The school said no, just jammed,the urgent care doc said no just jammed. The first x-ray showed MAYBE a break, but they weren't sure. Next doctor said definitely broken and she was in a brace for a few weeks to set it.

Can't hurt to go to the doctor to make sure, but that's just me. Or call and tell them the new symptoms, they may want to see you or say just buddy tape it.

I recently had a finger which I was unsure whether it was jammed or broken. Jammed will feel substantially better in a few days, not so with broken.

Best,
F. B.

I'd give it a couple days before doing anything further. It sound like a pretty bad accident for those little fingers so it'll take a couple days before the swelling starts to go down. Swelling is pressing on nerves so it hurts. If it was a severed tendon your daughter wouldn't have been able to bend it initially.

With no breaks, the doctor wouldn't be able to do much anyway. I think I would go with the buddy tape, and the note excusing her from gym like B mentioned. When she is home, alternate heat and ice, and keep an eye on it. If it isn't getting better in a couple days I would call the doctor again.

I have jacked up various body parts that took a few days before the stiffness and swelling went down, that didn't need medical intervention. Sometimes the body just needs time to heal, even for (medically) minor injuries.

I'd just watch it. She may have jammed the joint, and if so, it can be so painful and have limited mobility. I have jammed the same finger over and over (I was young kid when I did it the first time playing basketball). It can really hurt at first! Right now, the swelling is going to be bad. Just keep do the RICE method- rest, ice, compression, elevation. Hope this helps!

The fingers will be sore for awhile.
They might be jammed or sprained.
I'd give her a note to excuse her from gym activities where she has to use her hand(s) for a few days (walking/running round a track should be fine but dribbling/throwing balls would irritate her sore fingers).

Your daughter's symptoms are consistent with a soft-tissue injury -- damage to a tendon or ligament, or some little piece of tissue floating within the synovial fluid in the finger joint.

This is not a break, it won't show up on an X-ray, and it will heal more quickly than a break. But there's a risk of ongoing pain, or even long-term limited mobility / loss of sensation, if it's not properly diagnosed or treated.

So, please insist on an MRI. The good news is that at her age, she'll heal quickly and completely. Kids are amazing and unbelievable that way. But you do need an MRI.

I'd wait too, they sound pretty bruised up. Make sure you do ice them, that well help with the swelling.

As for your son with asthma, one thing to ask the doctor for is a nebulizer. I give my son breathing treatments at the sound of wheezing and we don't have to go to the doctor's unless it does get bad. But if I start giving him the breathing treatments, keep him in and lots of sleep, we usually don't have to go to the doctor and it clears up. He's also on a pill he takes for sinus issues and I only give it to him when I can tell he's having bad issues.

Hope all feels better soon.

I understand bruising and pain and I hate that she is having that part of it.

Did you take her to an Urgent Care "Doc in a Box" place? They can be good for some things like simple colds, allergies, strep, etc so I am NOT knocking all of them..

However, when I feel like a bone or something is compromised, I would go to my Ortho Dr. in order to get it fully checked out by him. Even if the Ortho agrees with the Urgent Care, you have a second opinion, PLUS they may put her hand in a brace for a couple of days to keep her from straining it even more if it has no broken bones.

I walked around with what I was told was bursitis on my foot only to realize about 3 weeks later when it was not better... my ortho Dr. said I had tiny broken bones and that was my issue. I was in a boot for a while and I got it cleared up. Same with my daughter with a cheer injury with her arm. She was told it was a bruise when someone come down on her (she was a base at that time). We iced it but it still was very swollen and she was unable to to her basing that week. The Ortho agreed that it was not broken but he put her arm in a splint for a few days and it did get better.

I say a second opinion would be good from an Ortho.

I'm one who is at the Dr. as rarely as possible.. We hardly ever go due to sickness or injury but the main thing is you don't want to think it is something not serious and end up with a pulled muscle or cracked bone or something.

Best wishes.

I would immediately tape it to the buddy finger. Can't hurt, can only help. I'm surprised that wasn't done for her already. You can also buy a splint at any good pharmacy - you can get help from the pharmacist for free (!) and most splints can be cut to size.

I'd call the doctor back - and make a decision before the weekend comes about whether she needs to be seen. I'd verify that there is no possibility of a break based on the X-rays. If there's no question, then she probably doesn't need a visit. It is very likely that she will continue to have pain and sensitivity for a week or two but at least a splint or taping will prevent her from overusing the fingers. She's a kid and she forgets that there's an injury until she does the wrong motion.

I know you are sick of doctors' appointments but you can't mix up what's going on with your daughter with the frustration on the asthma issue. The nurse has to call on every episode so that the school isn't liable or subject to a lawsuit. Did the doctor teach you to put your ear on the child's back to hear wheezing? That's such an unusual technique to determine anything, I'm surprised.

Keep track of all your expenses - doctor copays, X-rays, purchases such as splints and tape, etc. The school's insurance policy will cover everything that your own insurance did not.

Whatever you do to get her through this, do more at the beginning so she doesn't re-injure, irritate the tissues even more (and you've got tendons, ligaments and surrounding muscle tissue involved beyond bones), or delay healing.

About your son's wheezing. My granddaughter has asthma. It takes awhile for the lungs to recover. Only time she goes to doctor is when she wheezes for several days and regular use of rescue inhaler and nebulizor hasn't stopped it. I'm surprised his doctor hasn't told you that. He may need to go in sooner depending on his lungs but I'd certainly wait a couple of hours at least. As you've experienced, it often takes time for complete recovery.

If he isn't seeinh an asthma specialist I recommend doing so. He will administer breathing tests to ascertain condition of the lungs much better than a stethoscope can. My granddaughter's doctor has added or changed medication based on breathing tests when lungs sounded clear.