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[spl]

I dislocated my finger diving in the field 5 weeks ago and it still hasn't healed.  It can't be straightened and is tender if there's any contact.

Got it checked out and x-rayed, referred to hand clinic and they ok'd it as swelling went down.  Now its got worse again and is stiffening up.

Has anyone had previous with dislocated fingers and got any recovery times??

[thedon]

I got a dislocated finger at school playing basketball. teachers said it was just swelling. lived with it for 1week then finally went to a&e as it had become unbearable. the doctor couldnt believe i hadnt gone in earlier. it took me about a month to get the movent back. still abit disfigured though

[Tumo]

Dislocated mine, 2 weeks later I was playing. Mine was very dislocated though, something like this!

Over a year on, it's still not normal, swollen a bit, if it gets bent really wrongly it still hurts, a dull pain, but otherwise it's all good now.

[spl]

Yer mine was similar to yours Tumo.  Got up and it was in the shape of a Z!  I've got swelling on a couple fingers so that's no problem but I've read they can take a long long time to heal sometimes.

[mad_abt_cricket]

Mine got dislocated recently and it took 3 weeks to heal.

[tim2000s]

For a dislocated finger to recover fully, it's recommended that the finger is kept splinted for around a month. Normally, you get given exercises to do once this has been completed which aim to avoid recover mobility.

When I did it, I was told by the specialist that if there were any problems I should get the splint back on and go back in to see him.

[Jaymo]

I dislocated my little finger in the field stubbed it in the ground. Took 6 weeks before I was back on the park, been 2 years and still cant move it as well as before, and hurts if it gets hit more that the other fingers do. Chances are it will never be 100% again I'm afraid mate.

[trypewriter]

It varies on how serious the dislocation was, and also in respect of any treatment that was given. Probably easier to settle yourself with the recovery time if you think of it as a break rather than a dislocation.
On the minus side, I can tell you, due to experience in my advanced age, that stuff that you recovered quite well from in your (relative) youth will more than likely come back to haunt you in your senior years. As an example, you get arthritis in one finger, swelling etc. and you think to yourself 'why that one?' - then the memory of an original injury many years ago comes to mind.

[smokem]

Similar experience to Jaymo.

I dislocated my thumb in early Feb when I fluffed a return catch which was struck back pretty hard. It was popped back in a couple of hours later in hospital, as no one at the ground was too keen to try (in case there was a fracture)...

It still troubles me. I can't fully flex my thumb down into my palm for example. And it does swell a little at the base of the thumb if I bat with it, which further restricts movement. I'm also not that confident in trying to catch with it.

Basically it's a long process for recovery. In fact I don't expect it to be the same ever again...

[ajmw89]

When you dislocate any joint, it is imperative that it gets popped back in ASAP (preferrably within a couple of minutes of the original incident) This increases the likelihood that all mobility will be regained, as the ligaments will not have been stretched beyond their natural elasticity for too long.

[smokem]

I agree but you need to be certain there are no fractures. This may seem obvious but not many give it a second thought before popping it back in... In my case, no one wanted to touch it. Even the hospital wanted to see an xray before doing anything. So it was a couple of hours before my thumb got popped back and I guess I'm suffering the consequences of that...

[ajmw89]

If you know what to look for with a fracture on a dislocated finger, then it is bettef to pop it in. Any serious bruising, large amounts of immediate swelling usually indicate a break, then popping it back is definately not advisable!

[AdClem]

Old thread, but hey.

Nets training this evening, followed by catching practice.  Went for someone else's catch.  Ball landed directly on tip of middle finger.  Yelled; squeezed it; had a quick look.  Badly out of shape.  INSTANTLY pulled it (seemed appropriate as it had been pushed out of shape).  Horrible cracking sound.  Then pushed it, for good measure.  Squeezed it like hell for 10 minutes, followed by ice.  Amazed that I can type with it four hours later.  I've never had a dislocation before, and I'm obviously lucky that nothing was broken, but I now fall into the camp of those who say put it back in quickly.  It's tender and bruised, but I think I might yet play this Saturday.  I think the speed with which I relocated it was critical, and putting it back really didn't hurt at all because I did it so quickly while it was numb from the initial impact.

Just sharing my experience.  If it happens to you, it might be advisable to get it done by a professional.

Of course, I don't know how it's going to feel in the morning.  It does look a bit blue.

[ajmw89]

Hopefully the blue colour is just from bruising.  Does the finger feel hot or cold?  Silly question, I know, but if it feels cold it may be worth getting checked out in case the blood supply is trapped.

[WalkingWicket37]

Old thread, but hey.

Nets training this evening, followed by catching practice.  Went for someone else's catch.  Ball landed directly on tip of middle finger.  Yelled; squeezed it; had a quick look.  Badly out of shape.  INSTANTLY pulled it (seemed appropriate as it had been pushed out of shape).  Horrible cracking sound.  Then pushed it, for good measure.  Squeezed it like hell for 10 minutes, followed by ice.  Amazed that I can type with it four hours later.  I've never had a dislocation before, and I'm obviously lucky that nothing was broken, but I now fall into the camp of those who say put it back in quickly.  It's tender and bruised, but I think I might yet play this Saturday.  I think the speed with which I relocated it was critical, and putting it back really didn't hurt at all because I did it so quickly while it was numb from the initial impact.

Just sharing my experience.  If it happens to you, it might be advisable to get it done by a professional.

Of course, I don't know how it's going to feel in the morning.  It does look a bit blue.

I got one on the end of my middle finger on Saturday trying to take the ball quickly to break the stumps for a run out. It wasn't dislocated, but wouldn't shop bleeding from under the nail for about 18 hours. Went for x-rays on Monday as the swelling was still getting worse an it turned out I've shattered the end of my finger 
Hope yours heals up okay mate, might be worth going for an x-ray just to be on the safe side