Parents Hurt finger

[MaryA]

I wasn't sure where was the best place to place to put this question. Certainly, coaches and gymnasts feel free to respond, not just parents.

DD is about half way through week 2 of finger and foot recovery. Fracture in one of the foot bones, so foot in a boot for 6 weeks. Dr. didn't see anything on the finger X-ray but ortho saw what he thought might be a tiny fragment of chipped off bone. Ordered 2 weeks in a splint, but that's it for the finger because he said probably another X-ray would just show the same thing... it's not like the tiny floating bone fragment is going to reattach itself or anything. DD has been great about wearing the splint, night and day, as per dr.'s orders but it's still sore. At a crowded memorial day festival today DD was getting jostled, and that was hurting her finger. Tonight she was helping me paint the bathroom and she got paint on her splint so I suggested she just "buddy tape" it to the finger next to it (which was what the original dr told us to do instead of a splint) but she very quickly returned to the splint saying it hurt.

At T-minus-3-days and counting till she is technically "allowed" to take the splint off, I'm just not sure what to expect. If it still hurts after the 2 weeks is up, should I call the ortho? Should I just have her keep wearing the splint till it doesn't hurt? Or is it just going to be sore for awhile while she gets used to using it again? I know the "no medical advice" rule on CB, but I thought maybe someone else had experienced something similar and would have some advice on what is "normal." I'm not even sure what ortho would do if we went back, since he didn't expect to see any changes in the X-ray one way or the other.

On the bright side, her foot is feeling great. She's tromping around in the boot like a trooper. Maybe she can take the boot off and leave the splint on... She pretty much said that tonight when she was putting the splint back on. She said, "at this rate, my foot is going to be healed before my finger!" I know she was hoping to be able to start doing a bit of bar work soon. She's tired of sit-ups and "butt-scootches". Heavy sigh.

 

[iwannacoach]

Well if the splint's new color doesn't clash with her hair color and ensemble, I'd say put it back on for the three days just to be sure.

Once she's done with the splint have her ice as often as practical to increase her circulation..... out with the bad, in with the good. If there's a 20 span available in the morning, take advantage of it to get rid of accumulated fluid from her night's sleep, and then any other opportunities through the day.

 

[profmom]

Have you talked to your ortho about some physical therapy after the splint comes off? It could be very helpful.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I was wondering when you originally said the bone had chipped what happens to the piece that chipped off? I would think that would hurt if it was jut floating around in there What did the ortho say about that? it can't hurt to call them back.

 

[gymmomtoo]

My daughter's limbs always still hurt after the splint, cast, etc. comes off. It gradually gets better. I'd still call your ortho and ask about it. Do they expect some pain? Is there anything else she should be doing?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

get her a couple of eggs of silly putty and start doing fist squeezes. it's just a finger and the ligament was probably bruised and stretched/sprained a bit. don't be concerned with a probable small floating chip. God knows that gymnasts have lots of those in there fingers and toes.

 

[MaryA]

Bought the silly putty. She reached the point where she can make a fist around it (though it hurts) but mostly she is fascinated but the "peeling the pictures out of the Sunday comics" aspect of it. Amusing how a 12-year-old with a cell phone, a kindle fire, and a laptop is mesmerized by the magical powers of silly putty.

Ortho assures us that the finger really is more likely to hurt longer than the foot will, but that she is not going to further damage it by using it. So she's splintless, but using her booted condition as an excuse to go to the pool with friends tomorrow rather than go to practice.

 

[txgymfan]

Glad to here she is on the mend. Even better that she knows its ok to go to the pool sometimes instead of practice. Sometimes we all need times with friends instead of more hard work.

 

[2G1B]

I broke my pinkie finger about 5.5 years ago. It hurt for seeral weeks. And then it turned out that I had a benign tumor in the middle of the finger (they found it when they xrayed my finger) and I had to have surgery to have that removed and a bone graft done. When the finger was originally broken I just buddy taped it. After the surgery I had a splint that wrapped around the side of my hand from wrist to finger tip. I can't remember how long I was in that; but I do remember that after it came off it took a while for me to be able to make a fist and for it to stop hurting.