Restorative procedures after broken toes and hands

The human hand consists of 4 anatomical regions, which include the shoulder girdle, these are the collarbones and shoulder blades, the shoulder - the humerus, the forearm - the ulna and radius bones and the hands, which have 8 carpal bones and 5 metacarpal bones and fingers. By a fracture of the arm, doctors mean a violation of the integrity of the bone of the humerus, forearm or hand.

Patients with fractures of the radius most often turn to traumatologists at the Yusupov Hospital. The Yusupov Hospital employs highly qualified doctors who will provide the necessary assistance to patients in rehabilitation after a broken arm.

What is a fracture called?

A finger fracture is the partial or complete destruction of the bone shell resulting from pressure on the bone. In this case, the load turns out to be greater than the degree of density of the bone itself. Damage occurs due to injury or pathology of the musculoskeletal system.

According to the World Health Organization, finger fractures account for more than 5% of all bone fractures. Much attention is paid to the rehabilitation of broken fingers, especially the big fingers and toes.

It is these parts that provide a full range of human movements for self-service and work.

Such fractures are the most unpleasant; they can impair the functions of the limbs.

Other fingers and toes are less likely to break, but plaster is often applied to healthy fingers. The period of stay in the cast is a month, during which time the bones grow together.

The period of stay in a cast is at least 4 weeks, regardless of which finger is broken. After removing the plaster, you need to begin the recovery process - working out the finger after the fracture.

Treatment

Before developing fingers after a fracture has occurred, it is necessary to treat the injury and achieve complete fusion of the bone fragments. The doctor repositions the fragments if they are displaced, after which it is time to apply plaster. At the same time, treatment with medications is carried out to eliminate swelling, relieve inflammation and relieve pain.

In some cases, a fracture requires surgery. Surgical treatment is used for highly complicated injuries, for example, if, in addition to a bone fracture, there is an almost complete separation of the phalanx. In case of such damage, the doctor fastens the bone with a special metal device and stitches the injured tissues - blood vessels, muscles, skin.

The meaning of rehabilitation

Bone injuries require careful attention to the patient at all stages of treatment, including rehabilitation. When the bones heal, it is necessary to carry out restoration measures so that the limb becomes mobile again and maintains its previous anatomical appearance.

If rehabilitation began immediately after the removal of the cast, then in a short time you can return the limbs to normal motor activity.

In the absence of rehabilitation measures, muscle atrophy develops in the damaged area. After some time, in the absence of mobility, the muscles lose mass and decrease in size.

Joints and ligaments lose elasticity and resilience, as the joints do not receive the necessary range of movement with the fingers.

After plaster immobilization, the following conditions may occur:

• Numbness of the injured finger, immobility.
• Paleness of the skin on the plastered area.
• Unpleasant, painful sensations in the area of ​​the fracture.

With full rehabilitation, you can return your arm to its previous range of motion and strength. For this, various rehabilitation methods and techniques are used. With a properly selected set of rehabilitation measures, an arm or leg can be developed in 20-30 days.

First aid

If, when a fracture occurs, a person is not given first aid and is not taken for treatment, complications may arise, after which full restoration of the functionality of the arm is impossible.

1. Anesthetize the site of injury - to do this, give the person an analgesic drug according to the dosage indicated in the instructions;
2. Immobilize the site of injury - for a splint, you can use a pen, pencil, ice cream stick, or any other suitable object; in extreme cases, you can bandage the injured organ to a healthy one;
3. Cool the damaged area - apply ice or frozen food through some kind of tissue.

If the fracture is of an open type, then it is necessary to stop the bleeding by covering the wound with a sterile napkin and pressing it. After the bleeding has stopped, treat the edges of the wound with an antiseptic and apply a dry sterile bandage. Next, you need to call an ambulance or take the victim yourself to a trauma center.

Recovery methods

After placing a limb in a cast or splint, a person feels pain and muscle weakness. As you recover, these symptoms disappear.

Before the fixators are removed, the load is gentle; after the plaster is removed, active restoration activities begin with increasing load.

To restore the functionality of fingers after a fracture, the following methods are used.

Exercise therapy (physical therapy)

Therapeutic exercise helps restore mobility of the fingers. The duration of the method depends on the complexity of the finger injury and its role in the movement of the entire limb.

On average, the period is from 1 to 2 months. The load is increased gradually, since with excessive load there is a high risk of repeated destruction of the bone or fragments.

Exercise therapy is carried out for the first time after applying a plaster or splint. Low-intensity exercises are selected and performed before the cast or splint is removed. It is important to prevent the patient from becoming fatigued, as damage may appear on a broken finger, inflammation may increase, and swelling may appear.

It is important that during exercises the entire limb is involved in the process, and not just the broken phalanx. After the fixators are removed, the active phase of development of the big toe begins - all joints and ligaments of the foot are involved in the process. Patients actively perform exercises to fully cover the range of motion in the joints.

The recovery program is drawn up by a rehabilitation doctor, all classes are conducted with the participation of a physical therapy instructor.

An instructor helps a patient develop his fingers after a broken leg or arm.

Types of exercises:

• Flexion-extension.
• Abduction-adduction.
• Opposition.

First of all, perform exercises on flexion and extension of the toes or hands. Exercises allow you to train “half-forgotten” coordination. To increase the level of touch, exercises are done to grasp small objects of varying complexity, shape and material.

Massage

Massage is prescribed by the attending traumatologist or surgeon. The procedure is performed by a highly qualified specialist. Massage is allowed on the second day after the reunification of bone fragments. The movements are directed around the plaster cast.

Massage relieves swelling of tissues and increases their circulation. After the plaster splint is removed, the massage covers the entire affected area.

The effect of massage is aimed at:

• relieves pain and inflammation;
• eliminates swelling;
• improves blood flow and lymph flow in tissues;
• saturates tissues and cells with oxygen;
• prevents the development of numbness and atrophy;
• provides prevention of the formation of false joints;
• accelerates the appearance of callus;
• improves blood circulation in joints, prevents stiffness.

With regular massage of the fracture area, it is possible to prevent the development of arthritis and arthrosis of the foot bones.

Physiotherapy

This is an auxiliary method of treating and restoring fractures. It is used in conjunction with exercise therapy. During the recovery period after a fracture, the following physiotherapeutic procedures are used:

• electrical stimulation - accelerates tissue regeneration;
• UHF - relieves pain, used on the second day after reposition;
• electrophoresis (with novocaine) - reduces pain;
• mud treatment;
• thermal baths;
• phonophoresis - relieves inflammation and pain, improves joint nutrition and trophism;
• UO - improves microcirculation and blood flow.

All procedures are carried out after removing the plaster or splint, with the exception of UHF - the plaster is not a hindrance to high frequencies.

Thermal baths and mud therapy are prescribed after tissue swelling has subsided and inflammation has passed.

Physiotherapy can improve metabolism in the damaged phalanx and accelerate regeneration processes.

Gymnastics for recovery

To increase the therapeutic effect, it is advisable to treat the injured limb in a warm bath. The water temperature should be about 36-37 degrees.

Doctors advise patients to sculpt figures from molten paraffin. Such exercises can improve motor skills and increase the elasticity of the ligamentous apparatus.

Gymnastics for fingers

Before developing the thumb or other fingers, the patient undergoes a consultation with a rehabilitation specialist.

The doctor will prescribe an individual rehabilitation scheme, taking into account the patient’s age, condition, complexity of the injury, location of the injury and the degree of loss of movement.

Exercises with a cast on the arm

In physical therapy, the immobilization period begins 2 days after the fracture and application of fixators.
Movements are performed on fingers free from the plaster cast. The main condition for gymnastics is the absence of pain. Flexion-extension, abduction-adduction exercises are performed. Particular attention is paid to straightening the broken finger; bending can be performed 3 weeks after removal of the cast.

The load during this period is minimal, since fatigue may increase the reactivity of the damaged areas, which can provoke fusion of the tendons with nearby tissues.

Exercises allow you to develop the joints of the phalanges, improve their blood circulation, and prevent the appearance of contracture.

Exercises after casting

After removing the plaster, the finger is still motionless, so it is necessary to begin actively developing the phalanx.

Exercises are carried out after the swelling of the hand disappears. In the damaged limb, blood flow and lymph flow are impaired. Active gymnastics will help restore normal tissue nutrition and restore mobility of the fingers.

Method of performing light gymnastics for the fingers:

• Within three days after immobilization, the injured area is prepared for therapeutic procedures. It is rubbed and kneaded, and at the same time, gymnastics are performed on the healthy part of the arm.
• On day 4, relaxation exercises are performed: “pendulum”, squeezing and unclenching the hand, rubbing the hands.
• Next, perform flexion and extension of the hand into a fist. You need to do it slowly, without strong pressure. The number of repetitions is determined by the exercise therapy instructor.

Exercise "caterpillar". To do this, put the brushes on the table and try to make crawling movements with them, like a caterpillar. The number of repetitions is up to 20-25 times.

Place your hands in a “lock”, turn it outward, and pull your hands together upward, without separating. Stand in this position for 5-10 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

Fold and unfold your fingers alternately into a “fan”.

Squeeze your fingers into a pinch and straighten them one by one. If discomfort or pain occurs, it is better to stop and return to the exercise later. This type of gymnastics stretches joints and ligaments.

Place the backs of your hands on the edge of the table and perform movements that imitate playing the piano. You need to tap slowly, alternately with each finger.

After another 14 days, you can use various devices for exercise therapy:

• balls with cones;
• manual expanders;
• cubes;
• sponges;
• riding sticks, etc.

As soon as coordination has been restored, active finger exercises begin. Various finger weights are used in classes. Restoration work after removing the plaster lasts up to 6 months. During this period, the entire initial range of movements should be covered.

During the rehabilitation period of the thumb, they are constantly monitored to ensure that bone fragments are not injured again.

A separate system of exercises is provided for developing the thumb:

• Flexion and extension of the thumb.
• Squeezing a finger inside the fist and vice versa - outside the fist.
• Alternately, make a “ring” shape with each finger.
• Rotational movements in different directions.
• Drawing in the air.

Hook the index finger of your healthy hand on the thumb of your left hand. Try to bend it. In this case, the broken phalanx experiences resistance from the index finger.

It is important to fully develop the thumb, since it is the one that actively participates in a person’s daily movements. Other fingers, including the little finger, can be stretched using regular finger exercises.

When and how to develop finger joints

This need may arise after brain surgery due to a stroke or traumatic brain injury, or after wearing a plaster cast for a long time. With the help of special exercises and physical therapy, thanks to patience, perseverance and regular exercise, there is a high probability of restoring full hand function.

In addition to drug treatment and diet, physical therapy will have a positive effect on the joints of the fingers, deformed due to problems with metabolism and weakened immunity. To recover faster, you need to work out your joints, but only after consulting a traumatologist, since self-medication can be harmful. It is recommended to do this when the swelling has already gone down and the pain has subsided, but under no circumstances during an exacerbation.

Development of fine motor skills after injury

It is important to develop not only the sore finger, but the entire hand. Solving various household problems will help with this:

• sorting through cereals;
• sewing, knitting, embroidery;
• typing on a keyboard or typewriter;
• wiping small objects;
• drawing;
• modeling figures from plasticine;
• working with a manual expander.

Exercises for restoring toes

Exercises to restore motor activity of the phalanges of the foot begin after complete fusion of bone fragments. The entire period of mobilization of a broken phalanx depends on the complexity of the injury, the type of injury, the condition of the patient, and his age characteristics.

After removing the plaster cast, the toes remain motionless, and the person experiences discomfort in the foot. Gymnastics is required to develop the joints of the toe and to resume active movements of the foot.

Before removing the cast

All exercises on a casted limb are performed in a gentle manner. The main emphasis is on areas of the phalanges free from the bandage.

Kneading should be done carefully so that the patient does not feel pain during exercise. Simple exercises are performed with a small load.

After removing the plaster

After immobilization, more active methods of developing the toe begin. The load on the toes should increase gradually, exercises should be performed slowly, without sudden movements. With heavy loads, damage to bone fragments may occur.

List of exercises for developing toes after a fracture:

• Stand on a hard surface (floor). Raise your toes up, then return to the starting position. Repeat - 20-25 times. After this, you can try to lift each finger one by one, then return to the starting position.
• In the same position, spread the phalanges apart and bring them together. Repeat - 20 times.
• Rotate the big toe on each foot separately.
• Rolling a ribbed ball or wooden sticks on the floor, with each foot in turn.
• Mix different colored buttons or mosaic pieces and push each color with your thumb into a separate pile. During exercise, it is important to avoid overstraining the leg muscles and joints.

If pain, discomfort, or swelling occurs during finger exercises, you should consult your doctor.

Development of the hand with damage to the flexors

After surgical treatment of a flexor tendon rupture, you can develop your hand using the following exercises:

• Flexing the injured finger. In this case, the patient holds the proximal (near) phalanx with his healthy hand.
• Curling your fingers through a pencil or pen. Objects are placed across the palm.
• Sliding your fingertips along the table with a motionless hand.
• Gathering the scarf into folds with your fingers, sorting through the fabric. The hands are placed on the table, the forearm is turned inward.
• Grab a cotton roll and squeeze it with your fingers.
• Squeezing the wooden cylinder and rotating towards yourself. The hand is palm down.
• Shifting rectangular objects, a ball, a cylinder with your fingers.
• Throwing and catching a small ball.
• Rotating a small top, working with a children's construction set.
• Bending the injured fingers into a fist with the healthy hand.

Exercises are performed 6-8 times, exercise therapy classes should be regular.

Duration of rehabilitation course and precautions

The rehabilitation course, regardless of the complexity of the injury, takes 1-1.5 months. If the patient at this time followed all the doctor’s recommendations, then the finger can be developed to the state before the injury.

During this period, precautions must be taken, these include:

• avoid sudden movements of the injured arm or leg;
• gradually increase the load on the broken limb;
• avoid overwork and overstrain of the affected area of ​​the hand or foot;
• repeat gymnastics no more than 4 times a day;
• Do the exercises regularly for several weeks.

During classes, you need to follow the recommendations of the exercise therapy instructor.

It is important to complete the rehabilitation course, even if the patient begins to feel better.

Answers from experts

Natalya Shmer:

Try massage therapy sessions. Your hand and fingers will be stretched. everything is fixable and curable.

Sergey:

Wow, a breaker! Sorry! It’s difficult to say specifically about the case of a fracture, but here are a couple of cases.

Once I fell with my forearm on the edge of a concrete slab; there was a crack. The hand healed, the doctors then gave advice on how to develop it, but all this seemed unnecessary, I neglected the doctors’ advice, if only out of laziness.

However, gradually, little by little, my hand began to bother me, it became worse and worse, and I took care of it more and more, until it began to move very badly.

As a result, I went to the clinic for exercise therapy, I thought there were only grannies there, but these grannies gave me such a head start there! They encouraged me, and even when they can do something, but you can’t, then, willy-nilly, you try to catch up with them and overtake them! In the end, I worked it out, everything was fine, but when I was in the “recovering” group, it was the other way around, these same grannies set me as an example for the newcomers.

In general, find out about exercise therapy - for example, throw a tennis ball on the floor and try to catch it at home - you'll get the neighbors downstairs, and there is a place for this in the clinic. Passing a larger ball around from hand to hand may be painful in some places, but during the process you don’t really notice this pain. Other exercises - they will tell you all this!

Another time I cut my finger and damaged the tendon (but there was no fracture!), that time they told me that the finger would not bend and would remain crooked. But, when the wound healed, it was swollen, and I began to bend it with my second hand (I repeat, I didn’t have a fracture and how much such things are acceptable for you, find out from your doctor!!!).

At first I tormented him - I would slowly bend him with my other hand (he simply couldn’t bend quickly) - he couldn’t straighten up at all. Then I slowly unbent it. I had to do this for more than one day, and when I was able to twitch that finger at least slightly, the doctors said it was a reflex, that it was the finger that was twitching on its own. But I continued to develop it and now it bends normally. True, due to damage to the tendon, the finger has become weak and I try not to wear heavy bags on this finger, so as not to completely tear the tendon (luckily my little finger). I believe that if you don’t run it, then you will be able to develop your finger!

By the way, returning to the first case, the hand did not get worse on its own, but some bones stuck together and formed an adhesion - they began to grow together! What I mean is that you don’t need to use your finger either, and it may remain crooked if you don’t “teach” it to move, and some tissues grow together, making the finger crooked!

But in any case, you can’t delay the development of your finger after the bones have fused, but in no case should you rush, otherwise you won’t develop your finger, but simply break it! So, the development process is very slow, even slower than healing, but there is no need to force things!

By the way, how do you feel about a pool or at least a pond? It would be very useful - with each stroke the fingers move, but in the pool, with small movements, this is imperceptible and does not hurt, and at this time the finger is developing!

You can also google finger gymnastics on the Internet - magicians work out their fingers in a way that normal people don’t bend. Of course, they are developing healthy fingers, but they should not break them either, but develop them! Look, this should be on Tyrnet!

And the massage that Natalya mentioned, perhaps they will show you one time and you can do it yourself, or if they are prescribed, then be like him! But it makes sense and vice versa - to massage others yourself, if you know how. Even if not at full strength, but you need your finger, willy-nilly, to make at least small movements, to the best of its ability! And during the massage, the fingers must work, somewhere you cannot move them, but he himself touches the body being massaged and still makes movements. So, at the same time as massaging another person, your sore finger will work out!

Vladimir Mikhailov:

cardistry or guitar!!! just don’t write it off...

dimoshA :d:

Tell me, how is your finger? Have you designed it, I have the same problem now, it is difficult to bend.

Denis Dinmukhametov:

dimoshA :d and tomorrow I’ll remove the clamp and have to work on it already..

Artyom Rakitin:

I broke the phalanx of the fourth finger, closed fracture, there were three fragments, they collected them, they didn’t remove them, and I didn’t want to, I walked for 4 months, a week ago the needle was removed, the finger comes to its senses, regular ointment solves everything

Lyubov Lutskova:

Finger massage and finger exercises.

Recommendations for the patient

For successful recovery you need:

• Follow all instructions of the attending physician and rehabilitation specialist, exercise therapy specialist.
• Do not skip physical procedures and exercise therapy classes;
• Follow a protein diet, eat foods containing calcium - dairy products, dried fruits, fish, nuts).
• Do not overload or overcool the affected limb.
• Develop fine motor skills: sort through cereals, small objects, draw, sew, etc.
• Take vitamins with calcium and vitamin D3: calcemin, aquadetrim, teraflex and others.
• Rehabilitation is one of the main tasks in the treatment of fractures. It helps restore the fingers to their previous functionality and range of motion.
• It is important for the patient to follow all the doctor’s instructions. Failure to follow recommendations can lead to complications in the treatment of a fracture.

Treatment

Which treatment method is chosen depends on the characteristics of the individual case:

Distinctive characteristics of finger fractures:

1. Big. A fracture can occur as a result of severe bruising. Treatment should be as careful as possible, since the bones in this area have a particularly complex arrangement. The doctor must first set the injured bone and then apply a bandage to immobilize the finger until the broken parts heal completely;
2. Pointing. Often accompanied by dislocation. The treatment does not take long and without complications. In many cases, the index finger can be adjusted without the use of anesthesia;
3. Average. Fast and clear assistance from a qualified specialist is important here. Such a fracture can provoke further general functionality of the hand;
4. Nameless. After a fracture, healing takes a long time and is difficult. A plaster cast is needed, as in other cases. But here the doctor’s observation should be especially careful;
5. Little finger. May break due to an unfortunate fall on the hand. As a result, hand movement is limited, the pain is sharp and point-like.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/S7W3op3kHig

Thumb

There are many exercises for recovering from a fracture. It is also recommended to add special therapeutic exercises to the standard complex:

1. Make a fist with your hand and imagine that there is a lighter inside. Try to “ignite” it, thus stretching your thumb. Movements should be smooth and slow.
2. Lightly clench your thumb inside your fist, and then change the position of your fingers so that your thumb is on the outside. Repeat these compressions several times.
3. Relax your hand and alternately reach with your thumb all the others - first one by one, and then one after another.
4. “Salt” an imaginary dish with imaginary salt - collect a pinch of it from your thumb, index and middle fingers.
5. Clench your fingers into a fist, and with your thumb draw circles in the air to the left, and then to the right. Perform the exercise slowly and with minimal amplitude.

It is necessary to pay a lot of attention to the thumb, since the performance of such exercises will determine how the hand will look and work in the future.

Salt baths

A moderate concentration of saline solution will help cure a foot injury. To prepare it, dissolve 1 tbsp in a liter of hot water. a spoonful of salt, it is better to take sea salt for these purposes. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and has a beneficial effect on bone tissue. The optimal water temperature is 37-38 degrees. A warm bath will warm the sore spot well and speed up recovery. After it, a positive effect occurs - the muscles relax, the sensitivity of the nerve endings decreases.

Take the salt bath for 10-15 minutes, after which you do not need to wash your feet. Pat them dry with a dry cloth and let your feet rest. To enhance the effect, decoctions of medicinal plants and fir branches are added to the water.

During the procedure, the limb must be freely located in the basin so that the person has the opportunity to move it.

Note! Salt baths are not used for open wounds, diabetes, hypertension and a tendency to blood clots.

Aquatherapy

You can develop your fingers after a tendon rupture using aquatherapy (performing physical therapy exercises in a hand bath).

Warm water relaxes muscles and has a pain-relieving effect. A hand bath reduces weight and resistance, making finger exercises easier and reducing the risk of tendon rupture.

In warm water, the patient can develop his fingers using the following exercises:

• collecting small smooth stones, balls or buttons from the bottom;
• squeezing the sponge - with the palm and fingertips;
• playing with sand in water;
• underwater kinesitherapy and massage.

If hand baths are necessary solely to relax the muscles in the area of ​​tendon rupture, then the temperature is raised to 37-38 degrees, eucalyptus, sea salt, and chamomile are added to the water.

Contraindications: damage to the skin.

For rehabilitation after a tendon rupture, a course of 15 sessions lasting 25 minutes is effective. After warm baths, doctors recommend lubricating your hands with a softening cream.