Re: jammed finger - too late?

Holly Homeowner <lyne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

Hello.

I jammed my finger on Mothers Day (May 13), playing football with my
family. It hurt, but my athletic relatives made it out to be no big
deal, happens all of the time, don't worry about it, maybe ice it
down....

The "jam" is on my left ring finger; the knuckle closest to the palm.

I taped it for a couple of weeks, then stopped because I really was
feeling like a big wimp.

So, now it's mid-August and I still cannot bend it all of the way or
remove my wedding ring.

Oy. Stories like this long ago compell me take mine off when playing.

It also still hurts when I overuse it. I went to the doctor about a
month ago and he blew me off, saying that he could not do anything
now and I should have come in when it happened. He did not take an
xray and only seemed interested in acute pain, which I do not have.
He did tell me to take Aleve but that did not seem to help.

So, what can I do now?

If it was your general practicioner (GP) who blew you off, see an
orthopedist (bone specialist). If your HMO requires you get a
referral from your general practitioner you may have to go back in and
pretty much demand to see an orthopedist. GP's--at least average
ones-- are little more than pill pushers and couldn't do anything even
if they did take an xray.

BTW...I posted to this group because I play vball and know it is a
sport that is prone to jammed fingers.

That it is. No one can diagnose you from here (nor should they). But
I can encourage you to get to docs that deal with this stuff --
orthopedists. After taking an xray they'll have options that make
more sense than "just take some aleve." If the xray shows nothing
and you still have a lot of pain, an MRI to ferret out any ligament
damage or whatever might be their next Dx tool. Treatment options
may include sending you to a physical therapist for exercises to
increases your range of motion and strength, a procedure to fix
whatever damage to bones or ligaments you may have sustained.

Did I mention "Get to an orthopedist?" :-)

Your GP was right about one thing--you should've gone in sooner in
case you hairline fractured it or something. Options are probably
fewer now, but I certainly would let the person who's supposed to be
caring for my health off teh hook so easily. This might leave me
shopping for a new doctor too -- perhaps someone who listens better
and is less inclined to blow off something that's impacting your life.

Also, be aware that doctors in some medical plans get compensated more
for giving you less treatment/referrals. For more on that see this
rather interesting book:
http://www.google.com/search?q=examining+your+doctor

Best Regards,
--
Todd Haverkos tdh@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.vbref.org/
.