At Salem Health Orthopedics, one of the most common injuries treated is a fingertip injury. Going into the new year, hand surgeons are sharing their advice on how to treat and prevent these wounds.

“We see them a lot,” said Salem Health Hand Surgeon Allison Mitchell. “A common injury that we see in our clinic would be a fingertip amputation. In children, a lot of times it’s getting their finger stuck in a door. For adults, the cause can be a knife or table saw.”

Dr. Mitchell said another common impact to the hand is a crush injury, caused by something like a door or gate closing on the finger.

“That can also include injuries to your nail or nailbed,” she said. “Fingers can also get infected. That could look like a paronychia — inflammation around the nail — or felon, which is an infection to the pad of the finger.”

Preventing fingertip injuries

Dr. Mitchell notes that a lot of these injuries are simply an accident, but she recommends parents urge children to avoid slamming doors. As for adults, her biggest recommendation is to get a saw stop for table saws.

However, if an injury does occur, the first step is cleanup.

“The most important step if there’s an open cut is to wash it,” Dr. Mitchell said. “Use water and soap, doesn’t need to be anything fancy.”

When to see a doctor

If there is an open cut that seems deep and it appears a bone is broken, that’s when you should seek out care from a doctor.

“If it’s an open fracture, you could get infected if it’s not treated properly,” Dr. Mitchell said.

But don’t overlook nail injuries, either.

“Your nail may be really deformed and, if a nail isn’t treated properly, you could get a hook nail, which is painful and those can get snagged on things,” she said.

Sometimes orthopedic surgeons must repair the nail bed or sew the finger. There will be X-rays to see if there’s a fracture, and if it’s an open cut, then antibiotics are given.

If a large cut is left untreated, that will likely lead to a larger procedure within the office.

“We would numb them, take off the nail and repair the nailbed, or we might have to close the cut if there’s a cut over the finger,” Dr. Mitchell said. “Generally, we would just splint bone injuries, but outpatient surgery is scheduled if needed.”

Care at Salem Health

Are you recovering from a fingertip injury? Salem Health Orthopedics has the largest group of surgeons in the mid-Willamette Valley specifically trained in treatment of hand and wrist conditions — and, with two new Physician Associates, there are often appointment openings the same day.  

Click here to learn more about care with Salem Health Orthopedics.