A hand or finger caught in a door must be very painful. Depending on how severe your situation is, you should seek medical care to prevent long-term pain or injury. However, if the condition does not require medical attention, there are a few tips you can apply to help manage your own pain at home.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Dealing with Pain
Step 1. Apply ice to the injured area
For medical reasons that will be explained in the next section, this is the first thing to do after your hand gets caught in a door. However, if we put aside medical reasons first, the cold feeling of ice will numb the hand if it is held for long enough. Even if the stinging cold may feel uncomfortable or even painful at first, persevere and keep applying ice to your hands. Eventually, numbness will develop and you will lose some sensation in your hand, including pain, in the area where the ice was applied.
Step 2. Stay calm
Your first urge may be panic, but try to control yourself so you don't get too excited. The excitement can cause increased blood flow, which in turn can lead to dangerous swelling. Also, research shows that anxiety can make pain worse, even though this study was conducted with chronic pain rather than acute injury. However, staying calm will help you stay focused and be able to deal with the pain in the short term.
Step 3. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever
While in severe cases you will need to see a doctor who can treat your hand and prescribe stronger painkillers, in cases that can be managed on your own, over-the-counter medications will help reduce the pain. In general, over-the-counter pain relievers usually contain acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panadol, etc.) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.).
- Take medication as directed. Acetaminophen should be taken every 4-6 hours, while ibuprofen should be taken every 6-8 hours.
- If you have stomach, kidney problems, or are pregnant, do not take ibuprofen without consulting your doctor.
- People with liver disease should not take acetaminophen.
Step 4. Focus on your breath
Taking deep, controlled breaths will help you calm down and lower your heart rate. Focus on the sensation of air at each stage of the breathing process - how it feels when air enters through your nose, how it feels when air is held in your chest, how it feels when air flows back in and out through your nose or over your tongue. Just think about the sensation, don't think about anything else.
- Inhale slowly and deeply so that the stomach, not the chest, rises first.
- When you can no longer take in any more air, hold your breath for a few seconds.
- Exhale slowly and systematically, controlling the release of air instead of letting it blow out on its own.
- Once the exhalation is complete, pause for a few seconds before repeating the cycle with the next inhale.
- Repeat this process until you feel comfortable taking your focus away from your breath.
Step 5. Divert your attention
Distract your mind from unpleasant pain, try to wander your mind to another stimulus that engages your senses. Why not listen to your favorite album, watch a fun TV show or movie, have a conversation with someone, or do some other activity that doesn't weigh your hands down, like walking? Research shows that activating your five senses can make pain more bearable.
Step 6. Imagine the food
Research shows that guided imagery, in which a person or audio recording helps a person in pain to focus on calming mental images, can help relieve both chronic and acute pain. However, recent research suggests that simply imagining your favorite food, done on your own without the help or guidance of others, can produce the same effect. It's enough to imagine you're eating your favorite food, whether it's chocolate or a cheeseburger, in vivid detail, while imagining its smell, taste, and sensation when held. Let the pleasant image take over your mind and the pain will disappear.
Part 2 of 2: Dealing with Medical Problems
Step 1. Apply ice to the affected area immediately
The most important step after an injury is to apply ice to the hand as soon as possible. Cold temperatures slow blood flow to the area, reducing swelling or inflammation that could make the injury worse. The piercing cold will also numb the area, reducing the pain you feel, as described above.
If there is no ice, just use another cold object. A bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer is as good as a bag of ice
Step 2. Lift your finger
Point your finger at the sky. Just like the application of cold temperatures, this action aims to reduce blood flow to the injured area thereby reducing swelling. While placing ice on the injured hand, raise your hand and fingers in the air.
Step 3. Check where your hand is injured
If most of the pain is centered in the sole, or if the joint is injured, you should seek professional medical care as soon as possible. However, if the pinched area is your fingertip and hasn't injured the joint or nail bed, your doctor may simply suggest resting your hand and waiting for it to heal on its own.
Step 4. Make sure there is no injury to the nail bed
You can tell if a portion of the nail is detaching from the pad by looking for a dark color under the nail. This discoloration indicates that blood is collecting under the nail, and you should consult a doctor for advice on what to do. If only a small amount of blood is collected, the injury may heal on its own. However, large amounts of blood can make you sick, and may require action. The doctor may ask you to come see him so he can relieve the pressure that builds up under the nail, or may give you directions so you can relieve the pressure yourself.
The doctor will remove the hematoma if the collected blood has not reached 24 hours. If more than 48 hours have passed, the blood has clotted and there is no point in expelling it. The patient should perform a neurovascular examination of the hand. All finger joints should be tested for bend and span
Step 5. Follow the doctor's instructions on how to drain the blood from under the nail
Do not try to relieve pressure on your nails without first consulting a medical professional. However, if a medical professional gives the green light, you can bleed from the nail bed by following the instructions. Make sure you wash your fingers both before and after the procedure.
- Heat the tip of a paperclip or tacks over a fire until it turns red to sterilize it. Use pliers to hold it or protective gloves to protect your hands from the heat.
- Press the hot metal tip against the surface of the nail, where the blood collects. Even without too much pressure, the heat will create tiny holes in the nails. In most cases, this procedure causes discomfort, but is painless.
- Let the blood flow out of the hole and reduce the pain you feel.
- Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics.
Step 6. Seek medical care if needed
In most cases, depending on the severity of the injury, you can simply apply ice to your hand and wait for it to heal on its own. However, you should consult a doctor if you experience the following situations:
- Fingers can't be bent
- Injury occurs in the joints or bones of the palms
- Injury occurs to the nail bed
- deep wound
- Broken bones
- Dirt in the injured area and must be cleaned to prevent infection
- Signs of infection (redness, swelling, warmth, pus, fever)
- Injuries that don't heal or don't get better
Tips
- If there's a deep cut, tear, or fracture, you'll need to treat it first.
- Place a bag of frozen peas on the injured area.
- If you think you have a broken bone, go to the hospital or emergency room immediately.
