Finger injuries

[DianaS]

I've just searched the forum and can't find a thread on this.

How have people coped with finger injuries while dancing?
I've sliced part of my finger off while changing a plug (NEVER use a stanley knife to split a cable) and have it in bandage till thursday. After then theres half a nail and a chunck of flesh that needs to recover. WHat I could do with is a rigid plastic finger shaped protector to slip over my finger (with cushioning underneath) that stops peoples pressure being transfered to the finger. Can you tell me do such things exist?

or shall I make a mold of my other matching finger in paster of paris and try an dmake something with my one good hand

[Northants Girly]

Which hand and which finger we talkin bout?

[CJ]

Here goes my input into the "trying to be of assistance but has provided no help what-so-ever post" category!!

Diana,

I don't know details, but I know that Tony Iommi uses plastic fingertips to play guitar so they must be available. Being rich and famous, I don't know if he has rediculously expensive "private" falsies or NHS provided ones.

Alternatively, many magic tricks involve fake fingers, etc... A well stocked joke/magic shop may well have something that you can fill with gauze, etc whilst your hand recovers.

My hands are SOOOOO precious to me (delicate artist who is WAY over-protective smillie please) so I feel what you have done!!

[DianaS]

Which hand and which finger we talkin bout?

Its the middle finger left hand And while I thought that I could ask for one handed right handed moves only in the excitment of the momemtn someones bound to ask for my left and I'm bound to give it ouuch!!
At the moment I can only type with one hand, 'cas the other even without using the finger makes it throb!!

[DianaS]

Here goes my input into the "trying to be of assistance but has provided no help what-so-ever post" category!!

Diana,

I don't know details, but I know that Tony Iommi uses plastic fingertips to play guitar so they must be available. Being rich and famous, I don't know if he has rediculously expensive "private" falsies or NHS provided ones.

Alternatively, many magic tricks involve fake fingers, etc... A well stocked joke/magic shop may well have something that you can fill with gauze, etc whilst your hand recovers.

My hands are SOOOOO precious to me (delicate artist who is WAY over-protective smillie please) so I feel what you have done!!

Thanks for that, I'll give it a go I've left nothing to loose!!

[Lynn]

Its the middle finger left hand And while I thought that I could ask for one handed right handed moves only in the excitment of the momemtn someones bound to ask for my left and I'm bound to give it ouuch!

Or you could put it in one of those sling thingys - then your lead couldn't do two handed moves even if they forgot, plus it would be well out of the way - maybe not very stylishly but it wouldn't be for long. Even if you protect your finger in some way it might still be better to have it completely out of the way, even for an evening or two.

Hope its better soon!

[DianaS]

Or you could put it in one of those sling thingys - then your lead couldn't do two handed moves even if they forgot, plus it would be well out of the way - maybe not very stylishly but it wouldn't be for long. Even if you protect your finger in some way it might still be better to have it completely out of the way, even for an evening or two.

Hope its better soon!

Good point! I think I might do that while I'm not dancing cas I keep forgetting and using the hand and it soon starts to hurt!!

[Gadget]

There is rarely a time that my hands are not healing from some missadventure or other -
First thing is to make sure that they don't get infected or puss-filled. Then find some way to hold the wound closed and apply a bit of pressure - (It always amazes me how well 'flaps' of skin heal back into the gouge they came from.) Then basically let it heal.
Be wary of keeping it wrapped up and out of air - your hands sweat & this needs to evaporate, and the wound needs to dry once healing has started.

The main 'pain' I find is catching edges of skin on things. I re-opened too many cuts & scrapes like this, so now I use surgical tape over the top of these bits untill they are hard/dead enough to trim away.

While we are in gruesom mode, I have a great tale to tell of my granpa's brothers who, as kids, were messing arround with a cavalry sword. A real one. They didn't quite realise how sharp it was untill one of them sliced the tip of their noses off! Blood and screams and panic ensues. His mum just told him to hold it in place untill they could get to the Doctors. By the time they got there, it had started to weld it's self back on. See - I can't be wholey to blame for being me: some of it is genetic.

[DianaS]

There is rarely a time that my hands are not healing from some missadventure or other -
First thing is to make sure that they don't get infected or puss-filled. Then find some way to hold the wound closed and apply a bit of pressure - (It always amazes me how well 'flaps' of skin heal back into the gouge they came from.) Then basically let it heal.
Be wary of keeping it wrapped up and out of air - your hands sweat & this needs to evaporate, and the wound needs to dry once healing has started.

.

Problem There is nothing to stitch back on
I saw the blood and thought it came from the cut on the palm of my hand put my hand under the cold tap
the very small but precious missing bit of finger and nail hasn't been seen since.
I did wrap my hand in a tea town apply pressuse to the base of the finger and hold it over my head for an hour while reclining on the sofa eating bakewell tarts
An hour later it wasn't clotting and my Dad took me to hospital cas I couldn't change gear with only one hand!!

Moral of the story
Use wire strippers
always keep a supply of bakewell tarts in, just in case of such an emergency

[latinlover]

I've just searched the forum and can't find a thread on this.

How have people coped with finger injuries while dancing?
I've sliced part of my finger off while changing a plug (NEVER use a stanley knife to split a cable) and have it in bandage till thursday. After then theres half a nail and a chunck of flesh that needs to recover. WHat I could do with is a rigid plastic finger shaped protector to slip over my finger (with cushioning underneath) that stops peoples pressure being transfered to the finger. Can you tell me do such things exist?

or shall I make a mold of my other matching finger in paster of paris and try an dmake something with my one good hand

If you buy a finger-size tubigrip there is a plastic applicator with it and I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to use that as a splint?

fingers crossed

[drathzel]

An hour later it wasn't clotting

I would have passe dout by then...blood ick

[JoC]

Be wary of keeping it wrapped up and out of air - your hands sweat & this needs to evaporate, and the wound needs to dry once healing has started.

Now that my stomach and funny ankles have recovered from reading all the above, just thought I would venture a possible question regarding this theory...

I recently scalded my leg quite badly, enough to cause significant blistering and broken skin and require a couple of trips to my local surgery for fixing and checkups. Initially I had been dealing with the scald in my own amateur first aid manner thinking along the lines of the above 'let it breathe' theory.

Now this may apply only to burns but I got the impression perhaps not... the nurse told me that the old 'let it breath' theory has now been superceded by a 'keep it moist' theory. Apparently current thinking is that skin heals better in a moist environment.

Any medical pros shed any more light on this and whether this applies to just burns and scalds?

And I hope the finger gets better soon!

[CJ]

Moist is good.

[MartinHarper]

Or you could put it in one of those sling thingys

Yep - or just stick it in your pocket. Both of those will stop you using it for balance, though, so maybe not great. You could keep your hand in a fist, so your partner can't get at individual fingers, but can still apply some leads to that hand.

[ducasi]

Moist is good.

[JoC]

Moist is good.

I knew it was always going to be risky using that word...

[drathzel]

I knew it was always going to be risky using that word...

Especially with him around

[DianaS]

If you buy a finger-size tubigrip there is a plastic applicator with it and I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to use that as a splint?

fingers crossed

I'll experiment and get back to you!
Photos will go online pay as you view

[DianaS]

Now that my stomach and funny ankles have recovered from reading all the above, just thought I would venture a possible question regarding this theory...

Useful tip I told the nurses to describe it as "this finger you've brought in" ratherr than "your finger" Talking about it in the third person was bearable and intersting whereas relating to it in the first person I just kinda felt woosy and that I would pass out

I recently scalded my leg quite badly, enough to cause significant blistering and broken skin and require a couple of trips to my local surgery for fixing and checkups. Initially I had been dealing with the scald in my own amateur first aid manner thinking along the lines of the above 'let it breathe' theory.

Now this may apply only to burns but I got the impression perhaps not... the nurse told me that the old 'let it breath' theory has now been superceded by a 'keep it moist' theory. Apparently current thinking is that skin heals better in a moist environment

Any medical pros shed any more light on this and whether this applies to just burns and scalds?...

Always stop burns from coming into contact with the air, immerse with water up to half and hour cas this reduces the burning and take sugar for shock (hense bakewell tarts)

I had kept my finger open but they immediately bandaged it and it then stopped bleeding

Keep it moist came from post world war leeps into medical experimentation. Limbs blown apart left to "stew in their own juice" did better than linbs cleaned up and medicaalised. and resulted in a rapid turn around in medical practice. Thats where the expression originated

[Northants Girly]

Photos will go online pay as you view

Come on Diana post those photos

I bet it's just a tinsy tiny scratch

No more sympathy or rep for DianaS folks till she shows us some snaps