jammed vs fractured/broken

[imported_vr6]

i was playing ball today and messed up my pinky bad.

now its swollen up i can see a shade of purple. i have jammed my fingers many times but this time its bad.

i can't even press the enter key without feeling pain.

how can you tell the difference between jammed or somthing more serious without having to go to the docs?

 

[suse920]

if you can stick it up your bottom, then your okay

 

[TheChort]

it's tough to say
generally (but not always) broken doesn't hurt as much as a sprain or jam
but best bet is to get an x-ray

 

[UncleWai]

As long as nothing is protruding you should be fine. Here's a pic of my old purple pinky.
pink
If you become this purple, you should be fine.

I would suggest you get a splint and make sure your pinky is straighten, otherwise after a week you will lose some range of motion on your pinky.

 

When you move your finger, do you feel (you actually kinda have to hold it to be sure) any grinding of bones? That is probably the best way to tell at this point. If its swollen as bad as you say, I would go to the hospital and get it checked out. They can't really do much except make sure it doesnt get infected and also drain some of the fluid if needed.

<----------------EMT

 

[Amplifier]

First thing, get to the closest internet forum. You're around trained medical personnel now.

Now crack your knuckles as hard as you can.

If you feel better then send me $10 via paypal for my medical advice, and if you feel sheering pain then you probably have a fracture and I'll need to refer you to a medical specialist forum.