Hello doctor, A couple of days ago, I punched a brick wall. After the punch, I felt a very sharp pain in my entire hand, like a throbbing pain. About 30 minutes after, my hand was still hurting and when I would try to make a fist, my pinky and ring finger would not go all the way. My pinky also felt very numb. I could not feel it. Now my pinky and ring finger knuckles are badly bruised and swollen. I can make a fist and move my hand but it hurts. Every time I try to make a fist, it feels like a huge amount of pressure is being put on my pinky and ring finger knuckles. It also hurts a lot when I touch them to the point where I cannot touch them. Finally, I have pierced skin around and on the bruise. I am simply not sure if I have bruised the knuckle or if it is something else. So would it be worth going to see a doctor?
Hello. Sorry to hear about your hand. I think the bruise you mentioned could be because of any bony injury or just soft tissue injury. But it would be worth to get an x-ray of the hand to rule out a fracture. The mechanism of injury you mentioned might cause something called boxers fracture (fifth metacarpal fracture). If x-ray comes out clear then you would just need to ice your hand and keep it elevated when you go to sleep by using a pillow. Also, use regular pain killers. If it is broken then it needs to be looked at by a hand surgeon.