Finger

I had my fingers smashed in the car door as a child and didn't break anything. It just hurt - a lot.

He may lose the nail. I lost a toenail from dropping a soda can on it as a kid. They grow back.

If he can bend it, it's probably not broken. If you are still concerned, you can always take him in or make an apt. for the pediatrician. If you have an "advice line" for your insurance (like Kaiser does), you can call the nurse for guidance.

Hope he's feeling better by now. (not sure why the date on my post says Monday. It's only 9PM on Sunday)

My son smashed his finger in a door when he was little too, 5 or 6. The nail remained purple and very swollen. By the afternoon of the second day he was complaining that it hurt and throbbed. We took him to the doctor and they said the blood had to be released to reduce the swelling. They used a very small hand held device and burned a small hole in the nail and released all the blood. It took less than a second and released all the blood, the swelling went down immediatelyfinger. He barely had a chance to whine and it was over so fast the pain was gone. He was so relieved and didn't complain about it again. He did however lose the nail. Good luck

Hi there,

I would certainly make an appt with your child's doctor. My son smashed his finger in a door when he was 4 and he DID break it. He had to wear a finger protector thing so that the fracture could heal. I had to tape to his finger so it wouldn't come off. I wouldn't dismiss the idea of it being broken though....hopefully it isn't!
Good luck!

Hi K.-

Try frequently applying neosporin plus to the nail. This may help w/the pain but more importantly will protect against any possible infection and my help preserve the nail.

Hope this helps