Hawthorn in Knuckle

[RHT23]

I'm sure I read some posts about similar injuries on here before but can't seem to find them now.

 

Just over 5 weeks ago I was feeding a chunky piece of Hawthorn through the chipper. The wood flicked round and hit my right hand, leaving a pretty decent thorn right in the top knuckle of the 3rd finger. (I wasn't wearing thorn proof gloves, stupidly). 

It was obviously pretty painful and put my hand into a bit of a spasm. It took a good 5 minutes of digging around to grab the end of the thorn and pull it out. I'm pretty sure it all came out in one piece.

 

Two weeks later, my hand was still sore and swollen whilst working with pain now going down into my arm. I went to hospital to get it looked at, xray showed the finger and hand had been broken but was now starting to heal up. They gave me antibiotics to get rid of any infection that might be happening.

That seemed to do the trick with the pain down my arm but the knuckle and area around it seems to be getting more painful each week, along with it swelling up so you can't really make out the last two knuckles when I make a fist. 

I've had another xray which doesn't show anymore damage to the break but I've been told I'll need an ultrasound to see if any plant material has been left inside.

 

I've been doing a bit of reading up and it seems surgery is the only option, if there is still plant material in there or if its developed into Synovitis.

 

Has anyone had the same happen? Did you have surgery? What was the recovery time.like?

 

Any help or advice would be really appreciated.

Cheers.

Edited April 30, 2023 by RHT23
Typo

[dumper]

  Got a sloe thorn in knuckle of thumb still hurts now 40 years later

[Stere]

 

[manco]

i have one comment only

"thorn proof gloves"

 🤣 🤣 🤣  🤣 🤣 🤣  🤣 🤣 🤣  🤣 🤣 🤣  🤣 🤣 🤣

unless theyre metal, they aint.

[PatrickFirwood]

I had a piece of Hawthorn go in to my knuckle a couple of years ago, the swelling, pain and sensitivity lasted for around 6 - 8 weeks and then all of a sudden it just went and it was fine again.

 

I first went to the doctors, then the hospital for an x-ray and then finally I saw the plastic hand surgeon and he said there's nothing still in there, and it can take 6 - 12 weeks before the swelling subsides, and thankfully he was right. 

 

It was quite worrying during those 6 - 8 weeks, I couldn't grip anything with that hand due to the swelling and pain, so I wasn't really able to work... It's nasty stuff! 

[woody paul]

So the piece of wood broke your hand, pain in hand then arm. Have you been checked that you have not got a trapped nerve or even tendon damage. 

[RHT23]

Thanks for the replies so far. 

 

It's a very different pain to nerve or tendon damage. It's localised around the knuckle and down the finger slightly.

 

Just hoping it'll be a few weeks of pain then done, but 5 weeks so far and it seems to be going the opposite way 🤷‍♂️

[Mr. Squirrel]

I imagine if it’s gone into the joint it may have punctured the sack of fluid within the joint, which can take a while to recover from. 
Different injury but a wee dog bit my hand last year, right on the middle joint of my ring finger. I could see a tendon, which was thankfully undamaged, but a fair amount of clear fluid came out. The hole healed pretty quickly once I was on antibiotics, but the joint stiffness/discomfort/pain lasted for a few months. All fine now. Might just need time. 

[richyrich]

I pulled a blackthorn out of finger. A good few weeks later it was painful and swollen. Had ultrasound - showed up a remnant. Was booked in with plastic surgeon. In meantime it healed itself- no bother, and a lump swelled up below finger joint- think from another thorn. So cancelled appointment. The second swelling still there and got worse at one stage with a second knock - no discomfort, for now.... 

[Stubby]

In my limited experience of blackthorn / hawthorn injuries there is always the tip still in there . A good warm Hedgehog and Larks vomit  poultice  usually does the trick .