Broken 5th Phalanx

DISCLAIMER:
THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS-ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
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Nominal healing time is about 4 weeks if uncomplicated and properly immobilized from the get-go (which yours wasn't). Discomfort does not necessarily cease when the healing process is complete, as the traumatic event may have damaged other structures, including nerves, blood and lymphatic vessels, tendons and ligaments, none of which may heal as promptly or as completely as bone.

A reasonable discussion of the fracture healing process can be found both here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_healing and on many other sites on the Internet. If you have specific questions about YOUR fracture, call your doctor.

 

Thank you for your reply - it's most helpful. I had encountered that Wikipedia page but didn't know whether to trust its information. It's good to know that you yourself recommend it as a reliable source.

What is the likelihood of complete healing in circumstances, generally (not in my specific case), when the break hasn't been stabilized right away? Does it often happen that pins need to be put in, etc., or is the likelihood of delayed union greater than the likelihood of non union?

I have a growing clinical interest in this now that the disgust of all of it is wearing off. Before this I didn't do well with anything below my skin's surface.

 

DISCLAIMER:
THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS-ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
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The important thing to be noted about fracture healing versus healing of other tissues is that the repair is accomplished with real bone tissue, just like that which was there before the break. Most other tissues in the body heal with fibrous scar, which, though it reunites tissue, is not the actual tissue that was there before the injury, and thus does not have the same characteristics. This is especially important in injury to tissues such as ligaments, as the nature of ligaments and is function is to be elastic, and fibrous scar is not elastic. Thus, ligaments after they heal are never as functional as they were prior to injury. How much dysfunction depends on how important the ligament is and what joint is involved.

Most bones will eventually heal in some fashion with or without treatment. In fact, for the majority of time during which humans have inhabited the earth, that's how bones healed. There is certainly a greater tendency for non-union and mal-union when the fracture segments are not stabilized and immobilized or not well reduced, but that is not generally a problem in the toe, and especially when the break is clean and doesn't involve the joint structures. Even when reduction is not good and the bone heals with a hump, over time, the body tends to remodel and lessen deformity. Unless a fracture of a toe has resulted in a marked deviation, producing a prominence which might be irritated by shoes or shoe pressure, the fracture of lesser toes (all but the great toe) is usually not fraught with substantial problems even if poorly cared for, though persistent swelling due to lymphatic injury may be problematic and as I pointed out previously, other structure than bone might produce pain and problems.

 

Fascinating! Thank you!

 

Yours was the sort of general question for which forums such as this are appropriate. I'm always pleased to go into detail for educational purposes. Unfortunately, too many posters expect answers for their case-specific situation which can only be responsibly offered after traditional examination and/or thorough knowledge of the case. Advice, given with such obvious dubious basis, as is occasionally offered here, mainly by non-professionals, if acted upon by the questioner can be potentially harmful, and I would caution anyone considering doing so to first run the recommendations past their own doctor or seek specific advice from a doctor if they have not yet seen one.