What should I do if my fingernail is bruised by an impact?
When nails are injured and blood stasis occurs due to trauma, treatment can be based on the severity of the injury. If the area of blood stasis is small and the degree of injury is mild, treatment can be done through heat therapy or the application of certain medications. Generally, it takes one to two weeks for recovery. However, if the nail injury is severe, with a large area of blood stasis that causes ligament damage or fracture, surgical treatment may be necessary to stabilize and aid in the recovery of the nail.
1. Cold and Heat Therapy: Mild blood stasis can be relieved through hot and cold therapy. Ice packs can constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling. After 24 hours of the injury, local heat therapy can be used to improve blood circulation and promote faster absorption of local blood stasis.
2. Medication: For trauma-induced blood stasis in nails, certain blood-activating and stasis-resolving medications can be used, such as safflower oil, which can also alleviate blood stasis. Medications for activating blood and resolving stasis can be applied locally, for example, safflower oil can be applied to the skin around the nail, which is very helpful for improving these conditions.
3. Surgical Treatment: If the nail trauma is severe, involving not only blood stasis but also ligament damage and fracture, examination and surgical treatment may be required. When there is significant limitation in nail movement and a large area of local blood stasis, the possibility of fracture and severe soft tissue injury cannot be ruled out. In such cases, X-ray examination may be necessary to determine if there is local ligament damage or fracture. If a fracture occurs, surgical internal fixation or plaster external fixation may be required.
