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Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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When to Seek Medical Care

Because the hand is a finely coordinated tool that must function correctly for so many everyday activities, even a relatively minor finger injury can lead to some loss of function. If in doubt, consult a doctor. Also contact a doctor if the patient is not sure whether they have had your tetanus immunization in the last 10 years. Always see medical care if the following occur:

• If there is severe pain or deformity
  
  
• If there is uncontrolled bleeding
  
  
• If there is numbness (loss of sensation)
  
  
• If the finger is pale or bluish in color
  
  
• If there are exposed bones or tendons

Go to a hospital's emergency department if these conditions develop:

• The patient has heavy bleeding or bleeding that does not stop.
  
  
• There is obvious missing tissue or amputation.
  
  
• There is obvious deformity of the finger.
  
  
• A cut gapes open or goes deeper than the very top layer of skin.
  
  
• The patient is unable to completely clean out the dirt or foreign bodies from a wound.
  
  
• There is an area of numbness or weakness.
  
  
• The patient is unable to use the finger normally.
  
  
• The patient develops redness, drainage, pus, swelling, or other signs of infection.