If your fingers are initially taped by your doctor or another healthcare professional, then they likely used water-resistant tape so that it's safe to wash your hands and shower at least once. As a general guideline, however, be prepared to re-tape your fingers on a daily basis, particularly if you shower or wash your hands frequently. Wet or moist tape and dressings promote the growth of bacteria and mold, which gives off an unpleasant odor and increases the risk of a skin infection.  Care should be taken when removing tape to avoid injury aggravation or skin damage. Use blunt-nosed scissors to cut the tape and then remove it slowly.  If your injured finger hurts more after re-taping it, remove the tape and start over, but make sure it's a little looser. This is also a sign that you should seek medical advice. Your injured finger, depending on severity, may need to be buddy-taped for up to four weeks to properly heal, so you'll likely become very experienced at re-taping it. This step is very important. Before reapplying the tape on a regular basis, check your fingers and the rest of your hand for any signs of skin irritation or infection. Abrasions, blisters and calluses increase the likelihood of a skin infection, so clean and dry your fingers thoroughly before re-taping them. Use soap and water to cleanse your hands.  Signs of a localized skin infection include local swelling, redness, throbbing pain, and discharge of pus, which may emit an unpleasant odor.  It's important to seek immediate medical attention if you suspect a skin infection. As mentioned above, necrosis is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood and oxygen. An injured finger, particularly a dislocation or fracture, may already involve damaged blood vessels, so you have to be extra careful when buddy taping not to cut off circulation to the fingers. If you unintentionally do, then your fingers will likely start to throb with achy pain and turn dark red, then dark blue. Most tissue can survive without oxygen for a couple of hours (at most), but it's important to carefully observe your fingers within 30 minutes or so of taping to make sure they are getting enough blood.  Diabetics often have less feeling in their hands (and feet) and tend to have poor circulation. Diabetics should avoid buddy taping and get evaluated by a doctor, as the risk of infection is significant. If necrosis does occur in the fingers, then bacterial infection can occur quickly. Untreated bacterial infections may turn gangrenous and may require amputation surgery so the infections won't spread. If you experienced an open compound finger fracture (bone protrudes through the skin), your doctor may recommend a two-week course of oral antibiotics to deter a bacterial infection. Although most finger injuries respond well to buddy taping, some are beyond its scope. For example, when fingers are crushed and completely shattered (termed a comminuted fracture) or fractured such that the bones radically misalign and stick out through the skin (termed an open compound fracture), then no amount of taping is helpful and it shouldn't even be considered. Instead, with serious and unstable fractures, you need to get to an emergency department quickly for more appropriate medical care (likely an invasive surgical procedure). On the other hand, small hairline (stress) fractures are stable and appropriate to tape until you can see a healthcare provider.  Common symptoms of a severely broken finger include: intense sharp pain, swelling, stiffness, and usually immediate bruising due to internal bleeding. Likely your finger will look somewhat crooked and it will very difficult to make a fist or grab something heavy without severe pain. Broken fingers can be related to conditions that weaken bone, such as cancer (bone tumors), local infections, osteoporosis (brittle bones), or chronic diabetes.
غير الشريط بانتظام. تفقد علامات الالتهاب. كن متيقظًا لعلامات النخر. لا تلف إصبعًا مكسورًا كسرًا بالغًا.