Need Urgent Human Help!!

My brother just hurt his hand quite badly...but I can't tell if it's broken. He was screwing around with some buddies with a football and somehow when he caught the ball his fingers were in the way...
Now, the top of his hand is twice the size it should be and it hurts him a lot to move his fingers (he can barely move them) or to move his wrist.
Do you think I should take him to the ER? How do I tell if it's broken? It doesn't look deformed or anything...just really swollen.
Please help...I just don't know what to do?
Thanks!

yes!!!!!!

It is better to be safe than sorry,It could be broken!!

Yes, always better safe than sorry!

Hope it's better soon.

Mom is panicing right now...she's worried about him, but then she's worried about the bill of the ER too...since money is kind of tight right now. Right now, I'm trying to convince her to take him in! Anyway, I gave him some ibuprofen and a big ice pack. I think I'm going to watch it for the next 30 minutes and see if there is any improvement. If not, I'm taking him in myself.
Thanks guys for the speedy replies! You all are awesome!
BTW...is there any telltale signs of it being broken?

Take a package of frozen veggies out of the freezer (peas is best) wrap this around his hand and secure it in place with saran wrap and get him to an ER- it could just be jammed, but if it is broken he will be in much more pain very soon.

Shell, when my son broke his wrist...it did not appear to be broken when I first saw it.. It was swollen. Anyway, because he was in pain, I took him to the ER and the x-ray revealed a nasty fracture. He had to have surgery and wore a cast for the entire summer. Again...it didn't look broken—Freaked me out.

I'd get him to the ER, just in case.

I just now saw this. That injury sounds very painful, and I hope your brother has been able to go to either the ER or Urgent Care. How is your brother now, did the doctor say his hand is broken????????

I just checked on him and he is now able to move his fingers with out much pain. Mom still didn't feel that it was urgent enough to take him to the ER, but is planing on taking him in tomorrow morning to see our family Doctor. The swelling is going down, no bruising (yet) and the pain is getting better. The more I look at it, it looks more like a bad sprain...but we're getting it looked at just in case. Poor kid...it's his right hand and its the one that he uses for everything. Plus, it looks like he'll be out of this weeks track meet too since he's a shot putter. He's kinda bummed out...but those are the breaks (Hopefully, not literally!)!
Thanks guys for everything! You all are so awesome!

Maybe it was a sprain? I don't know that I ever really learned to walk right, but I am ALWAYS stepping SIDEWAYS on my right ankle...I mean..DOWN to the side FLAT. I have sprained it many many times that way and it has ballooned like crazy.

I think I would still go for XRays, though.....you just never know.

We'll see what the Doc says tomorrow...I'm sure they'll do xrays and etc. Hope it's not broken! He'll be so ticked it has to wear a cast on his hand at PROM! But then again...he might think it attract chicks or something too! Teenage boys...I swear!

LOL...Oh yeah! The girls did pay extra attention to my son when he had a cast....forgot about that perk. Although, he's at the age where he thinks girls a gross and didn't pay much attention to them.

I hope that everything turns out well!

Shell, he should keep icing it, and if he is going to take anything for pain, it should be aspirin, aleve or motrin, not tylenol. Tylenol is only a pain reliever, but the others will decrease swelling/inflammation as well.

Hope all is well!

I broke my hand playing softball a few years ago. The second it broke I knew it! I would give his hand a day or so to relax and see what happens. if it is broken, the pain will not subside, however, if the pain goes awaya gradually, it more than likely is a sprain. I am not a doctor, but both times I broke a bone, I knew it immediatly. What does he think happened?

Ginger

I agree, Ginger, you usually know when it is broken. I can always tell because first I get a wave of heat through me and start sweating profusely, then I get the chills right on top of that and my teeth start chattering. Then I get nauseous. Then I go to the ER.

Has your brother ever broken a bone before, Shell? How old is he?

I know the crises has passed but some signs of a broken bone are going very white under your nose or upper lip also a very strong sense of nausea.
I hope all is well!
Denise

When my son, Richard, broke his wrist, it was obvious - human wrists don't bend that way.

My brother, Mike broke his thumb and it was hard to tell, at first. We tok him to the base hospital and these two dumb corpsmen sat looking at the X-ray and argued as to whether it was broken or dislocated. When the ortho got there, he took one look and said, "Set it!"

As for the cast, they have some really cool colors, nowadays. When I tore up my ankle, all I got was plain old vanilla.

shell how is your brother?

Just read this...what did the Dr. say? Hope he is doing okay!!!

He woke up this morning and was bullheaded (more than usual!) . He said that it still hurt quite a bit, but he doesn't need to see a Dr. Must me that testosterone raging through his 17 year old body! He can be so unpredicable at times!

He can bend his wrist and move his fingers, but it still hurts...not as bad as last night though. So, we're just watching it for now and he's taking Advil for the pain & inflammation.

But who knows...this boy changes his mind like he changes his underwear so he might think tomorrow he needs to go see the Doc.
Thanks everyone for the great tips and the concern..You all are so sweet and caring. Thanks for being there when I needed you all...