I drive a delivery truck and about 3 weeks ago I got my pinky finger stuck in the seat adjustment mechanism. It hurt like crazy; I went home and put some ice on it and stuff. It just keeps hurting, it’s red, swollen and feels sort of hot. I took aspirin and put ice on it but it doesn’t seem to be getting much better. I can barely lift a single box. Help me Doc!

Hurting in the Haight

Dear Hurting:

Dr. MOM says you should have seen your workers’ compensation physician at the time of the accident, as your finger would feel so much better by now with the appropriate treatment. It’s important that you talk to your employer right away and get a referral for a proper evaluation by a physician. The doctor may well need to take an x-ray.

In the mean time, remember R-I-C-E. Rest the injured finger, Ice it, Compress it by wrapping it with a bandage and keep it Elevated to reduce the blood flow to the injury. All of these remedies are aimed at reducing the swelling and the discomfort. The redness and pain may also indicate that you may have some infection so an evaluation by a physician is important. Taking aspirin is OK, though Dr. MOM would have you take an anti-inflammatory such as Ibuprofen or Naprosyn. Remember, get to a doc soon and tell them Dr. MOM sent you.

I was lifting a box of new stationary to the bottom shelf last week and pulled my back. My back slips out a lot and usually goes back in by itself in a few days. This time though it seems to be getting worse, and it is difficult to lift my two year old. I’ve stayed in bed for two days on the heating pad, but still it hurts. Is there some home treatment I can do to get better?

Bertha with the bad back

Dear Bad Back Bertha:

Thank you for Asking Dr. MOM. Lifting, or carrying heavy objects, bending while lifting can be a major pain in the back. Your back doesn’t slip out; most likely what you are experiencing is an inflammation of the soft-tissue in the muscles and tendons of your back. Dr. MOM would say that from the sound of your ailment a physician should do an evaluation of your back: you may have at sometime or in some way injured that tissue and be experiencing reoccurring problems in that area. Until you get to the Doctor, try these things at home: do slow stretches that do not hurt the back. Staying in bed only makes the problem worse. Do not try to sleep on your stomach as this causes more pressure on your back, instead sleep on your back or side. Use moist heat instead of dry as this penetrates a little better. Dr. MOM would also have you apply ice to the sore area of your back for about 15-20 minutes, 3 times a day. Freeze some water in a Styrofoam cup, peel back some of the Styrofoam and put a little hand towel or washcloth over the top of the ice cup and massage it into the affected area of your back. Then please do what Dr. MOM says and see a doctor.

I do billing and office management for a medium sized company in San Francisco, whom I shall not name, and after typing my fingers to the bone for several days, my left thumb swelled up like a turkey drumstick, and it hurts like crazy! I even took a day off work, wrapped it in ice and it still hurts! Help me Dr. MOM!

Bill This

Dear Bill:

Help is on the way! Typing one’s fingers to the bone sounds painful indeed! What you describe are signs and symptoms of what is called Repetitive Motion Injury (RMI). RMIs are a term for a range of injuries to tendon and muscle, caused by repeated actions, constrained postures, or both, which produce a cumulative overload on the muscles beyond their capacity for immediate recovery. Some forms of RMIs are Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Epicondylitis, Myositis, Tendinitis, and Tenosynovitis to name a few. Dr. MOM will not attempt to diagnose your signs or symptoms without seeing you in person. However, it would be advisable to use the R-I-C-E method until you get to a doctor. That is, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation of the injury. What should happen is that you seek a medical opinion, and if the physician recommends it, perhaps also an Ergonomic evaluation may be conducted of your workstation. An Ergonomic evaluation is performed with the goal of identifying potential exposure to RMIs and possible solutions for avoiding such an exposure. The ergonomic evaluation includes a review of the following factors: repetition, force, postures, room temperature, lighting, workstation design, space, stability and equipment. Making minor adjustments in any or all of these factors can have a significant impact on your comfort level. The key is being comfortable, taking your work breaks, and alternating tasks. That turkey drumstick of yours may be good for flagging a cab, but nothing else! See a doctor right away, Bill.

I am a janitor. Last week I was washing the office plants and one broke onto my hands. I wiped it off and washed. But the next day I had a rash and it isn’t going away. Got help?

The Clean Up Woman

Dear Clean Up Woman:

Wasn’t that a song? Dr. MOM loves music. A lot of plants contain chemical irritants that may cause a red, itchy rash called contact dermatitis. Washing the affected area immediately is a good idea. Wear gloves when cleaning in the future. You may try some hydrocortisone 1% crm applied two times a day to the rash area to reduce itchiness and rash. Dr. MOM wants you to watch out for the following symptoms: swelling of eyes, lips, difficulty breathing which are indicators of a systemic reaction that may be very serious, in fact life threatening. There is also a risk of an infection developing if you scratch the itch, so don’t do that! If the itching is severe, or if you are experiencing any of these signs and symptoms get to a doctor stat!

I was in a restaurant and one of the waitresses spilled really hot coffee on her; another waitress told her to go put coffee grounds on the burn right away. Does that really work?

Dee Caffinated

Dear Dee: