AIBU - to ask if my son should go to minor injuries?

[cossette]

20 year old son works in a concrete factory. Has just sent me this photo. He's says his thumb is swollen and throbbing. I'm just concerned about the blood pooling behind the nail and not sure if it might need lancing. He's done amateur MMA fights so is fairly tough so if he says it's painful it must be pretty sore.
Any advice would be appreciated...

It’s a bruised nail. What do you expect them to do?

If it's bleeding underneath they can make a hole and drain thd blood

Has he done the ice and elevation first aid?

I’d send him. My cousin had what he thought was a splinter got infected and turned to sepsis.

There should be a first aider in the work place.

Ice and elevate to help with the swelling, then make an appointment with his GPs practice nurse who may need to drain the blood from behind the nail. Not worth a long wait in A&E

Edited to add - Sorry, just realised you said Minor Injuries. Definitely the place to go if practice nurse not available

The OP said minor injuries and not A&E

Could need a hole through the nail to release the blood....I had to have a trip to minor injuries a while ago as my finger was so swollen the nail was starting to lift.

I realised that as soon as I posted it (not enough coffee yet) so I've edited my original post

And what will the do

Thanks everyone. NHS info on the web says get medical attention if more than 50% of nail is affected so looks like it will be a trip to minor injuries after work unless it improves before then. I just wanted a sense check as I don't want to waste his or the NHS's time if it could be dealt with at home.

Ice, elevate and advise whether to go to minor injuries, fill in an accident form and make sure employer allows the injured person paid time off to get treatment if necessary. People on MN can't do all of that.

Ooh I loved treating these. Used to heat a needle up and push it through the nail and the relief was immense as the blood came out. 😁

Also WRT the first aider - accidents at work do have to be recorded. I don't know what happened in this instance, but if, for example, a heavy weight fell on someone's thumb, it is possible that the next time it could be someone's head.

This. Husband had this and he went to a local walk in centre. They released the pressure with a needle.

Heat up a needle (hold it with pliers), poke it through the nail - clean up sensibly.

Would not sit about A&E for this, no way.

DH did this to a similarly injured nail, although knowing him he didn’t sterilise the sharp object first!

They can’t advise on whether to go to minor injuries. A first aider isn’t qualified to decide that.

I'd say minor injuries is a good idea. You don't want the pressure building up and him discovering at 10pm that it needs urgent medical attention.

It does look very sore.

If you heat it, that'll do the job, it also melts through the nail far easier.

I got a lot of experience poking holes in bashed thumb/fingernails, as my Dad would make me fix his every time he smashed a nail whilst building his house. He's terrified of Drs and can't wait for anything so preferred to get me to do it!

I did draw the line when he partially severed his thumb and seriously thought I could superglue it back on! (That said, if I'd realised the drive to a medic would involve him in the driving seat but ME steering, aged 12.. I might have gone for it!)

Seriously?
A core responsibility of a first aider is to assess the situation, provide immediate care, and then determine if more advanced medical help is needed.
I used to train first aiders and they were always taught to advise seeking further medical advice if they thought more than basic first aid was needed. Up to and including summoning an ambulance.

A nail haematoma caused by an injury won't respond to ice and elevation, it needs medical assessment and the blood drained through a hole.

Any decent first aider would say this is what I can do to help I would advise you to seek further medical advice

The first aider can't do the medical assessment and draining bit though. Just the immediate first aid. Hence the basic assessment and further advice (to seek medical advice) responsibility of the first aider .

This thread is hard work.
I will bow out now. I hope OP's son is getting treatment and feels better soon.

Exactly.