Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] 7 weeks ago, crushed my thumb with enough forced it squeezed my nail out from the root in one complete piece. The thumb since showed a slight fracture but I feel there is some more serious damage as it remains quite enlarged, no joint movement and still is painful. I wear a finger split and wonder what could be the cause of the symptoms. The pad of my thumb has been rather hardened and a small bump is present
[|AI|]  Hi, Now its 7 weeks since the injury and it seems that the thumb has begun stiff from the crush and also from the long immobilization. A joint needs to move as early as possible after the pain and swelling has settled. The fracture is minor but what had happened now is that the main joint of the thumb has become as though stuck with glue as a result of the splinting. The pain comes from the contracted ligaments and tissues. This needs exercises to loosen the joint, immersion in warm water and salt for 15 mins twice a day and physical therapy with wax baths to relax the joint.