PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Injuries to a child's fingers could be a sign that child is being abused, according to a physician.
Dr. Alice Chu, chief of the division of pediatric orthopedics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, looked at the records of thousands of kids who needed emergency room treatment for fingertip injuries and found that abused children were 23% more likely to have their fingers slammed in doors, drawers or have something heavy smashing them.
"The typical child is under two and anyone showing up under two in the ER with something 'accidental' might want to be looked at a little more closely," explained Chu.
Chu was actually surprised at the close relationship between abuse and finger injuries. "Fingertip injuries don't happen by themselves," she added, "so a child who sticks their finger in a door has to have someone come around and shut the door for the injury to happen and same thing with a typical scenarios like a drawer."
She said she hopes this information serves as a red flag for medical personnel in emergency rooms and they'll take a closer look at kids with finger injuries.
