Jammed Finger: Will It Hurt Forever?

We use our hands everyday for a wide variety of activities. Its likely, at some point in time, you have “jammed” your finger, resulting in a finger sprain. So, what is a finger sprain? What do you do about it? And why does it still hurt?! Well let’s take a look at the anatomy of the hand.

Each finger in the hand (with the exception of the thumb) is comprised of three bones called phalanges. These bones are connected by soft tissue structures called ligaments. Sprains occur when the ligaments between the phalanges get stretched or torn. Usually, finger sprains are relatively minor and resolve on their own, but there are some treatments that can help. Some are serious and require surgery.

The first course of action is the RICE method. Check out an earlier blog post for further details on this method! This works best immediately following the injury. It is also important to remove rings from the injured finger as well as the rings from all fingers of the injured hand. Once the fingers are swollen it can become very difficult to remove rings, and very dangerous to leave them on.

The American Society for Surgery of the Hand recommend 3 strategies to try for Removing Rings:

• Use Windex or other lubricant like soap or oil.
• Elevate the hand overhead and apply ice for 5-10 minute prior to removal of ring
• Use dental floss or thread to compress the swollen finger. Details for how to do this can be found in the link below.
• See your jeweler who can cut and repair a ring.

Ring removal

Treatment

After initial treatment, it can be beneficial to buddy tape the injured finger to a neighboring finger for support and pain relief. Finger motion is also important to help reduce swelling in the finger by pushing swelling toward the center of the body.

Though finger sprains typically heal on their own, they often take a long time before we feel “back to normal”. This is for a number of reasons. First, we use our hands every day! It can be difficult to allow the injured finger to rest, when it is needed for normal life. Second, swelling in the fingers is difficult to get rid of. We often walk, sit, and sleep with our hands below heart level which leads to persistent swelling in the fingers.

Last, fingers are stubborn. When we immobilize fingers, they get stiff very quickly, and require a lot of work to regain range of motion. So, when do you seek treatment? We recommend that you see a medical provider soon after the initial injury to rule out fractures and tendon injury. These injuries can require additional treatment, and are often time sensitive. Increased pain, increased swelling, and loss of range of motion also indicate a follow up appointment may be needed. If you have concerns regarding you jammed finger, swing by a see one of our orthopedic providers. OrthopedicsNow! offers same-day and walk in appointments perfect for those pesky finger injuries or a number of other orthopedic needs.

Related Physicians

The providers at Kansas City Bone and Joint Clinic each have their own areas of specialty. Click on the providers below to read more about them.

J. Clinton Walker, MD

Suzanne G. Elton, MD

Stephen V. Hiatt, MD

Meet all KCBJ Physicians