Jammed Finger
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A jammed finger can be a common occurrence that happens throughout the day. You can go to close a drawer or car door and it accidentally smashes the tip of your finger. You can also be playing sports such as basketball or football and the ball accidentally hits the tip of your finger. This type of blunt impact may cause a jammed finger which is when the tip of your finger is push backwards towards your hand.
This could lead to a sprain in a ligament, damage to a tendon, or even a fracture in the bone. A jammed finger needs to be treated, but the severity will determine if you can treat it at home or if you need to seek medical treatment.
Image of a Jammed Finger
What Causes A Jammed Finger?
As stated before, you can jam your finger by smashing your finger against something or having the force of an object push the tip of your finger back towards your hand. This causes your proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint to have extra force put through it causing the ligaments in your finger to get stretched. The extra force must be absorbed by the joint causing an injury to occur.
Symptoms Of A Jammed Finger
Sometimes it can be hard to determine the severity of a jammed finger on your own at home. A jammed finger can be minor or can be as serious as a fracture. The severity of the pain is a good indicator of how bad the injury really is. When there is a possible fracture, you may not be able to fully bend or straighten the finger. Furthermore, the swelling in the area will last for hours or days with a fracture vs a short period of time with just a jammed finger. Lastly, if your finger has a deformity you will want to see medical attention as this is an indication there could be a torn ligament or tendon.
How Is A Jammed Finger Diagnosed?
If you are in a lot of pain or you can’t fully bend or straighten your entire finger, please seek medical care. These symptoms could indicate a fracture or ruptured tendon/ligament. The doctor will want to see you move your finger and examine for swelling or deformities. They might need to do an x-ray to look for fractures. In extreme cases, they might need to do a MRI and CT scan to further assess soft tissue in your finger.
Man with a Jammed Finger.
Treatment of Jammed Finger
If you think your injury is just minor here are a few tips to treat your jammed finger at home.
- Apply ice for 10-15 minutes to help decrease swelling in the finger. If it is hard to put ice on your finger, you can soak it in ice water instead.
- Elevate your finger. Try and keep your arm raised so your finger is above your chest level. This will help the swelling recirculate out of the joint.
- Take on over the counter NSAID per bottle recommendations
- Buddy taping finger- You can use athletic tape to immobilize the injured finger with the neighboring finger to help decrease movement in that finger temporarily to help it heal.
Sometimes more invasive treatments are necessary and will be directed by the healthcare team. There are different splints that might be appropriate depending on the type of injury. In serious cases, surgery may be necessary. After your injury has healed you can either perform exercises at home or you might be referred to physical or occupational therapy. You will need to restore full motion and strength in you finger doing a variety of gripping and pinching exercises, squeezing exercises, and holding objects.
If you are wondering if you have a sprained finger vs broken finger you may want to read the article: Is My Finger Broken?
You can also learn more about other common finger injuries by reading: What Are The Most Common Finger Injuries. JOI is currently hiring in some key areas, please go to JOIN JOI Page to find out more.
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