While it can seem rather trivial, a jammed finger can be a very painful injury. Because our fingers need to be sensitive to touch and to have a lot of dexterity, they have a huge amount of nerve endings. This large bunching of nerve endings means that an injury can be quite painful. A finger gets jammed when it receives a direct blow on the end of the finger, essentially smashing all of the joints together. The result can be a painful injury that swells and limits the mobility of your finger.
How to Treat a Jammed Finger at Home
As with any injury, if you suspect at all that it might be fractured, it is best to get to a doctor as soon as possible so the finger can be properly set. If however, the injury appears to be minor and you are content to treat a jammed finger at home, here are some steps that you can take to alleviate some of the discomfort.
The first and most important thing that you can do with any sports injury is to get ice on it. This will help to reduce the swelling and will help to numb the pain. Icing should done in twenty minute increments several times a day. The ice constricts the blood vessels surrounding the injured area and thus reduces the blood flow around the injury. This is what reduces and prevents the swelling.
Further pain relief can be found in over the counter painkillers like ibuprofen. They help to manage the inflammation that is a result of the swelling and help to reduce pain. If you feel that these over the counter painkillers are not strong enough to help you manage the pain, then you probably need to see a doctor for your injury.
Jammed Finger Splints
The ability to immobilize a jammed finger will allow it to heal a little faster and will help to prevent you from injuring it further. You can buy finger splits for a relatively small amount of money at most pharmacies. They are typically made of an aluminum shank that is padded on one side with foam rubber. The aluminum is flexible and can be molded to fit the most comfortable shape for your finger. After you have fashioned a splint that fits you, have someone help you tape it on securely using athletic tape. You should find that the immobility lessens the pain considerably as well.
Jammed Finger or Broken Finger
Broken bones are difficult to diagnose without the help of an x-ray. If the swelling in your finger does not go down in a few days and the pain is still there, you may need to go see a doctor. Broken bones should not go untreated. To leave them to heal on their own could result in irreparable damage. At the very least, the jammed finger could heal crooked, at its worst, the bone could heal so badly that you completely lose all mobility in that digit and it might have to be re-broken and set all over again.