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    Jammed Fingers

    During this time of the year, with volleyball, baseball, football and then basketball to follow, it is common to see “jammed” fingers. What is a jammed finger? The term jammed finger refers to finger joint pain and/or swelling from an impact injury. A jammed finger is mostly considered a sports injury and is basically injury to the ligaments in the finger. It also can occur when your fingers get caught in a door or if something heavy falls on your finger/fingers. For example, if you reach out to catch a ball and it accidentally hits the tip of the finger/fingers this impact gets transferred from the ligaments in the fingers, to the bones and the finger joints. These ligaments can get stretched or torn. Jammed fingers are extremely painful and require immediate treatment to aid in the healing process.

    The symptoms include pain, swelling, redness, numbness and loss of motion or difficulty in moving fingers. The severity of the symptoms may vary with the type of injury. A deformity or complete loss of mobility of the finger may point towards a fracture or serious dislocation, which needs immediate attention.

    Some try to pull the finger out of the jam. DO NOT PULL ON THE INJURED FINGER! You should start by applying an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or towel over the area. Make sure the ice is not directly on the skin. Remember to time how long you keep the ice on the area, exposure to cold can ease the pain and swelling but left on too long can stop the blood flow-you can get frostbite. Rule of thumb is that if there is little fat or muscle beneath the skin such as a finger, you should not leave on more than 5-10 minutes. Then let the finger warm up again and then you may reapply the ice.

    Most jammed fingers heal completely after a few days if there is no fracture or dislocation. If the injury is mild, you will be able to move with little discomfort over a short time. If the finger doesn’t move easily or the pain gets worse, see a physician to have an x-ray to determine if there is a fracture or ligament tear. 

     

    Jammed Fingers

    During this time of the year, with volleyball, baseball, football and then basketball to follow, it is common to see “jammed” fingers. What is a jammed finger? The term jammed finger refers to finger joint pain and/or swelling from an impact injury. A jammed finger is mostly considered a sports injury and is basically injury to the ligaments in the finger. It also can occur when your fingers get caught in a door or if something heavy falls on your finger/fingers. For example, if you reach out to catch a ball and it accidentally hits the tip of the finger/fingers this impact gets transferred from the ligaments in the fingers, to the bones and the finger joints. These ligaments can get stretched or torn. Jammed fingers are extremely painful and require immediate treatment to aid in the healing process.

    The symptoms include pain, swelling, redness, numbness and loss of motion or difficulty in moving fingers. The severity of the symptoms may vary with the type of injury. A deformity or complete loss of mobility of the finger may point towards a fracture or serious dislocation, which needs immediate attention.

    Some try to pull the finger out of the jam. DO NOT PULL ON THE INJURED FINGER! You should start by applying an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or towel over the area. Make sure the ice is not directly on the skin. Remember to time how long you keep the ice on the area, exposure to cold can ease the pain and swelling but left on too long can stop the blood flow-you can get frostbite. Rule of thumb is that if there is little fat or muscle beneath the skin such as a finger, you should not leave on more than 5-10 minutes. Then let the finger warm up again and then you may reapply the ice.

    Most jammed fingers heal completely after a few days if there is no fracture or dislocation. If the injury is mild, you will be able to move with little discomfort over a short time. If the finger doesn’t move easily or the pain gets worse, see a physician to have an x-ray to determine if there is a fracture or ligament tear.