How To Treat A Jammed Finger

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April 2025. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZh0Q0CW_NY&t=31s

Mike: Have you ever jammed your finger and not been sure what to do next?

Brad: Well, you're in luck. Today, we are going to give you excellent information. As a matter of fact, Bob and I made a video a few years back, and we got vintage information that is still up to date today. And we're going to show you; it's very pleasant.

Mike: But don't go anywhere after that footage because we have some bonus tips for you that we want to show you at the end.

Brad: All right, here we go. We're going to take our trip through the vortex back in time. Here we go, woo, woo. Be prepared. Oh, it's starting to shake. We're going!

Bob: "Lonnie, throw me the ball. Ow." You know, that happens quite often, doesn't it, Brad? You jam a finger. Because Lonnie burned that pass in here like a real quarterback, didn't she?

Brad: I like that, except for the ball, Vikings.

Bob: Yeah, I know you like that. A lot of times it happens in basketball. I used to do it in basketball all the time. You jammed a finger, and we're going to tell you how to treat this today. We're going to tell you how to treat it immediately, and we're also going to show you what to do in case it doesn't get better in like three to five days. That's going to be more of an advanced technique.

Brad: Sure.

Bob: But I think you guys can do it. You're smart out there. All right, first thing, if you jam your finger, you want to take a look at it. If there's a lot of bruising immediately, that's kind of a bad sign. That might mean you tore something or broke something. And especially if you can't move it at all, then you're going to need to go ahead and see the doctor right away. Generally, it's this bigger joint- not the biggest joint, but the second joint is the one that a lot of people jam.

Brad: But regardless, even if you think you need to go to the doctor, you're still going to put it on ice.

Bob: Yeah, exactly. That's the first thing you're going to do, is you're going to ice it no matter what. And you want to be a little careful if you're putting ice right on it, because you don't want to get any frostbite. I mean, you can; the ice packs usually are fine because that's not as bad.

Brad: You could take a bowl of water with ice and water and submerge it.

Bob: And I'd say a good, you know, 15 minutes. Up to 20 minutes. Then you can take a break, and then another hour later you can do it again.

Brad: But don't drink the water out of there.

Bob: Yeah, that's right, Brad. I wouldn't; that's good advice. So, after you ice it, and now, at this point, what you're going to do is probably want to make sure that it's going to be protected. So, what you can do is, and I hate to say it, this is the only one I found; this is a used popsicle stick.

Brad: Hey, when you're at home, and you need something, it's going to be okay.

Bob: I think they also call them craft sticks. I don't know what else you could use, but you could use anything that you could use to splint it. So, if this is the finger, I'd go ahead and just put it right on there, and then you could just take some medical tape and wrap it around it. Or the other thing, which a lot of people do, even if they don't have a board like this, they might buddy splint it to another finger. Go around like that.

Brad: Right.

Bob: Now, you're going to really want to make sure you don't wrap it too tight, just enough to be comfortable, because if it does swell, it's going to make it very uncomfortable, and you're going to get numbness and tingling.

Brad: Right, you want to maintain circulation.

Bob: Right.

Brad: But you know, if you're out picnicking, which is where you're doing a lot of these activities, this may be what you're going to find now.

Bob: Right, exactly.

Brad: You find what you can to make it work, to splint it up and make it protected.

Bob: So, you're going to protect it. And then, you know, for the next three to five days, you do the RICE, or the PRICE: protection, rest, ice. Compression, which you've done with the taping, and elevation. So, you can kind of want to keep it above your heart if you can as much as possible.

Brad: Right.

Bob: So, you don't want the fluid to gather in there. After three to five days, you may have to rewrap it every day, obviously, and because you're going to want to ice and such, but after the three to five days, you want to take a look at it, and you want to start moving it. And if it's still really, really sore at that point, you might need to see the doctor. And if he clears it, or if it's not that sore, but still just a little sore. This is the thing that you might try. This is kind of an advanced maneuver, but I think you guys are capable of this. What you're doing- we're going to take Napoleon's hand here- is you're going to be holding on to one part of the finger.

Bob: We're working on this knuckle. So, I'm going to grab the finger here and then right on the other side of it, so we're on each side of the joint. And what I'm going to do is I'm actually going to move this little bone here to the left or to the right. One of them is going to feel better. One of them is going to hurt, and one of them is going to feel better. If it doesn't feel better either direction, you can't do it.

Brad: Right.

Bob: So, let's say I move it this way. Ah, that hurts. I move it this way, ah, no pain. It doesn't feel bad. All right, then you can go ahead and have the person bend it. So let's do it again. Here's Brad's finger. This is the problem joint. I'm grasping pretty firmly here on one side of the joint. I grasp firmly here. I'm moving it this way. Does that hurt, Brad?

Brad: Yes.

Bob: Okay. Now I'm going to the left. Does that hurt, Brad?

Brad: That's better. That feels better.

Bob: Okay. So now that I'm applying pressure to the left, he's going to take his other hand, and he's going to bend the joint. While I'm doing that. I'm pushing the whole time.

Brad: All right, he's maintaining that sideways.

Bob: I maintain that pressure. This really works well if you're not getting full bend at the joint. This will help you get full bend at the joint. And again, this should all be painless. If this hurts, you can't do it. I reemphasize, if this hurts, you can't do it.

Brad: Right.

Bob: So, you try that, and a lot of times, miracle of miracles, it just seems like it helps put the joint kind of back in place, and you know, you're functioning back to functioning quicker again, back to sports quicker. So, and then after that, you know, you want to start off, you can just do some general grip strengthening or stuff like that. But that should do it, Brad.

Brad: Right, okay. Whoa!

Mike: I'm glad you're back.

Brad: Oh, that time travel's getting tough.

Mike: It looks like you jammed your fingers on the way back too.

Brad: Oh, I did. Actually, that was a really nice video, but there's one thing we didn't show. Bob used a popsicle stick, and that works out really well. It's really cheap. You can use a tongue depressor, which I have here. They work out a little bit better. And you can see this one we taped here and here. The type of tape you use really can be anything. We've got some fancy kinesio tape, or what's this called then?

Mike: Comprilan.

Brad: Comprilan, which works really well.

Mike: You could use athletic tape as well.

Brad: Yep, I've used duct tape. I've even used electrical tape, which I really like to use; that's right in my garage.

Mike: If you've got hairy knuckles, beware, but anyway.

Brad: Well, anyway, but seriously, you put it like that, and it works really well. You can buy these splints, and they're quite cheap. I got a two-pack with this and this for $6. So you might want to buy them and keep them at home if you're really prone to spraining your fingers. Otherwise, you'll probably have to go to the store. If you order online, it'll take a couple of days, and your finger will be all puffed up.

Mike: Yeah, they have different distances. You can see, if you just sprain your furthest-away knuckle here, you can use a smaller one. If it's both or more proximal, you can use a longer one. Or you can also try the buddy system, which I have over here, which I've personally done before. So, you just take the sprained finger and wrap it around with a good finger. This will keep it in place, just preventing you from bending it too much.

Brad: Right, and Bob did mention that as well. Just remember when you tape, don't tape too tight. If your finger starts to turn blue or purple, it's too tight. There's a circulation problem, and that is no good. So be careful, use good judgment. Now what else do we have?

Mike: We have some other tips. So, typically three to five days after you jam your finger, you can try to use some heat to help loosen up the muscles and tendons in that finger as well. Normally, we don't want heat right away because you're inflamed and possibly swollen. So ice is often beneficial then. But three to five days later, use some heat. You can just soak it in warm water. If you happen to know what paraffin wax is and have that available, you can also use that. But most people don't have that at home.

Brad: Right. After you take a bath or after the shower, that's it. And then you can start moving it. If you don't, if you leave the splints on too long, it'll start to get stiff, and there'll be scar tissue that's going to minimize the range of motion. And then it makes it more difficult to get back to functional range. So there, Mike's getting better already.

Mike: I'm getting, I'm cured. It's a miracle. But you can just work on straightening or bending, depending upon what your issue is, and just take it slow. I have never really jammed my finger too badly. I've broken my hand and really had to work on getting my grip back and stuff. So, this is pretty beneficial to keep doing your hand exercises.

Brad: That's right. Yeah, take your time. If it's one joint, simply work one joint at a time. It's kind of hard to do one joint by yourself, but you can do it. And get the full range of motion, so you get the fingertip all the way in. Then actually remember extension. Make sure you stretch it in this direction as well. With the warmth treatment, if that's really helpful and you're getting more range of motion, make sure you go ahead and do that at least three times a day. Now, early on, you might stretch it after it's warmed up and it's feeling pretty good. Maybe a half hour later or so, you feel it start to get a little sore because of the stretching. You actually broke up some scar tissue. You may need to use some cold water if there is any swelling. And then do not be as aggressive next time.

Mike: Now, if you want to start rehabbing your finger, say you're past a jam phase, and it's feeling better, you can watch "Single Best Stretch to Stop Wrist, Hand, and Finger Pain."

Brad: There you go, that'll help you get back into the game. Literally and figuratively.

Mike: Finger-atively, there we go.

Brad: Yes, yeah, no pun intended. All right, let these people go. They have work to do.

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