How To Deal With Finger Pain Or Injuries
    Problem & Causes

    Injury.  The most common injury involves crushing your finger, either in a door for with a hammer.  
    Some such injuries will heal by themselves, others are more serious.

    Tenosynovitis (repetitive strain disorder).  You have trouble straightening your finger; then
    suddenly it snaps straight (called “trigger finger” when it happens in your index finger).  The
    synovium, or membrane, covering the tendon has become inflamed and narrowed so it stops
    movement briefly until the tendon can overcome the obstruction and suddenly jerk free.  It may
    make a crackling sound.  The condition is sometimes caused by infection, but more often by
    repetitive movement, such as typing or working on an assembly line.

    Severed tendon.  You have cut your finger severely across an area where the tendons run
    lengthwise from the wrist to the fingertips, and you can’t move one or more fingers.

    Paronychia.  You have red, swollen skin alongside your nail.  You may have gotten a superficial
    yeast, herpes, or staphylococcal infection after pulling off a hangnail (a bit of skin hanging loose at
    the side or root of a fingernail) or pushing back your cuticle (the layer of skin attached to the base
    of the nail that helps protect the growth of new nail cells).

    Self-Care Measures

    If paronychia is the cause, try hot soaks twice daily (5 to 10 minutes), to reduce inflammation,
    followed by an antibacterial medication or 1% gentian violet for fungal infections.

    If your fingers are crushed, try the RICE remedy: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.  Rest your
    fingers for a day or so; you can resume activity gradually as you find that you’re able to tolerate it.  
    During the rest period, apply ice several times a day, 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off.  
    Compress your fingers by wrapping them snugly, but not tightly, with an elastic bandage.  And
    finally, keep your fingers elevated to drain fluids away from the joint.

    Stretch knobby joints gently a couple of times a day by straightening your hands out on a tabletop,
    then making a fist and cocking your wrist back to increase stretch.  Use the other hand to very
    gently bend and straighten out each finger.

    Take prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine, but avoid strong pain relievers; these may mask
    severe pain that could indicate a more serious problem.

    Use a moist heating pad or a warm, wet towel to wrap a painful joint.

    Prevention

    Avoid repetitive strain by varying activities or taking frequent breaks.
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