Almost all of us have experienced the pain and swelling of a jammed finger, whether it was caught in a car door or slammed by a falling lid. Some have also suffered an injury called stoving, in which the entire finger is shoved into its socket, causing a painful dislocation or sprain. There are a number of ways to treat a jammed finger yourself, although few self-treatments can replace the skilled attentions of a medical professional.

One way to treat a jammed finger is to first assess the damage. An obvious deformation, immediate bruising or complete loss of mobility could be signs of a serious fracture or dislocation. Only a trained medical professional should treat a jammed finger which displays all the characteristics of a broken bone or damaged circulatory system. If the injury is severe, use an arm sling to immobilize the hand and head immediately to an emergency room for treatment.

If the injury does not appear to be severe, the you can treat a jammed finger much like you would treat any other sprained extremity. Assess the mobility by asking the victim to move the finger carefully. If movement is extremely painful or impossible, then the finger should be immobilized with a commercial finger splint or wrapped with gauze tape and a tongue depressor or even a wooden popsicle stick. Depending on the finger, you may be able to tape it to an adjoining healthy finger for added support. This is commonly done to treat a jammed finger or toe too short for splinting.

Another way to treat a jammed finger is through analgesics and topical soakings. The pain of a jammed finger can be alleviated through oral painkillers such as aspirin or sodium naproxen. Once the initial swelling has been reduced over time, the pain generally lessens. To treat a jammed finger with no signs of dislocation or fracture, a warm soak in an Epsom salt bath should provide some relief as well. Sports creams contain analgesics or warming agents could also be applied to the affected finger to provide some muscular pain relief and reduce swelling.

To treat a jammed finger which has been dislocated, it is usually best to consult a medical professional. In an emergency, you may be able to reset a dislocated finger yourself with a deliberate pulling action, but keep in mind that the process can be extremely painful to endure. The pain should subside significantly once the jammed finger is properly reset, however. When in doubt of the outcome, however, simply immobilize the affected finger and allow a trained physician to manipulate the dislocation in a controlled setting.