There are many causes of finger pain. You can often ease the pain yourself. But contact your GP if the pain does not improve.
Common causes of finger pain
Some of the common causes of finger pain include:
- a sprain - trouble moving your finger with pain, swelling or bruising from an injury
- tendonitis - pain and swelling from repetitive movements
- arthritis - aching joints in your finger
- mallet finger - hard to straighten the end of your finger
- trigger finger - soreness at base of your finger with a clicking noise when you move it
- Raynaud's - circulation is affected by cold or stress and a finger sometimes changes colour and becomes painful
- a broken finger - sudden sharp pain and swelling, usually from an injury
How you can ease finger pain
There are things you can do to help ease a sore finger.
Do
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rest your finger when you can
-
put an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas) in a towel and place it on your finger for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
-
avoid activities that cause the pain - for example, typing, using vibrating tools for work, or playing an instrument
-
take rings off your sore finger
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strap the sore finger to a finger next to it - put a small piece of cotton wool or gauze between the 2 fingers and use tape to loosely strap them together
-
use gadgets or tools that make difficult or painful tasks easier - for example, to open jars or chop vegetables
Don't
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do not use ibuprofen in the first 48 hours after an injury
-
do not use heat packs or have hot baths for the first 2 to 3 days after an injury
-
do not lift heavy objects or grip anything too tightly
A pharmacist can help
Your pharmacist can tell you:
- the best painkiller to take
- about splints to support your finger and ease pain - flexible rubber splints are useful if you need to use your finger
- if you need to see a GP
Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if:
- the pain is severe or stops you doing normal activities
- the pain is getting worse or keeps coming back
- the pain has not improved after treating it at home for 2 weeks
- you have tingling or loss of sensation in your hand or finger
- you have diabetes - hand problems can be more serious if you have diabetes
Emergency action required: Go to an injury unit or emergency department (ED) if you:
- have severe pain
- feel faint, dizzy or sick from the pain
- heard a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of the injury
- are not able to move your finger or hold things
- notice a change in the shape or colour of your finger
These are signs you may have a broken finger.
What we mean by severe pain
Severe pain:
- always there and so bad it's hard to think or talk
- you cannot sleep
- it's very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress
- you cannot work due to the pain
Moderate pain:
- always there
- makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
- you can manage to get up, wash or dress
Mild pain:
- comes and goes
- is annoying but does not stop you from doing things like going to work
Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE
