My thumb is very swollen & feels very warm. i can't bend it. i also have a thumb ring on that i can't get off. what is it & what should i do?

First : First get the ring off. Soap or lotion may help. If one cannot remove it, a ring cutter or a tin snips may work. In any case a swollen warm thumb can be a sign of infection. An infection can be mild, made to look worse from a tight ring, or it can represent a severe infection known as flexor tenosynovitis which needs antibiotics and quite possibly surgery in a timely emergent fashion. There are many different types of infection that can occur in a hand or finger and the important thing is not to allow it to rapidly worsen ( see link for hand infections below) other causes can be trauma, gout, a trigger digit ( where the thumb flexor tendon is locking--see link below) and various forms of arthitis. You should seek medical attention. Most emergent care areas have a ring cutter. No matter what the cause, the ring makes things worse, get it off of have it removed.And get seen by a medical provider.

Thumb: The thumb ring needs to be removed. It may need to be cut off. The thumb may be infected. recommend medical assessment.