What should i do for a jammed finger i have iced it so far

Ice : Ice is a great start. A second thing is splinting. If you are swollen even if you do not have a fracture a bruise to the joint will casue swelling in the joint. When that happen the joint tends to stay bent at about 45 degrees because the joint capsule's maximum volume is at about that degree of bending. The swollen tissue and fluid "pushes" the joint into that position if you dont splint and swellling is severe it could lead to a contracture. If you have minimal swelling and can fully extend your finger and its just a little stiff at the very end of flexion then you need not worry about losong extension but have to focus on bendong all of this is for a true jammed finger, which I am defining as a brusied or contused finger or a joint that gets "jammed" and bruised. This is not the same for a partial or complete ligament injury, a volar plate injury, a small avulsion fracture, a more severe fracture, an intrarticular fracture etc. The principles are the same but the treatment and folow up are different the problem is that many times xrays are not taken or if they are one is told that there is just a "sprain" and the range of these injuries from simple bruise to severe ligament injury, to tendon rupture to intrasrticular fracture is extensive. So heed my general advice for any jammed finger but if it takes more than a few days to feel better, get evaluated.

Most : Most jammed fingers are "sprains"--that is, torn ligaments around the "second" knuckle known as the proximal interphalangeal joint. Most of them are stable and heal well. For the typical sprain, a week of rest in a splint and early motion with "buddy taping" work quite well. Some minor swelling and aching with weather changes, however, may last for years. However, not all finger injuries are simple sprains. High grade sprains can cause instability and may require repair. These are relatively rare, but do need to be addressed. Small fractures can also occur. Most of them are not significant and we treat them the same as simple sprains. However, just last week, i had to pin a finger with a tiny fracture that caused rotation of the finger to where it overlapped its neighbor. Tendon injuries can also occur. If the far knuckle (distal interphalangeal joint) is injured, you can have a mallet finger--where the tip doesn't come straight. Those need to be kept straight for several weeks to get the tendon to heal or another deformity can occur, called a swan neck deformity. At the proximal interphalangeal joint, the exensor tendon can rupture, causing a boutonniere deformity. These can be difficult to diagnose in a fresh injury and i usually re-examine my patients about 2 weeks after injury to make sure they don't develop one. While most tendon injuries, when they occur, involve the extensors, flexor tendon injuries can occur as well. These are much more serious and can affect grip. An injury called a "jersey finger" (sometimes "rugger jersey finger") needs to be repaired most of the time. Any significant finger injury should be evaluated by a physician, preferably a hand surgeon. X-rays will show a fracture and careful examination of the structures can find any associated injuries.