Finger pain

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Pain - finger

Avoid activities that cause or aggravate pain.

After injury, rest the finger joints so that they can heal, but use mild stretching exercises to keep them limber and maintain motion. Stretch the joints gently, not forcefully, twice a day. Stretch just to the point of discomfort, but not enough to cause pain.

Use common sense in thinking of ways to perform activities that are less stressful to the joints. For example, a big handle can be gripped with less strain than a small handle.

Avoid strong pain medicines that tend to mask the pain and may lead to excessive activity or exercise.

Anti-inflammatory medication can help. Any prescribed medication for inflammation should be taken only as directed.

• The finger pain is caused by injury.
• The problem persists after 2 weeks of home treatment.
• There is numbing or tingling in the fingers.
• There is severe pain at rest.
• It is impossible to straighten the fingers.

The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting finger pain in detail may include:

• Location
  • What part of the finger is affected?
  • Is it on both hands?
  • Is it every finger?
  • Which finger?
  • Is it only a particular joint? Which joint?
• Time pattern
  • When did the finger pain first start?
  • How long has it lasted?
  • Is it continuous or off-and-on?
• Quality
  • Is the pain burning?
  • Is the pain crushing?
  • Is the pain sharp?
• Medical history
  • Has there been a recent injury?
  • What other symptoms are also present?

The physical examination will include examination of the hand and finger movement.

Diagnostic tests:

X-ray of the hand may be recommended

Intervention:

Cortisone injections into a particularly affected finger joint may be recommended. Surgery may be indicated.

After seeing your health care provider:

You may want to add a diagnosis related to finger pain to your personal medical record.

Review Date: 08/02/2005
Reviewed By: Ariel D. Teitel, M.D., M.B.A., Chief, Division of Rheumatology, St. Vincent's Hospital, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.