Common causes of finger pain

Finger pain is often caused by bruising or injuring your finger, but there are lots of possible causes.

Do not try and diagnose the cause of your pain yourself.

Common causes of finger pain and related symptoms
Symptoms	Possible cause
Sudden, sharp pain, swelling, a popping or snapping sound during the injury	Broken finger
Pain, swelling and bruising, difficult to move finger or grip anything	Sprained finger
Pain, swelling and stiffness at the base of your finger that lasts a long time, may be hard to move your finger, may have a lump	Tendonitis (de Quervain's disease) or arthritis
Pain, swelling, cannot straighten the end of your finger, often happens after catching your finger on something	Mallet finger
Pain or tenderness in your palm at the base of your finger, stiffness, clicking when you move your finger	Trigger finger
Ache, numbness, tingling or weakness in your fingers or hands	Carpal tunnel syndrome

Important

If you think you might have broken your finger, do not try to treat it yourself. Contact NHS 111 to find out what to do.

How you can ease finger pain yourself

If you see a GP about pain in your finger, they'll usually suggest you try these things:

Do

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
use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen gel (or ibuprofen tablets if needed)
stop or cut down activities that are causing the pain – for example, typing, using vibrating tools for work, or playing an instrument
remove any jewellery on the painful finger
strap the painful finger to another 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
think about using gadgets or tools to make difficult or painful tasks easier – for example, to open jars or chop vegetables

Don’t

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
do not stop using your finger completely – after a few days, do gentle hands and finger exercises to help ease any stiffness

A pharmacist can help with finger pain

You can ask a pharmacist about:

the best painkiller to take
splints to support your finger and ease pain – flexible rubber splints are available if you still need to use your finger
if you need to see a GP

Find a pharmacy

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

You have pain in your finger and:

it's stopping 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've noticed a tingling in your hand or your hand is starting to feel numb
you have diabetes – hand problems can be more serious if you have diabetes

Urgent advice: Contact NHS 111 if:

You have pain in your finger and:

the pain is severe
you feel faint, dizzy or sick from the pain
you heard a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of the injury
you're not able to move your finger or hold things
your finger has changed shape or colour
you've lost the feeling of part or all of your hand after an injury
you also have a very high temperature (you feel hot or cold and shivery)
you also feel sick or cannot eat

These might be signs of a broken finger.

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Self-refer for treatment

If you have finger pain you might be able to refer yourself directly to services for help with your condition without seeing a GP. These may include musculoskeletal and physiotherapy services.

To find out if there are any services in your area:

ask the receptionist staff at your GP surgery
check your GP surgery's website
contact your local integrated care board (ICB) – find your local ICB
search online for NHS treatment for finger pain near you