Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsApplying First AidWhat Not to DoFingernail InjuryWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Applying First Aid
What Not to Do
Fingernail Injury
When to Seek Care
A smashed finger oftentimes won’t require medical treatment—and can instead be treated at home with first aid, ice, and over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. It is, though, is an injury involving trauma to one or more fingers and there may be times when a smashed finger can be severe.
For instance, a smashed finger might include fractured, or broken, finger bones or other complications that require immediate medical care. Knowing when to act can help avoid long-term complications.
Verywell
Immediate First Aid for a Smashed Finger
The first step in treating a smashed finger is tomanage the painand swelling. There are four ways to do this:
There are two things you shouldnotdo if you have a smashed finger:
Treating Blood Under a Fingernail
When a finger is smashed, blood can pool beneath the fingernail, leading to what is called asubungual hematoma. After a day or two, the nail may start to turn purple, blue, or even black.
Your healthcare provider may consider draining the blood if it is causing pain but will otherwise leave it alone.In more cases than not, the nail will look worse than it actually is and will benefit from being left alone.
If the pressure beneath the nail is causing severe pain, your healthcare provider may give you the OK to drain the blood yourself. Doing so requires four pieces of equipment: a lighter, a pair of pliers, a clean paper clip, and a clean paper towel.
To drain blood from your finger:
This can be repeated as needed but should only be done if there is pain.This should not be done for cosmetic reasons.
If your nail eventually falls off, don’t panic. Chances are good that the nail will grow back.
When to Seek Medical Treatment
In most cases, a smashed finger won’t require medical treatment. Depending on the extent of the injury, the pain may last for a few days or weeks. With that said, it may be necessary to seek care if the injury is severe, the pain and swelling don’t subside, or there are obvious signs of a fracture.
Knowing when to act can sometimes be difficult. A broken finger, for example, is often hard to differentiate from a sprained (jammed) finger. The difference lies mainly in the severity and duration of symptoms.
With a sprained finger, there may be pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the finger, but these usually improve within a few days. With a broken finger, the signs and symptoms are invariably more severe and longer lasting.
Fractured Finger
Common signs and symptoms of a fractured finger (meaning abroken finger) include:
At the time of injury, it is also common to hear a crack as the finger breaks. The piercing of the skin with a bone fragment is another very obvious sign of a fractured finger and require immediate medical attention.
The type of break and severity will determine the course of action. This might include nonsurgical treatment (such as a medical professional putting the bone back in place, additional x-rays, and/or splinting or casting the finger) or surgical treatment that involves small devices to hold the bones in place.
Amputation of All or Part of a Fingertip
When a finger injury involves the partial or full amputation of the fingertip, immediate care is required. This is especially necessary because the fingers are rich with nerves, which can cause both major pain and other complications in overall hand function.
If this occurs:
Err on the Side of CautionIf you are unsure whether your finger injury is serious, err on the side of caution and seek medical care. Even if there is no fracture, a severely jammed finger can lead to permanent joint deformity and stiffness if not given the appropriate treatment.
Err on the Side of Caution
If you are unsure whether your finger injury is serious, err on the side of caution and seek medical care. Even if there is no fracture, a severely jammed finger can lead to permanent joint deformity and stiffness if not given the appropriate treatment.
Summary
If you smash a finger, the first step is to relieve the swelling and pain with an ice pack, elevation, and an OTC pain medication if needed. Moving the finger helps promote circulation. If there is blood beneath the fingernail, do not drain it yourself unless your healthcare provider recommends it.
Unless your healthcare provider says otherwise, never splint or wrap a smashed finger as this can impede blood flow. While most smashed fingers don’t require medical treatment, you should seek treatment if there are signs of a fracture, the injury looks severe, or the pain and swelling persist.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Smashed finger.Nationwide Children’s Hospital.Crush injuries of the fingertip.Hung KKC, Graham CA, Lo RSL, et al.Oral paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for treating pain after soft tissue injuries: Single centre double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial.PLoS ONE.2018;13(2):e0192043. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192043Won SH, Lee S, Chung CY, et al.Buddy taping: is it a safe method for treatment of finger and toe injuries?Clin Orthop Surg.2014;6(1):26-31. doi:10.4055/cios.2014.6.1.26Mount Sinai.Smashed fingers.American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Subungual hematoma.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Finger fractures.American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Fingertip injuries and amputations.Kamnerdnakta S, Huetteman HE, Chung KC.Complications of Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Injuries: Prevention and Treatment. Hand Clin. 2018 May;34(2):267-288. doi: 10.1016/j.hcl.2017.12.014
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Smashed finger.Nationwide Children’s Hospital.Crush injuries of the fingertip.Hung KKC, Graham CA, Lo RSL, et al.Oral paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for treating pain after soft tissue injuries: Single centre double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial.PLoS ONE.2018;13(2):e0192043. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192043Won SH, Lee S, Chung CY, et al.Buddy taping: is it a safe method for treatment of finger and toe injuries?Clin Orthop Surg.2014;6(1):26-31. doi:10.4055/cios.2014.6.1.26Mount Sinai.Smashed fingers.American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Subungual hematoma.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Finger fractures.American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Fingertip injuries and amputations.Kamnerdnakta S, Huetteman HE, Chung KC.Complications of Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Injuries: Prevention and Treatment. Hand Clin. 2018 May;34(2):267-288. doi: 10.1016/j.hcl.2017.12.014
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Smashed finger.Nationwide Children’s Hospital.Crush injuries of the fingertip.Hung KKC, Graham CA, Lo RSL, et al.Oral paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for treating pain after soft tissue injuries: Single centre double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial.PLoS ONE.2018;13(2):e0192043. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192043Won SH, Lee S, Chung CY, et al.Buddy taping: is it a safe method for treatment of finger and toe injuries?Clin Orthop Surg.2014;6(1):26-31. doi:10.4055/cios.2014.6.1.26Mount Sinai.Smashed fingers.American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Subungual hematoma.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Finger fractures.American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Fingertip injuries and amputations.Kamnerdnakta S, Huetteman HE, Chung KC.Complications of Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Injuries: Prevention and Treatment. Hand Clin. 2018 May;34(2):267-288. doi: 10.1016/j.hcl.2017.12.014
MedlinePlus.Smashed finger.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital.Crush injuries of the fingertip.
Hung KKC, Graham CA, Lo RSL, et al.Oral paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for treating pain after soft tissue injuries: Single centre double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial.PLoS ONE.2018;13(2):e0192043. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192043
Won SH, Lee S, Chung CY, et al.Buddy taping: is it a safe method for treatment of finger and toe injuries?Clin Orthop Surg.2014;6(1):26-31. doi:10.4055/cios.2014.6.1.26
Mount Sinai.Smashed fingers.
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Subungual hematoma.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Finger fractures.
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Fingertip injuries and amputations.
Kamnerdnakta S, Huetteman HE, Chung KC.Complications of Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Injuries: Prevention and Treatment. Hand Clin. 2018 May;34(2):267-288. doi: 10.1016/j.hcl.2017.12.014
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