There is nothing worse than you not being able to participate in a sport or physical activity due to a minor injury. A jammed finger is one of the smallest yet still a very painful injury. A jam does not only occur to fingers it can also happen to your toes and various other parts of your body but not as often. A jam is when you get a finger joint pain and in most cases there is swelling. So if your wondering what exactly is a jam let me explain. It is a type of sprain that occurs to the interphalangeal (knuckles) joint of the fingers. Usually it's a consequence of a forceful object hitting the ends of your fingers and pushing towards the knuckles.
Common sports
A jammed finger is very common in a sport where you must do ball handling. As soon as I hear the word ball handling I think of basketball because you must dribble and catch a ball. Also, if your like me you can jam it playing volleyball especially because this sport you use your fingers to set and pass a ball. About 2 months ago, I went to pass up a smash and jammed my thumb. It was the most painful injury I have ever experienced! The aching pain and the swelling bothered me so much I did not play sport for a week. Although, after that week I continued playing and re-injured it, as a result of not treating it properly it took over a month to heel.
Treatment
A JAMMED FINGER MUST BE TREATED IMMEDIATLY! The immediate treatment will help your injury heal faster. Most jams last 1 to 2 weeks and some for example my case in months. This type of injury usually does not take too long to heal unless a fracture occurs. the symptoms of a fracture are;
How do I treat a jammed finger? The answer is the same simple solution to every injury which is RICE.
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate
Rest: To immobilize and rest the affected finger to help it heal faster. That means do not play any sports using your hand.
Ice: Apply ice to your finger about 20 minutes every hour. Ice will help reduce the swelling but make sure you wrap the ice in a towel so your not placing it directly on skin.
Compression: In this case of a finger jam you don't need to have compression
Elevate: Have your finger elevated as much as possible. This will help increase the blood flow in that area to speed up the healing process.
Hopefully the jammed finger will heal as soon as possible but it will depend on how well you treat it.
http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Jammed-Finger
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/sports-injuries/pages/Common-Finger-Injuries-in-Athletes.aspx
If only I had read this at the beginning of my volleyball career! This injury is common among volleyball players (as you already know after your thumb this season) and is one of the most painful parts of the game. Having been a setter since grade 6, I'm kind of an expert on the pain of jammed fingers and you definitely described it accurately. I think the pictures you chose to incorporate were really smart to assure the comprehension of the subject matter. This was a very smart topic Gabby, well done!
ReplyDeleteYes I know!! The worst sport to get them is volleyball because you need your hands to bump, set and pass the ball. I completely agree that yes you are an expert at jammed fingers, you knew exactly how to tape up my thumb when I needed it, thank you. Glad you enjoyed it because I will be talking about many more injuries to come.
DeleteSounds painful! I'm very lucky not to have injured myself this way during my sports seasons.. I think your blog would help out a lot of people who are less fortunate than myself and are very injury prone! Very informative and interesting to read, keep up the good work Gaby!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me cringe! Although it's never happened to me and I hope it never does it sounds painful. I guess it would be more common to happen to an athlete such as yourself than someone who rarely takes part in sports like me! I find your blogs very informative in case an injury occurs, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteOh man, I don't think I have a single finger left that I haven't jammed. In fact, my one pinky finger is permanently crooked and looks pretty nasty now. :( Had I only read this post a year earlier, I would've treated my pinky earlier and spared the aesthetic nuisance! Nonetheless, your post was very informative and enjoyable to read. Good job :)
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