Getting a finger jammed in a door is very painful. The degree of pain will depend on how much of your finger got caught and to what degree was the damage. If your finger was completely caught, you might be looking at a broken finger. Instant swelling and discoloration will tell immediately whether your finger bone has broken.
In most cases though the finger bone does not break, there is lot of damage to the muscle and nail, causing a lot of pain, swelling, infection and blood clots. Usually, in a crush injury, there is subungal hematoma where there is bleeding under the fingernail. This type of bleeding can cause a lot of pain of the throbbing variety, as the blood collects under the nail.
Your first reaction, after the screaming and yowling, needs to be to check the injury. In spite of the throbbing pain and your obvious discomfort, check your injuries. If you notice blood or bleeding, you need to identify the seriousness of the injury. First aid is crucial in such injuries.
If there is no bleeding, ice your finger. Put an ice pack or stick your finger in a mug full of ice. The ice will numb the pain and to a large extent, even reduce the intensity of muscular damage and internal bleeding.
If the pain continues to increase and does not dull, you can also take some over-the-counter pain remedies. If the pain keeps increasing, your must consider the fact that your injury might be worsening and you should head to an emergency room.
If you are seeing signs of subungal bleeding you might want to consider asking your doctor to drain that blood. This draining needs to be done soon after the injury. The finger usually pains the longest and the hardest in the first few days. That’s when that coagulated blood needs to be drained. The other alternative is that you will have one darkened nail till it completely outgrows that injured portion. In the first few days the tissue around the nail might also be swollen.
If you have a fractured finger, a cast or a splint will protect your finger for the next few days. Otherwise, you need to be careful about how you protect your finger while going about your daily activities. In a few days the throbbing pain might subside but a slight touch could send pain spasms up your arm.
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answered by G M