Home / Conditions / Swollen finger
A swollen finger has many causes, from a jammed or sprained finger to arthritis, gout or an infection. Most settle with simple care, but a finger that is hot, red and painful without an injury can be an infection that needs treating the same day — so it helps to know which kind of swelling it is.
Most swollen finger causes fall into four groups. How it started, and whether the finger is hot and red, usually tells them apart — and decides how soon it needs to be seen.
| After an injury | Hot, red and painful | Stiff, swollen joints | Both hands puffy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it started | A jam, a knock, or a fall onto the hand | No injury, or a small cut or splinter | Gradually, or coming and going | Often in heat, with fluid retention or in pregnancy |
| Common causes | Sprain, broken or dislocated finger, mallet finger | Infection, or gout | Arthritis, including a whole "sausage" finger | Usually not a hand problem |
| How soon to be seen | Within a few days; the same day if bent out of line | The same day | Within a few weeks | Raise it with your GP |
A finger that is swollen, red, hot and painful without an injury — especially one held slightly bent that hurts to straighten — may be infected inside the tendon sheath, and needs seeing the same day. So does a finger bent out of line after an injury. Take off any rings at once: a ring that will not come off a swelling finger is urgent in itself. Call the clinic and come in, or go to an emergency department if we are closed.
Each finger has three joints — the knuckle, the middle joint and the end joint — and a tendon running along its palm side inside a thin, closed sheath. Where the swelling sits points to its cause.
The sheath is why an infection is so urgent. It is a closed tube running the length of the finger, so an infection inside it spreads along it quickly, swelling the whole finger and damaging the tendon within a day or two if it is not treated.
It also explains the other patterns. A sprain or arthritis swells one joint; a swollen finger joint that is stiff in the morning points to arthritis; a whole finger swollen like a sausage, with no infection, suggests an inflammatory arthritis such as psoriatic arthritis.
Swollen finger treatment depends entirely on the cause. The first step is working out which it is — then treating that, rather than the swelling alone.
Ice, keeping the hand raised above the heart, and strapping the finger to its neighbour ease most sprains. A broken or dislocated finger is set and splinted; a complicated break may need pins or screws.
Treated promptly to clear the infection. An infection inside the tendon sheath, or a collection of pus, may need an operation the same day to wash it out, which protects the tendon.
The joint condition itself is treated. See hand arthritis and gout for what helps; inflammatory arthritis is referred to a rheumatologist.
Swollen fingers on both hands are often fluid, heat or pregnancy, and worth raising with your GP. Fingers that feel swollen but look normal can be carpal tunnel syndrome.
Swelling in a single finger usually comes from something in that finger — an injury, an infection, arthritis in one joint, or gout. Swelling in both hands more often comes from fluid, heat or a general health condition.
Yes, as soon as a finger starts to swell. A ring can become trapped as the swelling builds and cut off the finger's blood supply. If a ring will not come off, have it seen straight away.
When it is hot, red and painful without an injury, especially if it is held bent and hurts to straighten, since that can be an infection in the tendon sheath. A ring that will not come off, or a finger bent out of line, is also urgent.
Painless swelling can come from mild arthritis, a ganglion cyst, or fluid. It is worth having it checked if it does not settle, especially if it is growing or affects more than one joint.
That is common with carpal tunnel syndrome, where a squeezed nerve at the wrist makes the fingers feel puffy or tight without any visible swelling, often with tingling at night.
No. Bring any X-rays or blood test results, and be ready to say how and when the swelling started.
Mallet finger · Hand arthritis · Ganglion cysts · Gout · Carpal tunnel syndrome · De Quervain's tenosynovitis · Trigger finger
Tell us how the swelling started, and whether the finger is hot or red. A hot, red finger needs seeing the same day.
