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How to Play Basketball with a Jammed Finger? Tips!

By: Author Brian

Categories Tips

 

As an athlete in any sport nagging injuries are apart of the game, and sometimes are more annoying than painful. As a basketball player, if you played basketball long enough you will encounter the dreaded jammed finger.

How to play basketball with a jammed finger? Playing with a jammed finger will require athletic tape to tape the injured finger and provide stability and support when playing basketball. Since the finger is still in the healing process you will feel some pain every time the finger touches the basketball. After you are warmed up you may not even notice the pain anymore. It is important to make sure you Ice and use the buddy method to further support that finger off the court.

Jammed fingers can usually take a long time to get to 100 percent. If you are wanting to get back on the court as soon as possible read this guide to help you do so and you will be back to playing sooner rather than later.

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Jammed Finger in Basketball

A jammed finger is an injury that happens in ball sports and occurs when the ball hits the fingers in a way that causes injury to the fingers ligaments and soft tissues around the small joints. Think of it as poking the basketball with your finger when it’s passed to you, the tip of the finger is hyper extended at the joints. This stretches the ligaments causing discomfort.

Can you play basketball with a jammed finger?

The short answer is yes! The question remains is if you should…
Initially, I have jammed a finger and played the next day, and every time I would catch the basketball it would hurt. Take a couple of days off if you can. This will go along way to helping you heal just a little bit quicker. If you can’t move the finger at all, there is sharp pain, or it’s not getting better after it stopped swelling, do not play basketball and get it checked out.

 

How to Tape a Jammed Finger?

Below is one of many ways to tape a jammed finger, it also depends on where the finger is jammed. The tape the Therapist is using is called Kinesiology Athletic Tape. You can use any type of athletic tape that is available to you.

Treating a jammed finger isn’t fun and can sideline you for an injury so small. If you do decide to continue to play you will feel the pain with every pass you catch with the basketball and could potentially injury it further prolonging the healing process.
Treating a jammed finger:
1- Prepare for swelling, Ice every hour for 15 minutes on.
2- After icing run as hot of water as you can manage on the finger to try and flush the blood out as much as possible.
3 – When the finger is done swelling, try to get some mobility in the finger by making a fist, opening, and clenching the hand.
4- Sleep with the hand above your head, this will cause better circulation in the hand and speed up the healing process. Think of when you injure your ankle you want to elevate the ankle above the heart for blood flow away from the injury.
5 – Tape the finger to a buddy finger to protect it on your hand for support and to heal properly.
6 – Continue this and avoid playing sports.
Note: You may want to take an anti-inflammatory to reduce the swelling.

How to treat a jammed finger not getting better?

If you tried everything but still with no success and you saw the doctor and he or she told you it will heal in time, then watch the video below.

How to prevent jammed fingers in basketball?

Jamming your fingers in basketball doesn’t happen a whole lot to warrant routine to further prevent it from happening. You could do some finger strengthening exercises that will help keep your fingers strong and limit any injury that may happen to the fingers to a minimum. Preventing your fingers from getting jammed in basketball, there is no fix. It is kind of a freak accident that happens as it very rarely happens, but if you are someone who happens to injure the fingers this way it could be the way you are catching the ball.

You may be catching the ball, but looking away before the ball has touched your hand ready to see your next move too quickly. Resulting in your fingers in a position that may cause the ball to jam them. Make sure you have your fingers spread apart while you play and create that habit, this helps with grip and control of the basketball.

 

Can you pull out a jammed finger?

A friend of mine on my senior men’s basketball team injured his finger by jamming it attempting to catch a basketball pass. He didn’t think much of it, just as a normal jammed finger that he had in the past. Well, he waited and waited and after a couple of weeks it healed but crooked. It was a fractured and he didn’t get it looked at. He had to get the finger treated and at the time couldn’t even make a fist as the finger would stick out and up. After physiotherapy, he still can’t make a full fist but it’s much better now. Working how with a barbell by wrapping is hand around it feels much normal then before.

This is a good reason for a small injury that should be taken care of and looked at, otherwise, it could have changed his life for the foreseeable future.
Why tape your fingers? Many athletes tape their fingers due to injury, this helps with feel and minimizing any pain that they have with their fingers. Often the fingers may be taped at each of the three joints or together with another finger to help support the injured finger that is now weak and swollen from injury.
Basketball players will also tape their fingers where blisters are present due to dunking and rubbing against the rim. The tape is applied to the areas where there are blisters on their hands around each finger. Other reasons for taped fingers could be grip and feel when controlling the basketball.