Pain in the right or left index finger: why and what to do?

It’s very common to experience occasional or frequent, lingering pain in one or more fingers of the hand, particularly the index finger.

In this article, I take a look at the most likely causes, and what to do about them.

♻️ Last update: September 16, 2024.
👩‍⚖️ Declaration of financial interests: none directly related to the subject. My complete declaration of financial interests is in the legal notice section.
Written by Nelly Darbois, physiotherapist and scientific editor

Case 1: Pain in right index finger

Here are the most likely causes of pain in the right index finger.

You’ve been using a computer keyboard more than usual (or you’ve recently changed your keyboard or set-up), a mouse (if you’re right-handed) or a musical instrument that involves the right hand in particular.

In this case, your pain may simply be overload pain, awakened by activity. By adapting or reducing the activity triggering it, it should diminish.

We sometimes speak of tendinitis or tendinopathy of the felchisseurs when the pain has set in over several weeks or months, rather on the top of the index finger, between the phalanges. Or carpal tunnel syndrome or cervicobrachial neuralgia, although in this case there are usually other, more suggestive symptoms.

You have had a traumatic injury to your finger (bump, bend).

In this case, it may be a simple contusion( = bruise), a sprain, or more rarely a fracture of the finger.

You haven’t had any trauma or overuse of your hand in recent weeks.

In this case, the pain may be related to :

• osteoarthritis;
• rheumatic disease (rheumatoid arthritis, gout, etc.);
• other, much rarer pathologies: cysts, benign or malignant tumors, infection, complex regional pain syndrome; etc.

In all cases, other symptoms may be added:

• swelling of the joint;
• sensations of pins and needles or numbness ;
• stiffness or sensation of stiffness;
• a warm, red finger.

The presence of these other symptoms doesn’t really point the diagnosis with certainty towards one cause rather than another.

Some people wonder about the spiritual significance of their index finger pain. From a rational point of view (which resonates more with me), these pains are often due to physical causes, such as repetitive movements, inflammation or nerve compression.

Of course, as always, pain is multifactorial, and there is always a psychological and emotional component associated with it. But in general, in the case of finger pain, a physical component is present, and identifying it can help to better manage the pain.

Case 2: Pain in left index finger

The probable causes of pain in the left index finger are similar to those of the right.

The use of the mouse may be at fault in this case only if you use it with your left hand.

Case 3: Pain in both index fingers

Pain occurring at the same time in both index fingers is less frequent.

This is known as “bilateral” pain.

The same causes can be at the origin, particularly the use of a new computer keyboard, or new manual activities involving the index fingers in particular.

Case 4: Pain in index finger and other parts of hand or arm

Although you may have pain only in your fingers, you may also have pain in other areas too : wrist, hand, other fingers, neck, shoulder, upper back, etc.

It’s typical of what’s known as overload pain, linked to an excess or a change in the activities involving your hands, whether in a professional or personal context.

When should I consult a doctor about finger pain?

Very often when surfing the Internet or reading magazines, you’ll come across articles that say something like “if in doubt or worried, consult your doctor”.

My aim here is not to repeat this widely-used formula, although I understand that many health editors use it.

So here’s what I can say about it.

1. In the vast majority of cases, a pain in the index finger that is bearable and does not particularly affect your daily life, with no other symptoms, does not require a consultation.

You can simply raise the subject with your GP at a future visit scheduled for something else, if it still worries you at the time.

2. Other symptoms associated with this pain may, on the contrary, encourage you to consult a doctor, without urgency.

This is the case, for example, if you’ve had a traumatic injury to your right hand, resulting in a deformed finger or difficulty in using your hand.

Or if the pain is so great that you find it hard to do the things you need to do every day.

Can the pain go away on its own?

As a physiotherapist, I have many examples of people who see pain (particularly in the index finger) coming on, become concerned about it, and then find a few days or weeks later that it has disappeared, without having done anything specific.

So don’t give up hope: if you have pain in your index finger (even without an identified cause), it can go away on its own in time.

Now, is there anything we can do to speed up the disappearance of the pain, or at least reduce it?

How to relieve index finger pain?

Depending on the cause of your pain, there may be a specific treatment.

For example, in rheumatoid arthritis, a rheumatic disease causing inflammation of the joints (= arthritis).

But in the vast majority of cases, the course of action follows the same broad lines, when the pain is partly or wholly due to overuse of the finger.

By way of summary, here are the 6 things I think are the most relevant to do.

1. Take one (and only one) medical opinion to refine the diagnosis if the pain lasts more than a few days and worries you a lot.

2. Identify the manual activities that trigger or increase pain. To do this, identify the time of day when it hurts most, and what you do before or during it.

3. Reduce the frequency of this activity, or adapt the way you do it. If necessary, consult a physiotherapist for concrete advice on what to do.

Case in point: I recently broke the keyboard on my laptop. I bought a much larger external keyboard. A few weeks after the exchange, I woke up to severe pain in my left index finger when I started using the keyboard.

These pains diminished and then disappeared in the heat of the day. The second morning I had the pain, I simply lowered the height of the keyboard, and remembered to move it more often. This was enough to make my pain disappear (for the time being!), in just a few days.

There are also things you can try to relieve pain, but without acting on the cause:

• apply cold,
• splinting or buddy taping,
• stretch,
• massage,
• use TENS, etc.

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That’s all I wanted to say on the subject! Any questions or comments? See you in comments!