How to Treat a Pinched Nerve in Your Finger

There are many ways to treat a pinched nerve causing discomfort in your finger. Your doctor may recommend some conservative, first-line approaches to start treating the pinched nerve.

If your symptoms don’t improve, you may want to consider higher levels of treatment like certain medications or even surgery.

It is important to treat the pinched nerve early to avoid symptoms from worsening over time.

First-line treatments

• Rest and modified activity. Your doctor may tell you to modify your behaviors and rest the area of the pinched nerve.
• Over-the-counter medications. You may want to try a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil), aspirin, or naproxen (Aleve) to relieve pain and discomfort in your fingers.
• Physical therapy. Your doctor may recommend that you meet with a physical therapist who will give you certain exercises and stretches to do near the source of your pinched nerve. These may help stretch the nerve or may help you modify your movements.
• Splints or braces. Wearing protective splints or braces that restrict your movement may help calm the area surrounding of your pinched nerve and alleviate symptoms.

Prescription medications

• Corticosteroids. Your doctor may recommend corticosteroids to treat symptoms caused by a pinched nerve. You may be prescribed an oral medication, or your doctor may inject the corticosteroid near the pinched nerve. This type of medication targets inflammation and pain.
• Narcotics. In the case of cervical radiculopathy, your doctor may prescribe a short-term use of narcotics to relieve pain if the pain can’t be controlled using other methods.

Surgery

If all other treatments fail to relive symptoms, your doctor may suggest surgery on the area surrounding the pinched nerve. Surgery can involve moving the nerve or the surrounding tissue to relieve pressure from compressing the nerve.

For carpal tunnel syndrome, your doctor may focus on releasing pressure from the ligament that puts pressure on your nerve.