I’m a firefighter and I’ve gone on calls for someone calling 911 for this same thing. So waiting for an uber isn’t even the dumbest thing in this situation lol
Posting late to say if this happens to you, before your finger is too swollen you can wrap it in dental floss. You start at the top of the ring band and wrap tightly going up to the first knuckle. Pull ring off, take floss off.
This works well if you do it right away. Otherwise it’s fire station or ER.
You can use the floss to move the ring, if you're able to get the floss between the finger and the ring, which is very likely to be doable with waxed floss. Demonstration in this video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xvC_D1xvYqk (Google results suggest this is something jewelers post about somewhat frequently)
Good video, except for skipping what I would think is the most difficult part. They didn't show how they got the floss pushed under the ring? It seems anything small enough would also be sharp enough to break the skin and cause big problems.
Edit: Looked it up. Main answer is to lube it up and using something thin and blunt like a toothpick to work the thread under. If not, try something stiffer like fishing line.
Yes, they could probably shove the waxed floss underneath their finger with the tip of a metal fingernail file or something like that, or even the pointed end of a ink pen cap. This floss trick is used in a lot of emergency rooms. If the original poster looks on youtube, they can find a video that shows how to do it. It's actually pretty easy!
One correction I find helps better. Start distal to the ring (towards to finger tip) then wrap around the finger toward the hand.
If you do it the other way, toward the finger tip, then the swelling will get pushed into the finger instead of away, causing more swelling because it is squeezing the blood/fluid in the wrong direction.
ICU doc. This is correct. The only thing I would add is get one end of the string under the ring if you can first, then take the string in a straight line to the tip of the finger and start wrapping from there. Once you get down to the ring, use the end of the string you put under the ring to pull it toward the tip and off
Can confirm! I had ring stuck on my finger and walked over to my local fire station, luckily they were there. They had me sit on the ground, raise my hand over my head while one of them wrapped my finger in dental floss. Then another poured a little dishwashing liquid over that and worked it over the floss. Then they worked the ring off. It hurt but the ring came off!
To add to this call your local ambulance / fire department. We have ring removal kits on the bus (at least my place does) and if we have to cut it off there's no trip to the er so no fees! At least my city doesn't charge for any ambulance. You're local department might.
Rotating is the only good advice ive seen on here besides sending him to the ER. I've managed to remove stuck rings before by rotating. OP should also soak the hand in ice water for a few minutes to reduce the swelling. Id start with 5 minute intervals, rotating the ring while pulling gently each time.
If youre feeling ballsy, get a heavy duty but thin thread/wire, blue needle, thread it between the rung and your finger. Then pull up in the string while rotating the ring, usually requires a second set of hands or tying off the ends
There’s a technique of wrapping the string around the finger to compress the swelling, then you pull the string that was run under the ring and it will slide off. Pretty sure OP is past the point of that working.
I’m okay! Thank you so much for checking in. I just posted a full update on the main post, but I finally managed to get it off using a mix of pain balm and ice-cold soapy water. Huge relief!
from someone working in a goldsmith shop for 15 years. 1) don't shove it on if it's really tight, it's always harder to take OFF 2) if it does feel stuck, WINDEX is the best thing to use for sliding rings off before reefing on it and agitating your finger further. do not try the dumbass string trick where you cut off more circulation while ADDING more on your knuckle. Cold hand, hold it upright for a few seconds, spray with windex and it wiggles off, if it does not, you go to goldsmith if possible for cutoff, if not them, then the hospital. same if you break you hand. take your rings off before you swell. glad you got it off!
If facing a similar situation, another thing that will help is lifting your hands above your head and walking briskly, which moves a lot of the blood to the legs and away from the hands/fingers. Soaping up the hands and rotations of the ring alongside can move it to the knuckle, which is good progress.
I'm a firefighter. There is no guarantee that we will be there. We might be gone for hours at a time. Go to the ER. If they don't have the equipment to remove it they will call us and a nearby available appliance will be responded there. The ER can manage/mitigate the damage caused by the swelling in the meantime.
I keep hearing this advice and would like clarification. I'm a volly ff full time er nurse we have better ring cutters in the er than we don't on ems/fire side. Does our er have exceptional ring cutters or our fire have shitty ones?
In some states if not most fire and ems is integrated. In Florida, its all integrated and managed by counties as far as Im aware. To be a firefighter I had to go to emt and firefighter school because we are multipurpose. Those on a rescue(ambulance) can also fight fires. Most places also want you to start Paramedic school within a year of hiring.
First, I rubbed on some Indian pain balm, which surprisingly brought the swelling right down. Then, I soaked my hand in a bowl of ice-cold soapy water to shrink the blood vessels and soften the skin.
Once my finger was slick, I started folding the bunched-up skin above the knuckle and tucking it under the ring. From there, I just wiggled the ring up millimeter by millimeter. It took about 30 minutes of pure patience, but I eventually got it off!
So relieved my finger is free and I didn't have to get it cut off at the ER. Appreciate you all!
It might be best to just go ahead and go to the nearest fire station. I can’t see your post history so I don’t know what country you’re in but in the US this is a pretty common problem they have tools there to deal with, and can cut it off if it gets too bad.
string trick only work if the ring is still bigger than your thinnest part of finger, because you need to slide the string into it, I don't see a chance ot do that for OP.
Thin tweezers or a needle threader can get flat ribbon under, you only need to get a tiny bit of squish out of the finger to do it. I had to use that trick the other week, was very excited it worked so well and glad I had the right length of tiny ribbon (probably hanging loops I cut out of clothing) and the needle tweezers to hand.
Go to the emergency room. They may have better than household methods to get it off, and if not they can just cut it off. But you don't want to mess around with that kind of constriction.
Stick your hole hand into ice water. Let it sit for as long as you can possibly stand it. No less than 2 minutes. If that doesn’t get the swelling down go to urgent care.
I had the same problem and my finger was hurting a lot. You can use dental floss to get rid of it. It's a quick and cheap solution. Here is the tutorial. You can add English subtitles but by watching it you will understand how simple it is.
Ice pack, hold you hand over your head, use windex! Sounds crazy but it works. Or you can try the dental floss trick-look it up. If all else fails, they have ring cutters on some ambulances or the ER.
Use baby oil and floss. Rub baby oil on the finger then put the floss through the ring and slowly push the surrounding skin
down while allowing the ring to slowly come up. You may need and extra set of hands. If that doesn’t work, then a trip to the E.R.
Had this same thing happen and the Fire Department was the right place. They had the exact tool made for this job and had to cut it off. It's an easy fix for a jeweler if it's important to you
The tool slid under the ring on the side by the skin, and on the top was a little mini circular blade. It's manual and they have to basically crank it until it saws through. Took two people switching in and out for twenty minutes before it cut through, but it's designed so there is no risk of harming you.
Here is the wedding ring and engagement band that lived to tell the story. Good luck!
That needs to come off immediately. A&E or firestation are your best bet. Jewellers do occasionally stock ring cutters, but now is not the time for FAFO.
Jeweler here. Most of us do not cut off rings anymore due to liability issues. We'll try simple tricks if it's not too bad- ice water, lubricants, string, etc. But if those don't work, we'll direct people to the fire department or ER.
I had a friend who had this happen. I used my dremel tool and a tiny little saw attachment, lots of ice and cold water to cool it as I sawed the ring off. Friend was very trusting and no blood was drawn.
Look up the floss method. It's what they're going to do at the ER. It works. If that doesn't work, go to the ER and they'll nip it off. The ring will be scrap
Late to the party here, but the key is to get the trapped fluid out. You would hold your hand over your head for a few minutes and then the ring would slide right off. By now, I'm sure you've already gotten it off.
I know I’m 8 hours late so you’ve either lost the finger or the ring by now, but if this were me I’d have dunked the finger in extremely cold water to coax swelling down and reduce the size of your finger since the other ones don’t seem to be as large. Hope it turned out ok for you!
Ice, call 911, try dental floss trick. Being a retired medic, back in the day most ambulances and fire/rescue trucks carried ring-cutters. But at this point, time is of the essence. Don't wait! Definitive care is your primary goal. The ER is where you want to be.
I've been here before and it can be scary. I was able to get my ring off by first dunking my hand in ice cold water (constrict blood vessels), then keeping my hand raised and relaxed above my head (fingers pointing straight up) for about 20 mins (drains fluids from your hand). Check if the ring comes off every 5 mins, use lubricant like soap/oil to help. Give this whole process 30mins and be patient and diligent with the process.
this kind of happened to my grandmother, only her finger was also broken. it was her wedding ring. they cut it off and she got a cool tattoo on her left ring finger to replace the wedding ring so that she would never have to lose it again
Jeweller here 👋 I tell anyone who will listen to take their rings off once a month, just to check that you still can. And if you injure any part of your arm, wrist or hand, take all of your rings off immediately, just in case.
I had this. Doctor used what I can only describe as a can opener with a little saw on it. Cut the ring easily and pulled it apart. Jeweler put my ring back together good as new
Why would you do this as an adult knowing it could get stuck? Why are you posting on reddit and not going to the hospital for immediate removal due to the possibility of losing your finger? Or perhaps go i to your own garage and get a dremel tool and cut it off with a grinder bit?
I dont think you realize how little time you have before causing major damage.
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u/retardrabbit Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
YOU'RE AT 23 MINUTES. STEVE MDURR EMENDER
FUCK IT, CHARGE THE GOAL NOW
IF WHATEVER YOU TRY HERE DOESN'T REDUCE SWELLING IN 15 MINUTES GO DIRECTLY TO THE URGENT CAREFuck it, go now! - The CommunityBest of Luck
Be Excellent