how to remove a stuck ring.
By impactEDnurse • Aug 5th, 2006 • Category: tips and tricksAnother day, another trick of the trade.
Today we have a patient presenting with a very painful wrist after slipping on the icy driveway as she was retrieving her Sunday paper.
She has no obvious deformity and no neurovascular compromise but her hand is quite swollen so we better get that ring off whilst we still can.
….but curses! It doesn’t seem to want to slip over her knuckle, even after an obscene lathering of KY jelly.
Now it transpires that this ring has a lot of sentimental as well as monetary value…..so before we reach for the ring cutter let us offer them this option..….
step 1.
First pass a decent length of strong suture material (we actually have some thick fishing line set aside for just this purpose) under the ring.
Have the longer end on the distal side of the ring.
This method should never be considered if you suspect a fracture of the finger.
step 2.
Take this distal end of the string and begin wrapping it snugly around the finger. Continue wrapping around and around, spiralling over the knuckle and down the finger.
This can become a little uncomfortable (nurses code for painful) for the patient, so try to do this smoothly and quickly. Let them know it might hurt a bit but will probably save their ring from a costly trip to the jewellers.
step 3.
Next, and this requires a little practice, hold the distal end of the string against their finger, grab the proximal end.
Unwind the string, moving around the finger, whilst pulling firmly and maintaining tension.
Continue pulling on the string and unwinding it ‘over’ and ‘around’ the ring…..with a little luck the ring will slowly slide down and off the patient’s finger earning you some rightful admiration. (Keep the ring cutters handy in case it becomes too uncomfortable or fails to budge.)
We have an electric ring cutter that will slice through most rings if we need to get them off in a hurry.
step 4.
Now..give it a quick polish. (KY Jelly brings jewellery up a treat.) Present the intact ring to her, quickly reassess the neurovascular status of the finger and calmly proclaim, “just doing my job ma’am …..just doing my job.”
Walk a way with a barely perceptible swagger in your step.
impactEDnurse is also known as Ian Miller, a nurse with over 26 years experience working in a busy emergency department in, Australia. This site in no way reflects the opinions of that hospital.
All stories (although based on actual experiences) have been changed to protect patient confidentiality.
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Sweet trick! I can’t wait to try it one day.
Four months after giving birth to our son, my wife decided it was time to put her wedding band back on, where it promptly began cutting off circulation. We used the method described above, and although it hurt her like crazy, the ring came off. Thanks for the tip!
We do a similar technique but start at the finger tip end this way the pain is lessend as the pressure flows back into the hand,prior to applying the string wrap your fingers around patients and squeeze for compression.
gosh! thanks for the tip; it worked great! although i had quite a bit of pain; it felt a lot better than going through all the pain if using lotion and olive oil! thanks; once again! :]
[...] Remove a stuck ring. Nothing is as frustrating as trying to get that stuck ring off the patients rapidly swelling finger. Its worth an absolute bomb and the patient would prefer to loose their finger rather than have you cut it off. With a length of dental floss and some lubricant you have a chance to make a new (and wealthy) friend. Here’s how. [...]
I’ve used this trick. It works. It’s a pain to explain the trick over the phone (I’m a Triage/Advice RN) and well worth the time.
omg this worked so well my engagement ring, which was a bit small to begin with suddenly wouldnt come of, and iv been torturing my finger all day untill i came up on this and it worked like magic
Ok I am 5 months pregnant and the swelling krept up on me, till finally today when I decided I should probably remove my ring there was no way!!! I tried everything and had no luck. This method was the last step before cutting my precious ring and it worked! It really hurts but well worth it, I would recommend using the windex on the finger also when pulling off the string, also I used dental floss. I had never heard of this method but trust me it worked!
My husband attempted to remove his ring. He could not remove it. I followed the method here with floss. I did not allot enough floss and my husbands finger turned purple. I used ky jelly and he pulled it off. The ring did move as directed. Had I used enough floss, I am confident the ring would have removed without the jelly.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for posting this trick on the Internet. My engagement ring was stuck on my right hand – I had put it on that finger and when I tried to get it off it had gotten very swollen. I tried too hard to get the ring off and my finger was very red and swollen for days. I let it calm down…iced it and elevated it. And finally last night my fiance used this trick and got the ring off!! My next step was cutting it off…so thank you for saving me the trouble!!! He used the “tape” dental floss and didn’t even have to put the floss on very tight. But he was able to push the ring up while unwinding…and today my finger is free! Thank you!!
As a veteran 15-year EMT with Harrison Community Ambulance in Harrison, Idaho, I and other EMT’s have used this remarkably successful technique with great results, much to our satisfied patients’ delight. I would recommend its use — a very effective alternative to having to get out the ring cutter!
I tried it first without success and then waited until later in the day and applied topical antihistamine to my finger (Benadryl spray) and used “Glide” dental floss, which has a particularly slick finish. My best advice is to not give up when the string is completely unwound and the ring is still above the knuckle, I continued working the the string (pulling both ends) toward finger tips…I was determined not to push the ring back on and sure enough, off it came. Really appreciate the tip and hope the additions can help someone else!
Thank you so much for these instructions! I was a little skeptical at first, but sure enough, it worked! Like Nancy, I recommend winding the string further up the finger, so you have additional assistance getting it over the knuckle. I used dental floss and olive oil and it removed the ring I thought impossible. Give it a try…
The yarn really works. I’ve had a ring on my hand for a few years now that I could not remove. Now going to have surgery and it had to come off. I had heard about the yarn removal from a co-worker who is a nurse. I looked it up and did it to my ring. It worked like a charm. The ring came off and now I will get it sized larger. I wrapped from the bottom up to just past my knuckle which was the biggest spot to get over. Thanks.
After olive oil, ice and too many painful tries failed me this morning I searched the web for tips and the combination I tried worked the first time. Your method was my foundation. I sprayed my finger with Windex first, then I used about 4 feet of Glide tape and wrapped my finger beginning from the fingertip side first as one reader suggested. With my hand held out, palm side down, my daughter grasped both ends firmly, tugged on the end pointing towards my shoulder as I pushed up from the bottom of the ring. It began moving, moving, moving, and then it was OFF! Only a little bit of discomfort and now a lot of relief.
window cleaner really helps when also using dental floss.
thank you!
Thank you so much, my wifes finger is free of that blasted ring!!! Although we did need a third person to hold the ‘distal’ end whilst I unraveled, otherwise I don’t see how we could have done it. Practice I guess. Thanks
I am a nurse working in an outpatient surgery center. I have been using this method for years. Instead of dental floss though, I keep a spool of narrow (1/8 to 1/4 inch) ribbon on hand. I had found that the dental floss tends to cut the skin if the ring is especially tight.
With the ribbon, you can overlap it slightly. It works great. I also use Windex on the really tight ones.
Put a ring on Sunday, could not get it off! What goes on, should come off, right? WRONG! Sure appreciated your tips…I used the ribbon. It was painful but WORKED! Also, thanks for the picture. It really helped.
I can hardly believe this method worked! My ring has been stuck for a few months after having a baby. I tried everything and was considering getting my ring cut off. Luckily I found your website. After a whole day of trying everything, a little dental floss and windex slipped it right off! THANK YOU!
This is amazing. I have had a ring stuck on my finger for more than a year. I had gained weight and it just would not come off. I have tried and tried with everything from olive oil, to ice compresses, fluid pills, and have worked on it so much that my finger would swell more and ache. I found this remedy on your website, did not have floss available but used yarn, wound it, sprayed with windex and it came right off the first time. I did have to play with the string at the tip of the knuckle. My husband could not beleive it. Thanks so very much.
THANK YOU! FI’m 31 weeks pregnant and I took my wedding rings off about a month ago as a preemptive measure but I was really missing wearing them and my hands didn’t appear to be all that swollen. So I decided yesterday to see if I could still wear them. They went on fine, but by last night I could tell they weren’t coming off. I tried everything but they wouldn’t budge. This worked in a matter of minutes and my rings are still intact (and sitting in a box, not to be tried on again for many months!).
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! Whoever thought of this in the first place is a GENIUS!!! This worked so well. Though painful with my engagement ring (because you can’t just rip the floss off as easily) my wedding band came off in seconds!! Thank God for my husband’s quick thinking when I told him that I wanted the rings off because they were hurting and need to be resized. We are bookmaking this page for future reference! I am so grateful!!!!
OMG!! I have been freaking out the past few days over a stuck ring.
Finally tried this and wow!! It works!!!! Used dental floss =)
OMG!!! Thank You soooooooo much!!!! I put my class ring on my middle finger instead of my ring finger yesterday because my ring finger has a cut on it right where my class ring sits. So I thought that I could still wear it by putting in on a different finger….boy was I stupid….finally I saw this website and I tried it and it worked!!!! I used beading wire and vaseline!!! =)
Not always a sure fire method and in some cases this can actually make matters worse depending on how long the ring has been stuck. Most times, having the ring cut by a jewler will cost around $20 and the cost to resize it. Heck you will need the ring resized anyway so why not save time and panic and jsut let them cut it and make the needed re-size.
I tried last night after several attempts and finger sore after each attempt. I used the satin dental floss (minty) and Windex. Within a few minutes the ring slipped right off. Now I had not taken my rings off in about 10 years. Engagement ring came off with vasoline the other week. I was so excited I didn’t want to have them cut the ring and possible damage it. Yes if they can resize it due to the pattern they have to do something but I didn’t want my fat fingers be the cause of possible destroying it.
I was skeptical, as I suspect my fingers are unusually fat – but I used wide ribbon (the kind used on Christmas packages that often called curling ribbon – due to the curls created by running the scissor blade down the length of it), iced down my hand before I started and greased the offending finger with an hemerrhoid cream.
It hurt a bit, but it worked like a charm! I haven’t been able to get my engagement ring off in over three years. I had them size it way too tight back in the day because I was afraid of losing it. Now I’m going to leave it off til they can size it properly!
Thanks a million.
It works.
I was skeptical at first, but after four or five minutes it came off. It was extremley painful, but it came off.
this shit don work come on people lets be real logical here i bought a ring yesterday and it was too small so it got stuck my knuckle started to swell so i couldnt get it past the knuckle went to the hospital they used lubricant and they twisted it and and pulled upward at the same time wala! it came off in a matter of 5 mins and im talking bout this ring was so tight on my finger it was turnin purple
My husband bought me a bottle of Ring Release for Christmas & this stuff really works!! It is worth a try…good luck!!
This method does work..i had my engagement ring jammed in my middle finger (i was just trying it on) and couldnt get it off. Had tried everything, and then tried this one. I used the thread used in stitch kits and also put some lubricant once it was tightly wond. The initial couple of unwinding hurt, but then the ring slid off like magic!! Thank you for the great advice.
Interesting. Yet another simple method could be this one. Soak your hand in soap water for about 5 mins. Then pluck the ring inch by inch (mm by mm
. If it doesnt work probably follow this technique later.
Yes this really does work. i worked in orthopaedics for quite a while and occassionally a patient with a wrist or arm injury made it past the ED nurses with a valuable ring still intact and swelling occurring. A very experienced (translation, OLD) nurse taught me this when i was a baby RN and it was invaluable, never met a ring i had to cut off yet! Patients were alway amazed and Very grateful (talking chocolate of course is there any other kind?)
i have used the trick of my finger that has been swollen for three days…very painful trick but it worked thank you…i actually had four rings on my fingers before i fell the other day and hurt my knuckles which caused swelling and made the rings stuck… 2 rings worked with the water and soap trick…and one just came out with the string trick …but one is way swollen with fluid inside i dont know what to do about it but if worst coms to worst ill go to hospital.
This does work. Rushing out the door one night I accidentally put my engagement ring on my right hand and my fingers are larger on this hand. It was fine for a day or two then started to hurt. We tried lots of tricks but this worked best. We used a ribbon as that compressed more skin. It did hurt and it was slow but I am very happy to have no ring on that finger
Thanks heavens for this page! I had my wedding band stuck on my right hand (i moved it as I had some irritation on my left) and the finger immediately above the ring had been swelling for 3 days making the ring cut into the ‘web’ between my fingers. I used curling narrow parcel ribbon, wrapped towards the fingertip, and a bit of WD40i. I did it alone (used my teeth to brace the winding bit or ribbon!) and found the pictures essential! Thank you for preventing me from having to cut my wedding ring! : )
May all the good and blessings fall on you like April’s rain! My wife, pregnant, couldn’t remove her ring anymore and it started to be painful. Thanks to you, we removed it in one minute. I’m spreading your link around.
Zillion of thanks,
David, Nairobi