DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m 17 and play basketball. A basketball hit the tip of my left ring finger and pushed it downward. It really hurt. Our team trainer looked at it and called it a jammed finger. He taped it.

My mom insists I see a doctor. I feel silly going to a doctor for such a little thing. I’m right-handed and can still play.

I told my mom that I would abide by what you say. What do you say? š— R.R.

ANSWER: I side with your mother. Let me tell you why.

It’s dangerous to trivialize a jammed finger, an injury common to many sports, including basketball, baseball and football. A ball hits the tip of an outstretched finger and forces the tip downward. The force is great enough to tear tendons and ligaments. It might even fracture the bone.

A doctor can assess the damage and might order an X-ray to see if the bone was broken.

Even if there isn’t any bone break, the finger has to be immobilized for six to eight weeks. A splint is the best way to immobilize it and promote healing. The splint should be worn day and night.

It’s OK to continue to play if the finger is protected. It needs more protection than tape.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I go dancing about once a week, sometimes for three or four hours.

Although I am 67, the age of the other dancers ranges down to 21, so there are some pretty active two-step and swing dances. Often, later that night, I wake up with leg cramps so severe I have to get out of bed and stand on the floor to unclench the muscles.

Any advice? — C.L.

ANSWER: Dancing definitely counts as exercise, and it can be strenuous exercise. Stick with it.

The cramps might be the result of muscle fatigue. After your dancing, soak in a tub of warm water for 20 minutes before going to bed. After the soak, massage your legs. Give the cramping muscles the most attention. Both the warm water and the massage will increase blood flow to your muscles.

Pinching the skin between the nose and the upper lip often puts a quick end to muscle cramps. It does for me, anyway.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 56-year-old male. There’s a history of heart disease in my family. Neither my father nor my grandfather lived to 60. I get an annual physical and have no heart problems. I am 5 feet 8 inches tall and weigh 145 pounds.

I’m a certified public accountant and sit behind a desk all day. I exercise when time permits, from two to four times a week. I either walk or ride a stationary bike.

I walk for 40 minutes at 4 miles per hour. I spend 20 to 25 minutes on the bike at a good pace.

After walking, my breathing is slightly more than normal. After biking, I’m sweating, breathing heavily, and my heart is beating fast. Is the biking better than walking for good heart health? — J.M.

ANSWER: There’s no doubt that your biking is a more demanding exercise than your walking. It makes you sweat and breathe heavily and gets your heart beating faster. Those are definite signs of the vigor of your exercise. The more vigorous the exercise, the better the benefit to your heart. That’s said with the provision that your doctor has given you the go-ahead for such exercise.

Your family history makes me nervous. Have you had any specific heart tests, like a stress test? I believe such a test is justified for someone like you whose close relatives have died at young ages.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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