Hai, Thanks for writing in, Seems your fracture has involved the joint. Any fracture which involves joint will have some degree of stiffness and pain, which in-turn depends upon the severity of the fracture. Generally 3 weeks is the minimal time for a bony fracture to start uniting. But if 3 weeks of immobilization is given to a finger, it will lead to much more stiffness. That is why, after 2 weeks of immobilization in finger splint, your doctor has advised you to start bending your finger, neglecting the pain & swelling. You can use a soft rubber ball and exercise your fingers by pressing the ball. This finger-ball exercise can be done 4-5 times a day. During such exercise, the swelling will increase. Just keep your fingers against gravity, to help them drain the collected fluid. Bony fractures take their own course of time to heal. Review with your doctor every 3-4 weeks with fresh xray. Usually after 6 weeks, you can start doing all day-to-day activities. Get well soon.