Why is a finger swollen and what to do about it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In some cases, you do not need to worry, but sometimes you will need the help of a doctor.

1. Liquid retention

Swelling on all fingers at once can occur if an excess of fluid appears in the body. This happens Hand swelling during exercise: A concern? / Mayo Clinic, for example, in athletes who exercise and sweat a lot. Together with sweat, they lose sodium, which normally keeps water in the bloodstream. Otherwise, it comes out of it and permeates the tissue, which leads to edema.

Also, the liquid is retained Savelieva G. M., Serov V. N., Sukhikh G. T. Obstetrics. National guidance on hormonal changes in women during pregnancy.

What to do

If swelling on your fingers is sports related, try Hand swelling during exercise: A concern? / Mayo Clinic:

• Remove rings from your fingers before training;
• During exercise, periodically make circular movements with your hands to improve blood flow;
• Stretch your fingers and clench your fists between sets.
• Drink enough fluids containing electrolytes to retain water in the blood. Mineral water, for example, will do.

And pregnant women with swollen fingers need to tell their gynecologist about this. Usually, the symptom does not portend serious problems, but it happens that edema is the first sign of a dangerous condition - preeclampsia.

2. Trauma

If you hit a finger hard, break it, dislocate it, or get a sprain, Dislocations / U. S. National Library of Medicine edema. It will be accompanied by redness, pain, and sometimes bleeding.

What to do

For minor bruises, you can apply a cold compress to your finger and take an over-the-counter pain reliever. But if the pain is severe, the wound is large, or the finger is bent unnaturally, you need to see a doctor. In case of dislocation, reduction will be required, and in case of fracture, fixation and restoration will be required.

3. Infection

Because of it, the finger on the hand can also swell. Hand Infection / American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Even through a small wound, cut or puncture, bacteria enter the finger, which provokes inflammation. It can be superficial, or it can spread to the deep tissues of the fingers, between the muscles, in the fascia.

What to do

You need to see a surgeon. He will decide if it is enough for you to flush the abscess and take an antibiotic or if you need surgery.

4. Rheumatoid arthritis

Joint inflammation most often begins on the hands. It is believed by Rheumatoid Arthritis / American Academy of Family Physicians that the disease is associated with autoimmune reactions when the body attacks its own tissues and produces antibodies to them.

In addition to swelling of the fingers, other symptoms are characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis:

• joint pain;
• joint stiffness, especially after sleep;
• temperature increase;
• redness of the hands;
• tiredness and loss of appetite;
• bumps under the skin of the fingers - rheumatoid nodules.

What to do

With such symptoms, you need to go to the doctor. He will do an examination, which includes blood tests, X-rays of the joints, and possibly a study of the joint fluid. Only after confirming the diagnosis, the specialist will prescribe treatment. Rheumatoid Arthritis / American Academy of Family Physicians won't get rid of rheumatoid arthritis completely, but symptoms can be reduced by:

• over-the-counter pain relievers;
• immunosuppressants;
• hormonal medications;
• antirheumatic drugs.

In addition, you will have to lose weight if you are overweight, quit smoking, adhere to a proper diet, reduce the load on the joints, but at the same time engage in aerobics and physiotherapy exercises.

In severe cases, surgery may be required.

5. Carpal tunnel syndrome

In this condition, the nerve that runs from the forearm to the hand is compressed by the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet / National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the tissues of the wrist between the ligaments and bones. Unpleasant symptoms appear:

• numbness and tingling in the fingers, especially in the thumb, index and middle;
• soreness and swelling in the fingers;
• weakness in the arms;
• muscle atrophy at the base of the thumb in advanced cases.

Numbness, tingling, and pain can occur at night or in the morning in one or both hands. And then these signs begin to bother during the day. For example, when a person is holding a phone to their ear or driving a car.

What to do

You need to see a doctor. He can recommend Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet / National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:

• Wear a splint. This is a special device that is fixed to the hand at night;
• Avoid activities that exacerbate symptoms;
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers
• Use hormonal drugs from the corticosteroid group;
• Inject a local anesthetic into the joint.

If treatment doesn't work and your symptoms get worse, surgery may be needed.

6. Gout

Due to pathology, uric acid is retained in the body in Gout In Hands / American Society for Surgery of the Hand. It settles in the kidneys and also forms crystals in the joints and damages them. Therefore, they swell and hurt a lot. Usually, the big toe is affected first, followed by other bony joints. The fingers on the hands can also swell, and sometimes tophuses form on them. This is the name for painless uric acid bumps.

What to do

At the first symptoms, you need to go to the doctor. He will examine and prescribe Gout In Hands / American Society for Surgery of the Hand treatment. It is impossible to completely get rid of gout. Therefore, a person will have to follow a diet low in protein throughout his life, as well as take over-the-counter pain relievers and hormonal drugs.

7. Raynaud's disease

Raynaud's disease / Mayo Clinic is a condition in which the small arteries in the hands suddenly contract in the cold or under stress, causing blood to stop flowing to the fingers. Therefore, they grow numb, hurt, become pale and cold. When the seizure subsides and blood flow is restored, the fingers may swell.

What to do

To prevent vasospasm from recurring less often, you need to protect Raynaud's disease / Mayo Clinic from the cold, as well as avoid stress and sudden changes in temperature. If these measures are not enough, the doctor may prescribe medications. Usually these are drugs from the group of calcium channel blockers or antispasmodics. In some cases, experts recommend nerve surgery or injections of Botox and local anesthetics.

8. Lymphedema

It develops in Lymphedema / Mayo Clinic when something blocks the lymphatic vessels and prevents them from collecting fluid from the tissues. This can happen due to rare hereditary factors, in people with cancer or lymph node infections, or after surgery or radiation therapy.

With lymphedema, not only the fingers swell, but the entire leg or arm is swollen. In addition, a feeling of heaviness and tightness of movement appears, and the skin can become coarser and harder. Another symptom is frequent infections.

What to do

There is no cure for the disease, but the swelling can be reduced by Lymphedema / Mayo Clinic in the following ways:

• Do exercises that improve lymph drainage.
• Practice tight wraps.
• Periodically carry out lymphatic drainage massage.
• Use pneumatic compression when a special sleeve is put on the hand and air is pumped into it.
• Wear compression garments if your feet and toes swell.

9. Mixed connective tissue disease

It is a rare autoimmune disease in which a person simultaneously develops Mixed connective tissue disease / Mayo Clinic symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and polymyositis, and sometimes Sjogren's syndrome.

At an early stage, a person's fingers hurt and swell, their tips become white and numb. There is pain in muscles and joints, general malaise, and a red or reddish-brown rash appears on the knuckles. Symptoms of Raynaud's disease may also occur.

What to do

There is no cure for the disease. But a doctor may prescribe Mixed connective tissue disease / Mayo Clinic drugs that will relieve symptoms. For example:

• over-the-counter pain relievers;
• corticosteroids;
• antimalarial drugs;
• calcium channel blockers;
• immunosuppressants;
• remedies for pulmonary hypertension.

Also, Mayo Clinic experts advise to quit smoking, protect hands from the cold and avoid stress.