What is felon and how to treat it

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

If you do not recognize the problem in time and do not consult a doctor, you may be left without fingers.

Panaritium Felon - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf is an acute inflammation of tissues at the tip of a finger or toe. Often it is accompanied by the appearance of a subcutaneous abscess, especially if the felon is located near the nail.

It looks unpleasant.

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And it can lead to even more unpleasant consequences.

What is dangerous panaritium

The colloquial names of felon are hair, hair. They appeared due to the specific picture of the infection: the inflammation, which has engulfed the surface tissues of the finger, quickly penetrates deep through the collagen fibers. It turns out something like a purulent rod - "hair".

Moving the "hair" into the tissues can cause serious complications from Felon - Harvard Health.

• The inflammatory process can damage the blood vessels. Because of this, the blood supply to the fingertip deteriorates or stops altogether, which is fraught with tissue necrosis. If this happens, the affected phalanges will have to be amputated.
• Sometimes the infection spreads to the bone inside the toe. Suppuration also begins in it - osteomyelitis, dangerous by the complete destruction of bone tissue.
• The inflammatory process can spread to the palm or hand as a whole.
• In some cases, the infection enters the bloodstream and becomes the cause of a deadly condition called sepsis (blood poisoning).

In general, felon should be taken as seriously as possible.

How to recognize felon

Not every fingertip inflammation is dangerous. As a rule, the body can easily cope with superficial scratches and minor injuries on its own.

You can suspect the development of an acute and deep inflammatory process, which is difficult for the immune system to cope with, by the following Felon - Harvard Health symptoms:

• The tip of the finger, especially in the affected area, swells. The skin on it stretches, becomes hard.
• You feel a throbbing pain.
• The place of edema turns red, becomes hot.
• A "pocket" full of thick yellowish-white fluid appears under the skin - this is pus.
• As the felon develops, the tip of the finger begins to grow numb.
• When trying to bend the finger, pain is felt.

What to do if a felon popped up

Sometimes the inflammation goes away on its own. Within 2-3 days, the stretched skin bursts, pus flows out, and the recovery process begins. Perhaps your infection will follow the same optimistic scenario. But keep in mind that felon is a tape measure: at any moment it may turn out that the inflammation has gone too far.

Under no circumstances should you squeeze out the pus yourself: you can damage the blood vessels passing nearby, and the infection will enter the bloodstream.

Go to the nearest emergency room or surgeon immediately if Felon Infection: Care Instructions - My Health Alberta:

• the pain in the finger increased sharply, it became difficult to endure;
• you notice that red streaks began to spread across the skin from the site of inflammation (this is the first sign of blood poisoning);
• you have a fever - your body temperature has risen above 37.8 ° C.

In general, doctors recommend Felon - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf not to take risks and seek help (to a therapist, surgeon, emergency room) as soon as you notice the development of a purulent process on your finger.

The recipe for guaranteed and quick getting rid of panaritium is simple: go to the doctor and follow his instructions.

How to treat felon

If the suppuration has not yet occurred, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic ointment to stop the inflammation. Also, a doctor may recommend warm salt baths: they also help to destroy the bacteria that caused the problem.

In the event that pus has already appeared inside the finger, drainage will need to be performed. The surgeon will anesthetize the finger, make a small incision on it, remove the accumulated purulent discharge and treat the wound, then covering it with a gauze bandage. Next, your doctor will tell you how often you need to change the dressing and how to treat the affected area to speed up healing.

Where does felon come from and how to prevent it

Bacteria, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus, cause inflammation on the finger. Normally, it lives on the skin and healthy mucous membranes. But in some cases, for example, when it gets under the skin, microbes begin to multiply actively. This is how an infection occurs.

Bacteria can get inside the tissues of the finger from any penetrating wound, even the smallest: a splinter, bite, cut, puncture.

Hence the most important rule of prevention: try not to injure your hands. If you have dangerous physical work (for example, you are sawing wood, removing garbage or dry grass), do it with protective gloves.

Having received a cut, splinter or puncture, be sure to wash the wound with warm water and soap and treat it with any of the over-the-counter pharmacy antiseptics: chlorhexidine, green tea, iodine, or an aqueous solution of furacilin.