What is wrong with my finger?

[Guv10]

Whilst on holiday last week my finger started hurting, ring finger. Couldn't bend it without pain.

No injury or obvious bite marks.

Few days of better then worse, home now and its agony. Can't straighten or bend it. It's swollen.

Been to docs, pretty much pushed me back out the door. Said its not trigger finger.

Making everyday life impossible. Doesn't help that I'm a huge worrier. Taking tablets but not really doing anything.

Hand is slightly swollen now too.

Any ideas?!

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Ebola?

[simon_harris]

Have you tried pulling it?

[sherman]

Only one solution surely.

[phil4]

Arthritis?

[phumy]

Trapped wind??

[TO73074E]

simon_harris said:

Have you tried pulling it?

Ask friends and loved ones to stand well back first.

[Hoofy]

Alright, sensible solution. (Love the trapped wind suggestion.)

Might be uric crystals. Do you drink a lot of wine or eat a lot of vinegar products (eg salt and vinegar crisps, balsamic vinegar on salad)? If so, uric crystals can form in random joints/cartilage and it can really bloody hurt as well as make you feel stiff when you move the joint.

The solution? Cut those products out.

[d_a_n1979]

Have you banged it at all; even without realising you've caught it?

Could there be a slight fracture?

Either way; if it's sore and hard to bend; tape it up with your little finger (micropore etc) and give it a few days; take paracetamol and ibuprofen if you can to keep the swelling at bay and see how you get on

[Monkeylegend]

Guv10 said:

Whilst on holiday last week my finger started hurting, ring finger.

Can you give that one a rest for a week or two and use another finger?

[Hoofy]

d_a_n1979 said:

ibuprofen if you can to keep the swelling at bay and see how you get on

Is swelling bad? Genuine q as I never know whether to take ibu or not; not bothered about pain as such. I always thought swelling was the body's natural way of protecting it.

Also with sports injuries if I take painkillers, I just push harder and it takes longer to heal. I find not taking painkillers and experiencing the pain just reminds me to back off a bit.

[drmike37]

Go to A&E.
could be nothing, equally could be something that needs surgery.
A few possibilities off the top of my head:
Arthritis
Fracture
Sprain
Psoriatic dactylitis
Flexor sheath infection
Cellulitis

Extremely unlikely to be necrotising fasciitis; that would have killed you by now.

I’m a hand surgeon and can’t give you a diagnosis based on your post. Heaven knows what your average stair dominator can make of it! You need someone sensible to actually see it to work out what’s wrong.

[The Hypno-Toad]

I had something very similar. Turned out it was a splinter that I hadn't seen burrowed into the finger. I only began to get concerned when I saw a red line start to creep across my hand and up my arm....

Two things if it is that. Firstly the anti biotics for blood poisoning are bloody huge and secondly if the doctor in casualty says they are going to use a local anesthetic ask for double the dose. I didn't and had to watch the doctor who was doing mine basically routing around in my finger with a scalpel while I tried not scream.

Oh and your finger swells to pretty much twice its normal size and turns purple.

Good luck!!!

[Guv10]

drmike37 said:

Go to A&E.
could be nothing, equally could be something that needs surgery.
A few possibilities off the top of my head:
Arthritis
Fracture
Sprain
Psoriatic dactylitis
Flexor sheath infection
Cellulitis

Extremely unlikely to be necrotising fasciitis; that would have killed you by now.

I’m a hand surgeon and can’t give you a diagnosis based on your post. Heaven knows what your average stair dominator can make of it! You need someone sensible to actually see it to work out what’s wrong.

Thanks for the reply.

Some of them sound scary! I've had cellulitis before, kinda feels like that but not red or warm.

[geeks]

phumy said:

Trapped wind??

Well played

[FMOB]

Hoofy said:

Alright, sensible solution. (Love the trapped wind suggestion.)

Might be uric crystals. Do you drink a lot of wine or eat a lot of vinegar products (eg salt and vinegar crisps, balsamic vinegar on salad)? If so, uric crystals can form in random joints/cartilage and it can really bloody hurt as well as make you feel stiff when you move the joint.

The solution? Cut those products out.

AKA Gout.

[Guv10]

Yeah doc said he didn't think it was gout

[John87]

drmike37 said:

Go to A&E.
could be nothing, equally could be something that needs surgery.
A few possibilities off the top of my head:
Arthritis
Fracture
Sprain
Psoriatic dactylitis
Flexor sheath infection
Cellulitis

Extremely unlikely to be necrotising fasciitis; that would have killed you by now.

I’m a hand surgeon and can’t give you a diagnosis based on your post. Heaven knows what your average stair dominator can make of it! You need someone sensible to actually see it to work out what’s wrong.

this is why I love PH

You have a sore finger and a hand surgeon pops up!

There seems to be a genuine expert on every topic on here

[FMOB]

Guv10 said:

Yeah doc said he didn't think it was gout

Then probably arthritis of the finger, maybe even random pain syndrome.

[Guv10]

drmike37 said:

Go to A&E.
could be nothing, equally could be something that needs surgery.
A few possibilities off the top of my head:
Arthritis
Fracture
Sprain
Psoriatic dactylitis
Flexor sheath infection
Cellulitis

Extremely unlikely to be necrotising fasciitis; that would have killed you by now.

I’m a hand surgeon and can’t give you a diagnosis based on your post. Heaven knows what your average stair dominator can make of it! You need someone sensible to actually see it to work out what’s wrong.

Pain was terrible last night, went to A and E. Had x Ray, no break. They have said gout or Pseudogout. Giving me something for it