If you only have a swollen finger, you may have hit yourself. However, if this inflammation lasts for more than a couple of days, see your doctor as soon as possible.
Did you ever happen? Look at your hands and notice that one of your rings is pressing on you, that your fingers appear swollen and even with a different hue. What is the inflammation in the fingers?
The causes can be very varied. Most of the time it is not serious at all, but at other times it can be the indicator of a disease. Today, in this article, we explain it to you.
Why do I have inflammation in my fingers?
Swelling in the fingers is usually more common than we think. Sometimes it can happen that we have been walking for a while and when we look at our hands and fingers, we notice them as inflamed, with a slight and annoying tingling.
This may be due to our circulation and the way it is distributed when we are making our hearts work through exercise.
Usually, an inflamed finger can be due to injury or trauma, with infections being the most common.
Although we have to be careful that it is no longer an indicator of a joint disease such as arthritis, for example. However, there are other possible causes for swollen fingers:
- Laceration or blunt trauma: have you hit yourself? Any pinch? Have you been bitten by a dog? It is obvious. But sometimes it can happen that we hit ourselves and we don’t give it too much importance. Hours later, the inflammation will begin to show.
- An injury to the ligament or cartilage: if you have, for example, a repetitive job where you always do the same movements with your fingers or hands, it is possible that in the end your fingers appear inflamed and swollen. One cause may be a cartilage injury.
- The bursitis(inflammation of a bursa that protects and cushions joints) is very painful, swollen fingers and you can see a particular swelling in the joint area. Sometimes it can come out as a kind of painful lump.
- The syndrome of the carpal tunnel: you already know this painful reality undoubtedly very common in women. There is pressure on the nerve that travels through the wrist, where it is common for the fingers not only to become swollen, but to lose their sensitivity and even to become “hooked.” Something very painful.
- Ganglion: This condition occurs when there is a growth or swelling in the upper part of the joint or tendon, which can reach our fingers, inflaming them.
- An infection: something we cannot rule out. There is a bacterial infection associated with Streptococcus aureus that causes a very noticeable inflammation in the fingers. It is painful and can even cause a fever.
- The paronychia: obviously this is very striking, usually affecting one finger. It is a very painful infection around the nail that causes the finger to become inflamed, but especially the area around the nail itself. Pus may even appear.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: unfortunately, it is a very common reality that we cannot rule out. It is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the joints. It inflames them in a painful way and, usually, it usually starts many times in our fingers. So, don’t rule out rheumatoid arthritis.
- The septic arthritis: This type of arthritis is infectious, and must differentiate from rheumatoid known, usually the symptoms are the same, but our doctor who will help us diagnose.
- When one or more fingers swell, you should watch out for symptoms. See if it is a single finger that appears inflamed or if they are all of the hand.
- If they are all, it is usually due to circulatory problems or metacarpal syndrome. If it is a solo, take care of your nails first, if you have taken a blow or even if you have nailed something.
- It may even happen that an insect has bitten us. But if this inflammation lasts longer than five days, see your doctor.
How to reduce inflammation in the fingers?
Obviously, as we have indicated, if you see that this inflammation extends over several days, it is necessary that you go to the doctor. Meanwhile, at home, you can follow the following tips.
1. Hot and cold baths with rosemary water.
Rosemary is usually very suitable to reduce inflammation of the joints and cartilage.
- You can make an infusion with two sprigs of this medicinal plant, and then soak your swollen fingers in this hot preparation for three minutes.
- Then do the same but in a saucepan with fresh water.
- Go alternating. This difference in temperature will make blood flow better and inflammation will decrease.
- To conclude, you can massage yourself with a few drops of rosemary essential oil.
2. Garlic clove
If you suspect that the swelling of your fingers is due to something bacterial, do not hesitate to rub a clove of garlic over the affected area.
Garlic is a great antibacterial, so it might help reduce inflammation. Despite this, we recommend you go to the doctor to solve the inflammation in the fingers at its roots.
3. Ginger root dressings
This root, thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, could help us reduce inflammation. If we grate a few strips and make an infusion with them, we can use both.
- First you can immerse your inflamed fingers in this infusion for a few minutes.
- Then, take the roots that you have used and make a soft bandage-do not press it too much-on the affected fingers.
As we have seen, inflammation in the fingers can be alleviated with some simple natural remedies. However, we will always recommend that you go to your doctor before carrying out any treatment that we have mentioned.