Almost every person has experienced swollen toes at least once. Most often this happens when you stand or walk for a long time, and also when you wear narrow shoes. If a person feels that his feet are swollen, it is enough to take off his shoes and sit for about half an hour, during which time the swelling begins to slowly subside.
However, if the finger is swollen for unknown reasons, this may indicate some kind of disorder in the body. In this case, the finger can not only increase in size, but also cause pain. If this happens, it is best to consult a doctor and understand the causes of the tumor.
Toes may become swollen due to joint inflammation, which can be caused by a variety of medical conditions. Let's look at the main reasons.
Injury or sprain. The swelling may occur due to injury. A particularly vulnerable toe is the little toe, which can hit the door, bedside table or other object in the house if you walk without slippers or socks. The little toe may also become swollen if you wear tight shoes.
Arthritis. Arthritis can affect the little toe or any other toe. Or several fingers or toes may be affected at once. In this case, the fingers become red, swelling and stiffness occur. As a result, the limbs become deformed, acquire not only an ugly appearance, but also lose their functions.
Infections. Many infectious diseases primarily affect the joints, which can cause the fingers to swell.
Hyperuricemia and gout. The thumb often swells in people who overindulge in certain foods, such as legumes, meats, beer and chocolate. These are foods that increase the amount of uric acid in the blood. And, therefore, the acid does not have time to leave the body and begins to accumulate in the joints, causing their inflammation. With gout, uric acid metabolism is disrupted, and it is very difficult to restore it.
Osteoporosis. Bone tissue loses mass and strength, which causes swelling. With this disease, you need to be very careful with your fingers, especially the little finger, as it is easy to get a fracture.
Bursitis. This disease causes inflammation between the joints of the fingers due to a large accumulation of salts in the body or weak immunity.
Morton's neuroma. Nerve endings become pinched and soft tissue thickens around the nerves. As a result, swelling appears, burning, tingling and even cramps may occur. Most often, neuroma appears between the 3rd and 4th toes.
Diabetes. Due to the fact that blood circulation in the feet is impaired, the toes may not only swell, but gangrene may also begin to develop.
What to do if your toe is swollen is of interest to everyone. Experts give the following recommendations.
If your big toe is swollen, the first thing to do is rule out a fracture. When a fracture occurs, the limbs swell instantly, the fracture site becomes hot, and most often turns dark blue. In this case, bending the finger causes severe pain. In this case, you need to immediately contact the tramp point.
What to do if your toe is swollen due to a wound - you should immediately disinfect the wound, as the swelling indicates that there is an infection and pus may begin to accumulate inside the wound. If possible, you need to steam your leg in a saline or soda solution, which draws out the pus. After the procedure, the wound can be lubricated or sprinkled with streptocide and bandaged. You need to treat your finger until the swelling finally goes away.
If the swelling appears due to severe fatigue in the legs, they just need to be given a rest. To make the swelling go down faster, it is recommended to raise your legs up or put them on a pillow. This is done so that the blood begins to flow to the legs faster. You can also apply ice to the swelling, but you should keep it for no more than 20 minutes so as not to freeze the skin.
If the tumor appeared a long time ago, then to find out the cause, you should contact a therapist, he will conduct an examination and can either prescribe treatment or send you to a doctor with a more narrow focus.
In order to rule out heart disease, your therapist may advise you to see a rheumatologist or surgeon. If you suspect a hormonal imbalance, you will need to visit an endocrinologist. And for various foot disorders, they turn to an orthopedist.
If the tumor has appeared recently and is causing concern, you need to contact a traumatologist who can determine what is wrong with the finger. Maybe it's just a bruise, or maybe a dislocation or sprain.
To relieve pain, doctors advise the following:
If the situation is too complicated, surgery may be necessary, so you should not allow complications, but rather consult a doctor immediately, especially if none of the above helps.
Purulent inflammation of the skin and other tissues of the fingers and toes is called felon. Pus under the nail on the big toe can appear due to skin damage, poorly done manicure and pedicure, ingrown toenails that allow microbes to penetrate into deep tissues, as well as various diseases such as melanoma, etc. But sometimes suppuration under nail on the big toe may indicate serious problems that require immediate treatment. If the skin around the nail is inflamed, and there is also an accumulation of pus under the thumbnail, you should immediately go to a specialist. Treatment of the disease is most often conservative, including the use of special ointments and gels, foot baths, but in severe cases surgery cannot be avoided.
As a rule, panaritium develops after an infection gets under the nail. Bacteria can enter the bloodstream if the skin near the nail is damaged.
Most often, panaritium of the upper and lower extremities develops:
It should be noted that if a growth appears on the nail of the big toe (for example, a wart), and the nail in the affected area moves away from the nail bed, you also need to seek help from specialists.
Sometimes the disease can be found in infants and young children. This can be explained simply: the child’s nails were carelessly processed or the wound on the finger was not treated in a timely manner. Young children do not have as strong an immune system as adults, so if a child experiences yellowing of the finger or bleeding under the skin, the inflammation must be eliminated as soon as possible. Untimely treatment of suppuration will not only not give the desired effect, but also threatens with serious complications for the body.
At first glance, felon does not seem to be a serious problem, and treating the disease is not an easy procedure. It is for this reason that you first need to consult with a specialist, because if treated incorrectly, panaritium can develop into another ailment. There is no need to neglect preventive measures, for example, wearing orthopedic insoles and shoes.
On the hands, the disease can occur due to improperly done manicure. Glistening with well-groomed nails, no one even thinks that if the cuticle was not completely removed in the process, then the remaining pieces of skin can come off if you put your hands in your pockets. As a result, the cuticle curls, the skin moves away from the nail, and microbes enter the resulting cavity, penetrating into the blood, and inflammation begins.
On the feet, inflammation can begin due to a poorly done pedicure, uncomfortable shoes, especially if they have simple, not orthopedic insoles. In addition, panaritium can be caused by another disease, for example, tumors on the fingers (melanoma, etc.).
Not only does a nail that comes away from the bed, under which pus accumulates, cause constant attacks of pain, but also the consequences vary. The least that can happen if treatment is not started is loss of mobility of the fingers and toes. This happens due to the fact that pus penetrates deep into the tissues, damaging the tendons.
The greatest harm that a disease can cause to the body is blood poisoning and sepsis. If appropriate measures are not taken in time, this may lead to the death of a person. With felon during pregnancy, the risk increases, because the disease and its consequences (for example, melanoma on the finger) can affect not only the mother’s body, but also the child.
Panaritium can occur on both the arms and legs, and has several stages of development, differing in the depth of tissue damage. In the early stages of felon, the foot begins to turn red and a lump appears in the area of the sore toe. If the infection penetrates deeper into the fatty tissue, then the attacks of pain become jerking in nature. In the advanced stage, the muscles and other tissues of the fingers begin to fester. This manifests itself in severe attacks of pain, a thickening appears, the mobility of the fingers and the entire foot is impaired, the temperature rises, and the affected toe may turn blue.
Affecting the toes, the disease brings discomfort and unpleasant sensations. Experts recommend treating this disease using traditional medicine recipes and special external preparations (ointments, creams, gels). Because the complex of traditional and classical therapy gives the maximum effect.
What to do if panaritium begins? This question is asked by everyone who has ever encountered this disease. At the first signs of inflammation, you should do various compresses, baths and lotions for the feet.
To remove pain and inflammation, it is recommended to use decoctions of medicinal plants in which the toes are dipped. Before the procedure, each nail must be sanitized with an antiseptic or sterile wipes. After the procedure, it is recommended to use orthopedic insoles.
To remove pus, you should use cosmetic sticks to lift the nail. After which you need to gently press down the nail plate and the opposite edge of the finger, thereby squeezing out the pus. Remains of pus are removed using a sterile bandage, piece of cloth or napkin. After which the finger is treated with alcohol.
Of course, experts do not recommend removing pus from under the big toe nail yourself. This procedure is best carried out by a doctor who will not only quickly conduct an examination and get rid of the abscess, but will also develop a treatment plan for the finger, because panaritium indicates various diseases, such as, for example, melanoma. In this case, self-medication will only do harm, because it is impossible to remove the cause of the pathology on your own. And without eliminating the cause, the disease cannot be cured.
To avoid microbes getting under the nail plate, you need to follow several rules. First of all, carefully trim your fingernails and toenails. When trimming the cuticle, do not damage the skin. Trim hangnails and remove foreign bodies from under the nail in a timely manner. Also, wear only orthopedic shoes and insoles.
Pus under the fingernail or toenail is medically called felon. This unpleasant disease occurs for the following reasons:
1. Lack of disinfection of open wounds, cuts and other finger injuries.
2. Poorly performed pedicure or manicure.
3. Ingrown nail into the skin.
4. Foreign body under the nail (splinter).
5. Complicated course of fungal diseases.
6. Diabetic circulatory disorders.
Most often, suppuration under the nails occurs in children who have the habit of biting their nails and hangnails on their fingers, as well as in people engaged in manual labor (for example, cooks or mechanics).
Panaritium can give a person a lot of unpleasant sensations. The patient first feels itching, and then a throbbing, twitching pain in the affected area. The skin in the nail area swells, the purulent sac becomes clearly visible. It appears as a white or yellow area in the nail area. Sometimes pus leaks. As a rule, the affected finger is quite difficult to bend, and in some cases the patient’s temperature rises.
As with any other purulent inflammation, you should be extremely careful with panaritium. The occurrence of suppuration is caused by pathogenic microorganisms that penetrate the skin and begin to divide intensively, thereby aggravating the inflammation.
Pus is, roughly speaking, a product of their vital activity. Naturally, the greater the concentration of harmful microbes, the more complex the disease and the more severe its consequences. A neglected panaritium is fraught with immobility of the affected finger, and even gangrene, in which you can easily lose the diseased organ. Therefore, at the first signs of suppuration, measures should be taken.
First of all, under no circumstances should you violate the integrity of the lesion in any way: pierce the abscess, try to cut it yourself, cauterize it, etc. Such self-medication can only aggravate the course of inflammation. Also, advanced forms should not be treated with external means: compresses, poultices, rubbing, etc.
The best option is to consult a surgeon. The specialist must establish an accurate diagnosis, as well as the type of microorganism that caused the inflammation. Depending on this, treatment is prescribed.
Therapeutic treatment of the purulent process is possible only in the early stages of felon. The patient is prescribed local antibacterial drugs and antibiotics. But most often, people turn to the doctor with an advanced form of panaritium, when the purulent sac grows, the body temperature rises (more than 37.5 degrees) and the swelling around the nail spreads beyond the phalanx of the finger.
In this case, surgical treatment is indicated. The doctor opens the abscess and releases the pus so that it does not get under the nail. After this, the wound is disinfected and a sterile bandage is applied, which must be changed regularly. During the incision, the nerve endings are not affected, so the operation is performed without pain relief. Antibiotics are prescribed as maintenance treatment, usually ciprolet or amoxiclav.
Of course, the best prevention is to avoid injuries to your nails and fingers at all: follow safety precautions at work, perform a manicure correctly, wean yourself from the habit of biting your nails, etc. However, if an injury has been sustained, already in the first minutes the wound
1. Wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial or regular toilet soap.
2. If the cause of inflammation is a splinter, immediately pull it out with a sterile needle.
3. Gently squeeze out some blood from the wound.
4. Treat the affected area with hydrogen peroxide.
5. Lubricate the edges of the wound with iodine and brilliant green.
6. Cover the wound with an adhesive plaster or bandage it.
7. For 1-2 days, refrain from gardening work and contact with meat and blood.
There are many reasons, such as minor injuries, scratches, improperly performed manicure or pedicure, which provoke the appearance of suppuration on the finger, it is also called felon. It all starts with the fact that pyogenic microbes - staphylococcus and streptococcus - are introduced into the wound, which multiply and the disease begins to progress. In the early stages of the disease, various home remedies can still help, but only under the supervision of a doctor. And if the symptoms begin to intensify, then surgical intervention cannot be avoided.
This disease cannot be ignored, as it can lead to sepsis - blood poisoning. To avoid this disease, first of all you need to follow the rules of hygiene. It is also necessary to strengthen your immune system, as people with weak immunity are very vulnerable to this disease.
On the feet, suppuration often appears due to an ingrown toenail on the big toe. In this article we will look at how to prevent the problem.
First of all, in the first stages of the inflammatory process, it is necessary to take baths. These can be solutions with potassium permanganate, or with calendula and eucalyptus. For one glass of warm water you need one teaspoon of tincture, in which you need to hold the sore finger. The procedure must be performed several times a day for 30 minutes.
In our other article you can familiarize yourself with the use of milk to treat other diseases. For example, milk with butter helps with coughs and this recipe has already helped many.
For a disease such as felon, a soda bath helps a lot. To prepare it, you need to add two tablespoons of baking soda to a glass of hot water, then dip your sore finger in it for 30 minutes.
Do not forget that a one-time use of such a bath is unlikely to help; such a disease requires complex treatment. It must be done at least three times a day for 2-3 days. After each such procedure, the wound should be lubricated with iodine.
To prepare it, you need to finely chop one head of garlic and add boiled water, but it must first cool down to about +80C. For one head of garlic you will need approximately 200 ml of cooled boiled water. Leave this mixture for five minutes to infuse, then add three drops of sea buckthorn oil and 2 tablespoons of soda to it.
After the mixture has infused for about one minute, you can begin the procedure. The water should be approximately +70C. The sore finger should be lowered into this glass for a couple of seconds, then pulled out and lowered again; you should not keep it in the water all the time. As the water cools, try to keep your finger in the water longer. If the bath is used for a child, it is recommended to reduce the amount of garlic to avoid burning.
Even in the first stages of the disease, felon can be cured at home, but under the supervision of a doctor. But if the symptoms intensify, the body temperature rises significantly, and severe suppuration appears, then you should immediately consult a surgeon. Treatment at home includes the following methods:
If the symptoms intensify, then the doctor provides surgical treatment, which takes place under local anesthesia. The operation is simple, the doctor makes a small incision and removes dead tissue, then injects an antibiotic. If a person has a subungual panaritium, then the nail is removed. Duration of treatment is 5-7 days.
The famous Vishnevsky ointment is an effective and harmless medicine that has a wide range of applications. It contains three unusual components - xeroform, tar and castor oil. Each of them has its own specific property, for example, xeroform has a drying effect, tar has an irritating effect on nerve endings, thereby restoring blood supply to tissues.
Thanks to the medicinal properties of Vishnevskaya ointment, it has been used in many areas. First of all, it is indispensable for various inflammations, suppurations, abscesses and boils, and also helps well with frostbite and burns. Of course, when you come to the hospital, you are unlikely to be prescribed this remedy, but at home it should certainly be in every first aid kit.
If you find inflammation and suppuration in the form of an abscess or boil, then you need to carry out the following treatment. Take gauze and fold it in four layers and apply Vishnevsky ointment to it. Then apply this bandage to the affected area of skin and secure with a bandage and leave for about 12 hours. After the above time has passed, remove the bandage and carefully remove the remaining ointment using a napkin. Treat the affected area with medical alcohol and reapply a new bandage with Vishnevsky ointment.
If your toe hurts near the nail, then remember if you hit it recently. If not, it could be a sign of infection or developing nail fungus.
From the moment Homo sapiens began to walk upright, the heaviest load always falls on the legs. Due to certain reasons, we are faced with a number of unpleasant moments that prevent us from moving freely and doing our usual things. One of these unpleasant moments is pain in the nails of the big toes. It is almost impossible to independently understand the reasons why your thumbnail hurts; this can only be done by a competent specialist with the help of special equipment and experience. Let's try to make a few assumptions regarding what could cause pain in the big toe and the area around the nail.
If your toe hurts near the nail, then most likely this condition was caused by injury or mechanical damage to the skin. Sometimes this happens due to wearing tight shoes. The cause may also be ingrown nails. If the irritating factor is not eliminated in time, the pain will intensify and recur, as a result, an inflammatory process may begin and suppuration may appear.
Very often, female representatives of the big toe hurt, especially those who love high heels. As a rule, arthritis and arthrosis are caused by this factor. Due to constant curvature, the thumb begins to become deformed and hurt. If we talk about the male population, pain in the leg near the nail can be caused by gout. This is a very serious disease that requires immediate diagnosis and quality treatment.
Another cause of toe pain can be nail fungus. The easiest way to catch this infection is to wear wet socks, walk in someone else's shoes, or stand barefoot in a public pool or sauna. Fortunately, modern medicine can fight this infection and offers a huge number of antifungal drugs that can be bought at every pharmacy.
Regular exercise can also cause pain in the thumb area. The calf raise is one of the main exercises in almost all sports. With regular physical activity, a person may not even notice how negatively it affects his feet, in particular his toes.
In the summer, a common reason why your toe may hurt near the nail is failure to comply with personal hygiene rules. If you do not constantly remove the rough skin and soften it on the side of the nails, it will begin to harden. Due to awkward movements, the skin near the nail may crack and bleed. This will cause pain first. The second point concerns infections that can be contracted if a crack in the thumb comes into contact with dirt or dust. If your toe is swollen, red, or pus is coming out of your toe, you can be sure that you have an infection and should see a doctor immediately.
The nail on the big toe can become painful due to an improperly performed pedicure. Beauty salons do not always sterilize objects, and by cutting the cuticle on the big toe, an inexperienced specialist can damage the surrounding tissue and cause infection. In principle, at home you yourself may accidentally encounter this problem by cutting your nails incorrectly.
As for diagnostic procedures, a qualified and experienced doctor will not need them, since the symptoms of the disease speak for themselves. In addition to his assumptions, the doctor may ask you to donate blood for a general and biochemical analysis to rule out systemic diseases. A person may feel a number of symptoms, which should be reported to the doctor, as a specialist will help choose the right treatment regimen. Among the symptoms that accompany the presence of pain around the toenail are:
a feeling of pulsation that goes away on its own; bluish skin on the leg; redness and swelling of the finger; bruising under the nail plate; chills, fever and malaise; purulent lesions under the skin that are localized in one or several places.
Further treatment will be aimed at eliminating the cause that is causing the pain in the toe. If you stop only the pain syndrome, then after a few days it will appear again. Based on the cause, the doctor will prescribe treatment, and it can be different:
If gout occurs, then the first thing you need to do is adjust your menu. For flat feet, massages and wearing special shoes will be prescribed. If we are talking about an ingrown toenail, then a small operation will be performed to remove the corner of the nail. For inflammatory processes and infections, as a rule, ointments that draw out pus, and treating the skin around the toenail with antiseptic agents. If the suppuration has several foci, it is likely that this is a bacterial infection of several layers of the skin. In such cases, antibacterial therapy is prescribed. If there is a bluish tint to the finger and suppuration near the nail, then it is likely that the pain is not caused by an infection, but by mechanical damage, and the suppuration is a consequence of a hematoma, and not an inflammatory process. In such a case, the doctor is also obliged to take an x-ray of the injured finger to rule out a fracture or dislocation.
If the big toe hurts, especially near the nail, then this is usually accompanied by suppuration, and the main goal of treatment will be to remove the pus.
If you do not suffer from diabetes, you can try the cleansing procedure at home. Take a small vessel into which you pour boiling water and salt. When the water is at a tolerable temperature, dip your painful toe into it. The longer you keep your fingers in the water, the better. This will soften the rough skin on your legs, and it will be easier to remove the purulent masses that have accumulated during inflammation. When the skin turns white and softens, you can lightly press on the area of suppuration and the abscess will burst. If this does not happen, there is no need to make special efforts; you need to repeat the same procedure until this happens. If the pus comes out, treat your finger with iodine, alcohol, brilliant green or other antiseptic. If the abscess has not broken through, then after the bath you should apply Vishnevsky ointment or ichthyol ointment to your finger. These medications can draw out suppuration. It is very important to change bandages with ointments on time, which will draw out the pus, so as not to steam the nail and not to infect even more areas of healthy skin with infection.
I would also like to note that, as a result of the inflammatory process, certain areas of the skin begin to gradually die and the nail plate is rejected. The nail will eventually fall off and a new one will take several months to form. Such a situation will cause not only physical pain, but also aesthetic discomfort, because by wearing shoes with open toes, you will attract the attention of others and feel awkward because of this defect.
If after such procedures your toe still hurts, then all you can do is visit a doctor. It is impossible to cope with this situation without qualified help. If the disease is left to chance, inflammation of the leg bones may develop. Since this disease is difficult to treat, doctors often have to remove the inflamed area of bone. An even more serious consequence of not treating swollen and painful fingers around the nails is inflammation of the tendons of the lower extremities. That is why, if you cannot remove the abscess and pus on your own, consult a doctor: he will use a scalpel to open the affected area and clean the area around the nail. There is no need to be afraid: there are a huge number of painkillers available to prevent you from feeling pain.
Under no circumstances should you pierce the purulent sac with a needle or try to open the wound yourself with sharp scissors. Not only will you cause yourself a lot of pain, but you will also complicate the situation even more. It is precisely such rash actions that lead to urgent hospitalization and partial disability. Be prudent, do not put your health at even greater risk and trust your treatment to people who understand this.
If your toe hurts, near the nail, consult a doctor; pain can be caused by many reasons. Without treatment, you will get inflammation that requires surgical intervention.
The sensation is unpleasant, pain in the legs brings discomfort when wearing shoes.
Nail injury; Ingrown nail; Hangnails; Systemic diseases and disorders; Local inflammatory process; Other causes.
Toes
Let's look at the reasons in more detail; treatment depends on the type of pain. If the disease progresses, surgery will be required.
Regardless of the cause of the injury, the process in the area near the nail proceeds the same:
Impact, other damage; Rupture of blood vessels, disruption of nerve endings; Formation of bruising, disruption of metabolic processes; Change in color of the nail plate and the area nearby; Dying of the nail; Growth of a new plate.
If the injury is severe, the color of the damaged area changes immediately, and pain is felt constantly. The finger swells, turns red, and hurts. If the swelling extends to the foot, there is a possibility of damage to the phalanx.
The traumatologist will prescribe treatment that relieves pain and accelerates the regeneration of the nail plate. Due to the unprotected matrix under the nail, the area nearby hurts. Bandages, anti-inflammatory and painkillers are prescribed to alleviate the condition.
Fingertips
Often the area around the toenail hurts due to an ingrown toenail. There are a lot of factors that provoke the appearance:
Failure to follow the pedicure technique, the corners of the nail are processed incorrectly; Wearing shoes with a pointed toe, putting pressure on the areas of the toes near the nails; Abnormal position of the foot due to flat feet; Swelling, excess weight; Infection of the feet with fungi.
Popular treatment options:
Treatment with a laser beam of the skin on the toes around the nail; Exposure to radio waves; Complete removal of the damaged nail.
You can cope with the pathology at home, using folk remedies and conservative treatment. Measures:
Changing shoes to comfortable ones; Using antibacterial, antifungal drugs; Keeping feet clean; Professional pedicure.
By constantly following the rules, the likelihood of pathology occurring near the toenails is minimized.
A common cause of pain near toenails is hangnails. Small open wounds, a consequence of vitamin deficiency, mechanical damage to the skin surface. Infection penetrates - inflammation begins near the fingernails, with the formation of abscesses. In serious forms, inflammation develops into a serious foot disease.
People who work with household chemicals without gloves and those with dry skin are susceptible to the formation of hangnails.
There is a high probability of getting an infection and getting pain in the area of large nails when performing a manicure with non-sterile instruments.
Often, hangnails on the skin near the nails hurt due to skin trauma. In the initial stages of inflammation, iodine and brilliant green will help, if an abscess appears - it is recommended to use ointments - levomikol, levosin. After treatment, the finger will heal in a couple of days. If a tumor appears in the nail area, acute pain is felt that does not go away after treatment - consult a doctor.
Burr near the nail
To prevent inflammation from hangnails on the skin and in the area of the fingernails, follow the rules:
Accessories for manicure must be sterile; Antiseptic agents must be on hand; Seal the area where hangnails appear with an antiseptic plaster; Cleaning and washing dishes should be done with gloves; Moisturize and nourish the skin to prevent hangnails near the nails.
If pus forms or is discharged, consult a dermatologist. Pus is a sign of serious illness.
The cause of pain in the skin around the nail is the presence of a systemic disease in the body. More often, pain appears in the entire phalanx, near the nail of the big toes. Such manifestations are symptoms of diseases:
Arthrosis; Arthritis; Impaired functioning of the cardiovascular system.
The finger, with vascular diseases, changes color to white, with blue. The finger hurts, it brings a lot of inconvenience.
Diabetes is also the cause of pain in the fingers near the nails. The disease, as additional symptoms, causes burning, cracking, and pain in the feet.
With a serious form of panaritium, the bone of the phalanx of the finger is damaged. There are two infections that provoke the formation of the process when they enter tissue:
Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, group infections; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, intestinal infection.
At risk are people with pathologies of the immune system, vitamin deficiency, and those who have had infectious diseases. Be careful if damage appears around your fingernails.
If not treated in time, inflammatory processes affect bones and joints - the disease is difficult to treat, and the limbs hurt greatly. Treatment consists of taking antibiotics, antibacterial drugs, treating the damaged surface with ointments and gels to prevent the development of infection. In rare cases, the intervention of a surgeon is required to remove the abscess - the finger turns red and is very painful.
Before treatment, the cause is determined, pain around the fingernails is relieved, and the source is eliminated.
Sometimes pain in the fingers near the nails is caused by specific causes. Peeling, cracks in the skin, when infected, provoke inflammation, characterized by pain and redness. Even without infection, the processes cause discomfort.
Often an abscess on the toes is the result of a banal splinter. A small splinter under the nail does not hurt until inflammation begins. Remove the splinter and treat the area around with an anti-inflammatory agent.
Inflammation, pain in the nail area and on the fingers, is caused by a fungus and leads to injuries on the skin, around the nails, and on the entire surface of the fingers. The toe appears externally damaged and unsightly, especially the nail. Self-medication is inappropriate here; at the first suspicion of skin damage by a fungus, consult a doctor. Mycosis is an insidious disease; in its advanced form it is difficult to cure. The fungus is dangerous to others.
In conclusion, we note that following the rules of hygiene, monitoring the condition of the feet and fingers will help to avoid diseases in the area near the nails. If your nails and fingers hurt, or signs of inflammation appear, a consultation with a dermatologist is necessary.
At least once in their life, almost every person has encountered a problem when pus forms under the fingernail or toenail.
However, not everyone knows the cause of this disease, what it is called and how to act in such cases.
As a rule, most of us, having discovered pus under the nail, decide what to do ourselves, without seeking help from doctors, and only in case of serious complications, when changing the situation is sometimes quite difficult even for qualified specialists, “sound the alarm.” However, all this can be avoided if you have certain knowledge and know how to behave in each specific case.
Purulent inflammation of the skin under or near the nail plate on the fingers or toes is called panaritium. Often the cause of its development is infection of wounds of various origins by pathogenic microbes.
This disease occurs as a result of microtraumas, abrasions or cuts of soft tissue, and can also be caused by ingrown corners of nails, allergic reactions to chemicals, poorly performed hygienic manicure (pedicure), and also if a splinter gets under the nail.
In addition, felon can develop independently, without any previous injuries, especially if certain conditions contribute to this, including:
Also, similar suppurations are often observed in children, especially those who bite their nails and pick hangnails, and adults of certain professions - carpenters, joiners, agricultural workers, etc.
In addition to the main symptom of panaritium, a purulent formation, this disease is accompanied by other signs, among which are most often noted:
Of course, if you discover symptoms of panaritium, you should consult a doctor, especially if your finger hurts badly, the temperature has risen, or pus has accumulated under the nail. He will determine what to do by assessing the real clinical picture and prescribe appropriate conservative treatment.
However, there are times when it is not possible to get to a doctor for some reason and you have to act on your own. In such situations, you should remember that the sore finger must first be provided with complete care. In addition, you should make warm disinfectant baths from a weak solution of potassium permanganate or furatsilin 2-3 times a day, and also apply special applications with Levomekol ointment to the affected area and fix them with tight gauze bandages.
Self-medication of such a disease can be carried out only in the early stages of inflammation. In advanced forms, accompanied by pronounced symptoms, you should definitely seek qualified help from a surgeon in order to avoid possible serious complications.
Among the serious complications, there are three main ones:
As noted above, purulent inflammation under a fingernail or toenail in the early stages is treated exclusively with conservative methods.
The patient is prescribed daily warm baths with a solution of salt, soda, potassium permanganate or furatsilin, as well as bandages with antiseptic or antibiotic ointments.
In addition, local therapy can be supplemented with complex therapy and consist of taking appropriate antibiotics in this case.
Provided that conservative treatment has not yielded results, and the abscess under the nail is growing, the doctor resorts to surgical intervention, as a result of which the formed purulent bags are carefully opened, all the pus is removed from them, and the affected areas of the epidermis are removed. If it is not possible to leave the nail, then the nail plate is first removed.
This procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia. After removing the infected area, a bandage with antibacterial agents is applied to the wound. The postoperative healing period usually lasts 5-7 days. All this time, the patient's bandage is changed daily using wound healing and antiseptic agents.
In order to prevent the moment when pus comes from under the nail, it is important to carry out preventive measures in a timely manner, namely, thoroughly treat the damaged areas of the skin around the nail plates with any antiseptic - iodine, hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green, etc.
If a splinter gets under the nail, it must be removed as soon as possible, on your own. After which, treat the wound accordingly or with the help of a qualified doctor, because eliminating such a problem will take much less time than further treatment of an inflamed and festered nail.
In addition to traditional therapy, treatment of panaritium can also be carried out using traditional medicine, but it is better to do this under the supervision of a doctor or by correctly comparing traditional and folk medicine. Below we present to your attention several effective and proven recipes.
Recipe No. 1. To eliminate an abscess under a fingernail or toenail, you need to take in equal proportions dried flowers of medicinal chamomile and sage, as well as leaves of St. John's wort, plantain, lilac, pour it all with 1 liter of cold water, put on fire and bring to a boil .
After this, let the broth boil for another 3-5 minutes, remove it from the heat, add a teaspoon of baking soda, cool slightly so that the bath is not hot, but pleasantly warm, and immerse the sore finger in it.
The procedure in the bath should be carried out for 15-20 minutes, and then, carefully pre-treated with alcohol or any other antiseptic with a small spatula, lift the nail plate itself and alternately press several times on the nail, then on the fingertip, thus releasing all the contents from the purulent pocket.
Carrying out such a procedure under unsterile conditions and without prior steaming is strictly prohibited; this can lead to serious complications and the most unpredictable consequences.
Recipe No. 2. To extract only the pus that has formed under a toenail or fingernail, you must first prepare a warm bath of a light pink solution of potassium permanganate and hold the inflamed finger in it for at least 15 minutes. Then you should gently press several times on the nail plate, trying to remove the accumulated pus from under it.
After such a procedure, the finger and nail should be treated with iodine solution or any other antiseptic and a paste of finely grated raw beets should be applied to it. The compress must be secured with a tight gauze bandage and left for 4-5 hours.
Recipe No. 3. An abscess under a toenail or hand can be cured with propolis. To do this, you need to take propolis tincture and warm water in a ratio of one to five and make baths for the sore finger based on this solution, immersing it 3-4 times a day for 15-20 minutes. Within 3 days, all the pus from under the nail will come out and a rapid healing process will begin.
Recipe No. 4. In the initial stages of the disease, when pus under the fingernail or toenail is just beginning to accumulate, you can try to provide first aid as follows. You need to take a glass of hot water, dissolve 2 tablespoons of ordinary kitchen salt in it and dip your sore finger into the solution for several minutes for an hour. When the water has cooled and the temperature becomes acceptable, your finger must be held constantly. Upon completion of the procedure, you need to thoroughly lubricate the nail and the skin of the finger around it with iodine solution. Such emergency treatment should be carried out at least 3 times a day, thanks to which the problem will be successfully resolved. In addition, propolis helps well against nail fungus and many other unpleasant diseases.
No comments yet. Be first! 16,743 views
A very large number of people suffer from fungal diseases. And very often people don’t even know which doctor to see. Meanwhile, if the fungus is not treated in a timely manner, it can cause serious consequences that will significantly complicate your life. It is also worth noting that fungal diseases can affect not only the feet, but the hands. Therefore, to keep your skin and nails on your hands and feet healthy, you need to know who to turn to.
A fungus is a disease caused by parasitic microorganisms, also known as fungi. They affect the horny integument, as well as the skin around them, poisoning the body with toxic waste products. Which doctor should I consult?
The first step is to visit a dermatologist. He is the one who deals with diseases of the skin and nails. His competence also includes the treatment of diseases such as eczema, rashes, inflammation of the sebaceous glands and other skin lesions. This doctor can prescribe the necessary treatment, or may refer you to a mycologist.
A mycologist is a dermatologist who has in-depth knowledge of how to treat fungal diseases. This highly competent doctor is best versed in such issues, but not every clinic has him. Usually they are sent to him in case of complications of fungal diseases of the toenails or hands.
The question of which doctor to see seems to have been sorted out. Now let's figure out what the doctor will say during the examination, and how the consultation itself will go. A dermatologist or mycologist conducts a consultation in two stages.
At the first stage, when you visit a specialist for the first time, he will conduct an external examination of the toenails or fingernails affected by the fungus, and will also ask the traditional questions of all doctors: when did the fungus on the toenails or fingernails begin to bother you? Have you taken any action yourself? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? What's your job?
But based on an external examination and the questions asked, the doctor will not be able to determine what type of nail fungus has affected your toes or hands. To do this, he must take dead skin areas and transfer them to the laboratory for a more detailed study. After the laboratory technicians conduct a detailed analysis, the attending physician will schedule a second consultation. This usually happens within 10-14 days.
At the second consultation, the specialist should tell you what kind of nail fungus has affected your toes or fingers, and prescribe the necessary medications in order to carry out treatment. There are three ways to treat nail fungus:
Trying to choose the necessary medications on your own is pointless. They should be prescribed only by a specialist in accordance with the type of fungus that has affected you, as well as the individual characteristics of the patient’s body.
Experts distinguish four groups of fungal pathogens on the toes or hands:
This division is based on the ability of a particular pathogen to infect the layers of the epidermis. Thus, keratomycosis affects only the upper areas of the skin, rarely “reaching” the very stratum corneum. And dermatomycosis affects not only nails, but even hair, and, as a rule, the focus of pathogens is located in the deep layers of the epidermis.
Why know this information before going to see a specialist who will begin to treat you? Understanding that the fungus can affect not only the superficial areas of the skin, but also the deep ones, will help you understand why a specialist scrapes the epidermis.
Scraping the epidermis is an important step towards making the correct diagnosis. It makes no sense to treat the fungus until the type of fungus affecting the skin of the feet or hands is determined. This is precisely why this procedure is carried out.
To take a scraping, you will be taken to the laboratory. There, on the slide table, you will most likely see mineral oils, a scalpel or curette (a medical spatula), slides and a microscope. This is the minimum set of medical equipment with which you can take a sample for toenail fungus.
The doctor who has undertaken to treat you, or his assistant, will perform the following virtually painless operation:
Depending on what is discovered by the doctor who is treating you under a microscope, an appropriate diagnosis will be made and medications will be prescribed with which you will be treated.
Many people, faced with a similar disease, begin to experience remorse and a sense of shame. This may be due to low self-esteem, or a preconceived idea that if you have a fungus on your feet, it means you don’t know how to take care of yourself.
It is worth saying that the last statement is fundamentally erroneous.
There is no need to be afraid of going to a specialist, because only he can prescribe the appropriate treatment.
In addition, if you are tormented by the fear that information about your illness will spread to wide circles, then it is in vain. After all, every doctor has professional ethics, the main rule of which is the anonymity of the examined patient with fungus on the legs and more.
In other words, you can be absolutely sure that information about your illness, as well as the methods that make up your treatment, will remain secret from anyone else. You can become infected with a fungus even with a normal handshake. It all depends on how developed your immune system is, and if it fails on its own, there is no shame in having to prescribe treatment.