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Swollen Index Finger, Painful, Darkening At Nail Root. Help.
Question: Hi Doctor
My index finger nail root area is feeling a little pain and looks a little swollen may be too ... It is also dark in color and my middle and the adjacent finger too shows sign of a little darkening at the nail root. I work is around computer... I feel a little pain in my index finger where I hit key board and mouse. Please provide help. I have his condition for the last 6 months.
thanks XXXXXXX
My index finger nail root area is feeling a little pain and looks a little swollen may be too ... It is also dark in color and my middle and the adjacent finger too shows sign of a little darkening at the nail root. I work is around computer... I feel a little pain in my index finger where I hit key board and mouse. Please provide help. I have his condition for the last 6 months.
thanks XXXXXXX
Hello XXXXXXX
Thanks for posting your query.
Two possibilities are coming to my mind which need to be ruled out in your case.
1) The first possibility for your index finger pain is mouse finger. Prolonged use of computer with repetitive use of your index finger to click your computer mouse can cause such kind of pain in the finger. This occurs due to repetitive injury or stress and it is also known as carpel tunnel syndrome. Apply ice packs and take some anti inflammatory pain killer after consulting your doctor. Wearing wrist braces or carpal tunnel braces, stretching and strengthening exercises when the pain subsides and modification of the way you click mouse or by using ergonomically designed mouse also helps. Also use a padded mouse pad and see if the symptoms subside.
2) For the pain, swelling and darkened skin around the finger nail roots, it can be due to paronychia skin. It results from a breakdown of the protective barrier between the nail and the nail fold. It is diagnosed by gram staining and KOH wet mounts from the skin and nail scrapings. So I suggest you to get the gram staining and KOH wet mounts done from a dermatologist.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Thanks for posting your query.
Two possibilities are coming to my mind which need to be ruled out in your case.
1) The first possibility for your index finger pain is mouse finger. Prolonged use of computer with repetitive use of your index finger to click your computer mouse can cause such kind of pain in the finger. This occurs due to repetitive injury or stress and it is also known as carpel tunnel syndrome. Apply ice packs and take some anti inflammatory pain killer after consulting your doctor. Wearing wrist braces or carpal tunnel braces, stretching and strengthening exercises when the pain subsides and modification of the way you click mouse or by using ergonomically designed mouse also helps. Also use a padded mouse pad and see if the symptoms subside.
2) For the pain, swelling and darkened skin around the finger nail roots, it can be due to paronychia skin. It results from a breakdown of the protective barrier between the nail and the nail fold. It is diagnosed by gram staining and KOH wet mounts from the skin and nail scrapings. So I suggest you to get the gram staining and KOH wet mounts done from a dermatologist.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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