Feeling pain in the finger under the nail is one of the common problems, but what are its causes? And how might it be handled?
The following article will discuss some of the causes and treatments for pain under the fingernail, which can have many different causes.
Pain in the finger under the nail: causes
There are a variety of causes for pain beneath the fingernail, and these include the following:
1. Ingrown nail
One of the reasons for feeling pain in the finger under the nail, especially when pressing on it, is the ingrown nail that results from incorrect cutting of the finger or toe nails. Ingrown nails also result in a number of other symptoms, including:
- swelling under the nail on the finger.
- redness of the nail
- Bleeding
2. Nail fracture
The injury may cause the nail to break, which causes pain in the finger beneath the nail as the layer of living cells is exposed to outside forces. The pain lasts until a new layer of skin grows within a week, but the nail may grow back after a month or two.
3. Nail fungus
When the infection is in its advanced stages, a fungal nail infection may occasionally cause excruciating pain. In addition to pain, fungal infection causes several other symptoms, such as:
- Increased nail thickness.
- Change in nail color.
- Nail tips break.
4. Hematoma
The hematoma may result under the nail due to the presence of bleeding, which leads to feeling pain in the finger under the nail, and the hematoma may cause several symptoms, such as:
- Under the nail, the skin turns red or purple.
- Swelling of the affected fingertip.
5. Paronychia
Paronychia is one of the causes of pain in the finger under the nail caused by dermatitis around the nail. Many signs and symptoms of paronychia include:
- the skin around the nail is warm and red.
- swelling in the vicinity of the nail.
- under-skin pus accumulation around the nail.
6. Tumors
As the tumours appear as nodes under the nail, whether benign or cancerous, they may cause excruciating pain in the finger.
Pain in the finger under the nail: treatment
There are a variety of medical and home remedies for treating pain in the finger under the nail, but in order to get the right diagnosis and the best course of treatment, you must see a doctor. The various treatments include the following:
1. Home tips
There are numerous recommendations that can be made to lessen the discomfort under the nail, among them the following:
- If an ingrown nail or paronychia is the source of the pain, submerge the nail in warm water.
- Put a bandage over the broken nail to keep it safe.
- Raise the finger that is bleeding under the nail.
- Keep nails clean and dry.
2. Medical treatment methods
To name a few of the numerous medical techniques used to treat the underlying causes of pain in the finger under the nail:
- Using antibiotics to treat nail pain, such as amoxicillin to treat paronychia or ampicillin to treat ingrown toenails.
- treating fungal infections with antifungals like itraconazole, which needs to be taken for 6–12 weeks.
- In the event that a pool of blood beneath the nail is causing excruciating pain, cautery may be used, in which the nail is punctured with an electronic caustic tool.
- In some circumstances, such as the presence of benign or cancerous tumours, the doctor may perform surgery where part or all of the nail is removed.
Pain in the finger under the nail: when should you go to the doctor?
After discussing the various causes of finger pain under the nail, we must discuss some of the symptoms that may coexist with the pain and call for medical attention. Among these symptoms, we list:
- Constant and severe pain under the nail.
- Feeling pain under the nail in case of diabetes .
- High body temperature.
- Redness of the entire affected finger.
- Feeling pain under the nail due to injury to the joint.