Symptom: Finger pain

Introduction: Finger pain

Pain can arise from a variety of causes ranging from accidental trauma to nerve conditions. Pain-like sensations often described as pins-and-needles, prickling or burning sensations are called paresthesias; see finger paresthesias. All pain or pain-like sensations need prompt medical investigation.

» Review Causes of Finger pain: full list

Causes of Finger pain:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Finger pain. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

• Finger trauma
• Broken finger
• Subungal hematoma
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Ulnar nerve disorder
• Knuckle disorder
  • Arthritis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Gout
  • Bone tumor
• Raynaud's disease
• Scleroderma
• Vasculitis
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Embolism
• Nail disorders
• Paronychia
• Tendon sheath infection
• Pulp space infection
• Cervical spondylosis

See full list of 39 causes of Finger pain

» Review Causes of Finger pain: full list

Causes of Types of Finger pain:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Finger pain:

• Knuckle pain (13 causes)

More types of Finger pain

Finger pain: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Finger pain, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Finger pain: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Finger pain and Nerve symptoms (27 causes)
• Finger pain and Sensations (27 causes)
• Finger pain and Pain (26 causes)
• Finger pain and Arm symptoms (25 causes)
• Finger pain and Finger symptoms (24 causes)
• Finger pain and Hand symptoms (24 causes)
• Finger pain and Limb symptoms (17 causes)
• Finger pain and Leg symptoms (12 causes)
• Finger pain and Paresthesias (12 causes)
• Finger pain and Foot symptoms (11 causes)
• Finger pain and Tingling fingers (11 causes)
• Finger pain and Foot pain (10 causes)
• Finger pain and Movement symptoms (10 causes)
• Finger pain and Hand pain (9 causes)
• Finger pain and Skin problems (9 causes)
• Finger pain and Skin symptoms (9 causes)
• Finger pain and Arm paresthesia (9 causes)
• Finger pain and Hand paresthesia (9 causes)
• Finger pain and Numbness (9 causes)
• Finger pain and Swelling symptoms (8 causes)

See full list of 483 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Finger pain

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

• Pain (3014 causes)
• Finger symptoms (770 causes)
• Sensations (3186 causes)
• Nerve symptoms (3495 causes)
• Common symptoms (4555 causes)
• Hand symptoms (861 causes)
• Arm symptoms (1076 causes)
• Limb symptoms (1032 causes)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Finger pain

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Finger pain:

• Bleeding finger
• Numb fingers (29 causes)
• Tingling fingers (34 causes)
• Hand pain (58 causes)
• Wrist pain (34 causes)
• Finger symptoms (770 causes)
• Pain (3014 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Finger pain

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Finger pain from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Finger pain. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Finger pain

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Finger pain

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Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Finger pain

Diagnostic tests for Finger pain:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Finger pain. Some of these are listed below :

• General appearance - looking for bruising of the finger, deformity of finger, swelling of the finger, muscle wasting of hand and abnormal posture of the body.
• Physical examination
  • May be necessary to examine a variety of joints including the cervical spine, shoulder, elbow , wrists and the various joints of the hand
  • Examine joints of hand for signs of arthritis including swelling, deformity, tenderness, reduced range of movement
  • Test muscle tone, power, reflexes and co-ordination of upper limbs

See full list of 25 diagnostic tests for Finger pain

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Finger pain. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• How long have you noticed pain in your finger? - to establish if acute or chronic.
• Which finger(s) are affected?
• What area of the finger is affected by the pain? - to determine if local (e.g. pain around joint, around nail bed) or generalized finger pain.
• Are fingers on both hands affected and is it symmetrical?- helps determine if nerves may be the cause e.g. painful peripheral neuropathy is symmetrical compared with individual nerve or nerve root disease which should be suspected if nerve pain is asymmetrical or confined to one limb
• Are there other areas of the upper extremity or neck that are painful? - e.g. hand, wrist, arm, upper arm, shoulder - may help determine cause of finger pain.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Finger pain (30 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Finger pain) may include:

• Joint pain? - may suggest arthritic cause of the finger pain e.g. osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, gout, systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Finger or arm paresthesia? - if also paresthesia in the involved extremity this usually suggests herniated cervical disc , spinal cord tumor or cervical spondylosis. Other conditions to consider are brachial plexus neuropathy, thoracic outlet syndrome, cervical rib, Raynaud's disease, sympathetic dystrophy or various entrapment syndromes such as carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow.
• Finger weakness?
• Neck pain? - pain originating from disorders from the neck can transmit to distal parts of the arm.
• Fever? - can indicate septic arthritis, osteomyelitis.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Finger pain (30 listings)

Stories from Users for Finger pain

Real-life user stories relating to Finger pain:

• My Tongue feels like I burned it
• Pain in Fingers, Wrists, and other parts (long)
• why is my little finger hurting?? (please have a look)
• Pregnancy finger pain
• Can't bend fingers in the morning
• Help - Fingers swollen & painful
• Numbness in thumb and pain in last two fingers in hand
• Pain in Hands, Fingers,..and some other Parts ( LONG sorry)
• left ring finger - sharp pain. HELP!
• finger/hand pain and coldness
• Finger pain
• Sudden finger joint pain
• finger nail pain an pressure
• Armpit pain and numbness in fingers
• finger turned white, sore and painful from wearing plastic splint
• numb fingers, pain for a while...
• Redness in Fingers and pain, not swollen
• red itchy sore fingers
• Painful red bumps on fingers
• pain in middle finger

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Finger pain or relevant symptoms:

• Cardiovascular (Heart and Blood Circulation) (171)
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• Musculoskeletal (Muscles, joints and bones) (405)
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  • Muscle twitches/spasms
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• Integumentary (Skin) (244)
  • Itchy red bumps all over body? Hives?
  • Sensitive Skin to Touch
  • Painful skin and no answers!!!
  • Pinprick red dots, itchy skin, wrongly diagnosed
  • Skin blisters, joint & muscle pain, Photos..
  • More user stories
• Neurological (Nerves) (357)
  • Could this be MS?
  • Numbness and tingling all over
  • Tingling/numbness in arms/hands/legs/face/head [more symptoms]
  • Eye twitch
  • Essential tremor
  • More user stories
• Endocrine (Growth and Metabolism) (93)
  • Symptoms of Cushing's - Tests all negative
  • Has anyone been diagnosed with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome and are being treated??
  • Pitutary tumor
  • I am at my wits end with these symptoms
  • I think I have Cushings, can you help?
  • More user stories

Videos for Finger pain

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Organs affected by Finger pain:

The list of organs typically affected by Finger pain may include, but is not limited to:

• Finger

Detailed list of causes of Finger pain

The list below shows some of the causes of Finger pain mentioned in various sources:

• Acrodermatitis, persistent - burning around minor trauma on thumbs
• Arthritis
• Arthritis-related enthesitis - finger pain
• Bone tumor
• Broken finger - finger pain

See full list of 39 causes of Finger pain

How Common are these Causes of Finger pain?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Finger pain. Of the 39 causes of Finger pain that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 4 causes are "very common" diseases
• 1 causes are "common" diseases
• 2 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 0 causes are "rare" diseases
• 1 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 35 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 39 causes of Finger pain

Conditions listing symptoms: Finger pain:

The following list of conditions have 'Finger pain' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

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Causes of Finger pain Based on Risk Factors

This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Finger pain based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient: