Blog Category

Category: Fingers

Blog // Fingers
Categories
Fingers General

What is the Medical Term for Trigger Finger?

Read Blog
The medical term for trigger finger, represented in this image, is stenosing tenosynovitis.

The phrase “trigger finger” can be rather deceptive. It’s not about spending too much time at the firing range – although that may do it. It actually refers to the shape that the finger takes when you have this condition, as well as the popping or snapping sound the finger
might make when you are finally able to straighten it out.

Understanding the medical term for trigger finger and what the condition is may help clear the air.

What is the Medical Term for Trigger Finger?

Trigger finger occurs when the pulley at the base of the finger becomes too thick and then constricts around the tendon. As a result, it can be hard to move the tendon, and you may feel pain, popping, or a feeling of resistance when you try to straighten the finger. When this happens, the tendon may swell and cause pain, and this can happen repeatedly over time. In some cases, the tendon becomes locked, and it may be hard to move the finger at all.

The medical term for trigger finger is stenosing tenosynovitis.

What does “stenosing” mean?

Stenosing derives from the word stenosis, which is defined as an abnormal narrowing or contraction of a body passage or opening.

Other types of stenoses as used in the medical sense include aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, spinal stenosis, and tracheal stenosis, among many others.

What does “tenosynovitis” mean?

“Teno” refers to tendon. “Synovitis” refers to inflammation of a synovial membrane, which contains synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is a lubricating fluid secreted by the tendon sheath, which is what allows a healthy finger to move properly.

Tenosynovitis, therefore, literally means “inflammation of a tendon,” as well as its sheath.

It typically occurs in the hands, wrists, feet, and ankles due to intense, repetitive use, such as when playing a piano. In addition to overuse, it may occur due to an injury that leads to infection, as well as tuberculous or gonorrheal infection.

Combine it all together, and you get stenosing tenosynovitis: inflammation of a tendon that causes abnormal narrowing or contraction.

Don’t worry. You can still call it “trigger finger.”

Categories
Fingers General

Dupuytren’s Contracture vs. Trigger Finger: What is the Difference?

Read Blog
There are a number of differences in Dupuytren's contracture vs. trigger finger.

When it comes to Dupuytren’s contracture vs. trigger finger, the differences are not always clear. On the surface, they have similar effects on the fingers. When you look deeper, however, you will see that the reason why the fingers are functioning the way they do is different.

Facts about Dupuytren’s Contracture vs. Trigger Finger

It’s easy to see why people may confuse the two conditions. They are similar in some ways. First of all, both conditions can affect any finger. Another similarity is the appearance. The affected fingers are typically curved inward toward the palm, although in some cases they can be bent to the left or right.

Otherwise, they are very different conditions. Following is a breakdown of the differences in Dupuytren’s contracture vs. trigger finger.

What is Trigger Finger?

The technical name for trigger finger is stenosing tenosynovitis. Trigger finger is caused when an injury causes a finger to get stuck in a bent position. This occurs when inflammation narrows the sheath around the tendons, leading to the formation of a nodule. When you flex this finger, the nodule must slide through the narrow sheath, causing a snapping sensation.

Treatment for trigger finger may include:

  • The use of medications to relieve pain
  • Therapy that includes rest, stretching exercises, and the use of a splint
  • Steroid injections
  • A percutaneous release procedure, where the hand surgeon uses a needle to break apart the constriction that is blocking proper movement
  • Surgery to loosen the constricted area
Trigger finger is usually caused by an injury and is most common in the thumb, index finger, and middle finger.
Trigger finger is usually caused by an injury and is most common in the thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

What is Dupuytren’s Contracture?

Dupuytren’s contracture develops over time. It begins when tissue forms knots under the skin of the palm. As these knots form, they create a cord that pulls the fingers into a bent position. Everyday activities like gripping silverware can become difficult with this condition.

Similar to one of the trigger finger treatment options, Dupuytren’s contracture can be treated with the needling procedure to break the cord of tissue that is causing a finger to contract. Other treatment options include self-care, Xiaflex enzyme injections, and surgery.

Surgery for Dupuytren’s contracture entails removing all the tissue that is affected, including the skin. A skin graft may be required to repair the wound. Because this is a serious procedure with a lengthy recovery time, it is ideal only for those who have a diminished quality of life due to the condition.

Dupuytren’s contracture develops over time and stems from the tissue in the palm.
Dupuytren’s contracture develops over time and stems from the tissue in the palm.

Differences Between the Two Hand Conditions

Following are some of the primary differences in Dupuytren’s contracture vs. trigger finger.

  1. Trigger finger starts with the fingers while Dupuytren’s contracture stems from the palm.
  2. Dupuytren’s contracture involves the tissue, but trigger finger involves the tendons.
  3. Trigger finger is most common in the thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Dupuytren’s contracture is most likely to occur in the fourth finger and the pinky.
  4. Someone who has trigger finger can straighten the finger if they tried, but someone with Dupuytren’s contracture cannot.
  5. Whereas trigger finger is usually the result of an injury, the causes of Dupuytren’s contracture are not clear.

If you have experienced a recent injury that led to trigger finger or have been seeing the effects of Dupuytren’s contracture progress over a number of years, see our hand specialist in Macomb, Warren, West Bloomfield, or Howell for treatment. Make an appointment by calling our office or sending our hand surgery team a message online.

 

Call Our Hand Care Team

Categories
Fingers General

Broken Knuckle Symptoms & Treatment Options in Southeast Michigan

Read Blog
Broken knuckle symptoms include swelling and deformity of the finger. Seek broken knuckle treatment at our southeast Michigan hand specialist's office.

If you have a broken knuckle, it’s likely very painful, red, and swollen, and you probably won’t be able to move it for days or weeks. Despite this injury, many people mistakenly assume that it will heal on its own … and it might. But if you don’t seek broken knuckle treatment as soon as possible, the recovery process will take longer than necessary.

More importantly, the knuckle may heal incorrectly, leading to a deformity in the finger and possibly damaging the nerves around it. If that does happen, correcting the problem may require a surgical procedure, so it’s important to get the injury treated rather than face the effects indefinitely.

Signs and Symptoms of Broken Knuckles

The problem is that you can’t tell if a knuckle is broken or only bruised by looking at it. In order to determine the extent of the injury, make an appointment to see our hand specialist at a southeast Michigan office near you.

In the meantime, following are some of the signs that your knuckle may be broken, not only bruised.

  • Difficulty moving that particular finger
  • Swelling of the finger and hand, particularly in that area
  • Bruising
  • Redness
  • Pain
  • A visibly misshapen hand
  • Cut or pierced skin
  • Depressed knuckle
  • Popping or cracking sound when you try to move it

Many patients say that their hand began to swell about 10 minutes after the injury, but the bruising may become visible instantly.

Having a depressed knuckle is one of the clearest signs that the knuckle is broken rather than bruised. The length of time that it takes to recover is also a sign. A bruised knuckle generally heals within a few days without long-term effects. A broken knuckle may take several weeks to heal completely, and even then you may never get proper function back in that finger if you did not seek treatment right away.

Broken Knuckle Treatment Options

Known as metacarpal fractures, common causes of broken knuckles include punching something, getting your finger stuck in a door or window, getting injured while playing sports, and falling.

Broken knuckle treatment aims to alleviate pain and swelling in the short-term, as well as facilitate proper healing for later.

As a first aid treatment for a broken knuckle, start with applying a cold pack to the area to minimize pain and swelling. Try to keep your hand in an elevated position as well.

When you come in to see Dr. Arora for broken knuckle treatment, he will likely immobilize that finger so that the knuckle can heal. It may involve “buddy taping” that finger to the one beside it or using a splint or cast. The use of over-the-counter or prescription pain medication may help as well. If the injury involved a cut or wound, you may need antibiotics to prevent infection.

Surgical Treatment Options for Finger Injuries

Most of these injuries don’t require surgery, but that may be necessary if you have an open fracture, pieces of the bone are unstable, the tissues are damaged, or multiple fractures exist in the same area.

The type of surgery for broken knuckles depends on the severity and location of the injury. The possibilities include:

  • Internal fixation, which involves making an incision and realigning the knuckle
  • External fixation, which involves using pins to secure a metal frame around your finger or hand to keep the knuckle in place until it heals

After you have healed, you may need to work with a hand therapist to recover the functionality of your hand.

For broken knuckle treatment in southeast Michigan, make an appointment to see Dr. Arora in West Bloomfield, Howell, Warren, or Macomb Township.

Call Our Hand Care Team

Categories
Fingers Treatments

Thumb Joint Surgery: What You Can Expect

Read Blog
Do you need thumb joint surgery in Macomb, Oakland, or Livingston County? Make an appointment with our hand specialist to see if you do. In this image, a medical professional examines a patient's thumb.

Thumb joint surgery may be required for many reasons.

Maybe you broke part of the bones in your thumb and you now require surgery to fix them. Maybe the ligaments in your thumb are tightening up or feeling pinched, resulting in intense pain.

Symptoms like these are often attributed to arthritis, which is arguably the most common reason why patients have surgery on their thumbs. Arthritis is caused by repetitive movement, so if you’ve had a job for many years that required extensive use of your thumbs, it’s not unlikely to feel pain now and again.

Signs & Symptoms

The big question to ask yourself is, “How often am I feeling this pain?”

If it’s only occasional or doesn’t seem to bother you regularly, other thumb pain relief treatments or answers may exist for you. Pain medication and physical therapy may be two possible options when dealing with only mild or inconsistent pain in the joints of your thumbs.

However, if the pain is constant or too intense to sit through, the problem may be worse than you think. In this case, thumb joint surgery may be your only solution.

Why is this Pain Occurring?

Let’s look at some potential reasons why this may be happening to you. The most common reason for thumb joint arthritis is that the joints are beginning to loosen up. This happens with age; you become weaker, your bones become more brittle, and your muscles can’t hold up the strength they possessed during your youth.

It’s important to avoid heavy or repetitive movements when you age so that your joints don’t become worn out.

You, like all humans, have cartilage that surrounds and cushions the ends of your bones. As you age, this cartilage is likely to wear away or disappear, meaning your bones can rub against one another. This leads to pain and limited movement.

READ MORE ABOUT ARTHRITIS AT THE BASE OF THE THUMB.

Another reason why this may be occurring is because of your gender. It is suggested that thumb joint pain is about ten times more likely to occur in women than in men, though science has not been able to suggest why.

What to Consider

Either way, joint pain in the thumbs can still occur in both women and men, and there are different surgical procedures that can be applied to relieve your thumbs of any discomfort.

Bear in mind that under certain circumstances, your thumbs could take as long as one year after the surgery to feel different. It’s important to keep an eye on your joints and monitor whatever improvements you feel.

In addition, it’s also necessary to monitor your movement and make sure you’re not engaged in any harsh physical activity until your hands feel stronger and more capable. Otherwise, you run the risk of inflicting more pain and doing more damage to yourself, rendering the surgery useless or inefficient.

Thumb Joint Surgery Options

Let’s examine some of the surgical options that are available to relieve your thumb joint pain.

Ligament Reconstruction

Sometimes, the best route to take when working on a project is to simply start over. If you’re having difficulty on a report, document, construction model, or anything else, sometimes starting from scratch after is the best way to go.

This same idea applies to your joints. If your thumb joints have already endured extensive damage over the years, your doctor may just seek to rebuild your ligaments. This often requires parts of the tendons in your wrist be removed and added to the damaged joint muscles in your thumbs. Once connected, mechanical function is restored.

This procedure tends to work best if you catch the symptoms of your arthritis early. If you’re quick to notice the pain and don’t delay when seeking treatment, this surgery can be very successful.

READ MORE ABOUT VARIOUS FORMS OF ARTHRITIS.

However, as with every situation, there is a downside to consider. While your joints become stabilized, not much can be done to replace any lost cartilage or to strengthen your bones.

Fusion

The pain in your thumbs can be reduced or expunged by fusing the bones in your thumb joints together. The surgeon will create a hole in your thumb’s metacarpal bone, insert a pin into the hole, and align the bones together. The pin holds them in place, and with enough time, they’ll eventually fuse and become one single bone.

This procedure usually applies mostly to younger persons who have very physical jobs, such as athletes or warehouse workers. They’re likely to wear out implants and require a “quick fix” so they can return to work in as little time as possible.

While the procedure either reduces or eliminates pain, it does possess a high complication rate, and it can potentially damage other joints or limit your movement capabilities permanently if you’re not careful.

In any case, make an appointment to see our hand surgeon in Howell, West Bloomfield, Warren, or Macomb Township to see which kinds of procedures would offer the best results for you.

Categories
Fingers General

Snap, Crackle, Pop: The Truth About Knuckle Cracking Your Parents Didn’t Want You to Know

Read Blog
Knuckle cracking or knuckle popping is probably not as dangerous as they say, and there is no clear evidence that it leads to arthritis or swollen knuckles.

Straight to the point: Knuckle cracking is probably not as bad as they say, and that’s the general consensus among researchers as of today.

Yes, other people might still cringe and yell, “Stop doing that!” But the habit is probably not as detrimental to your joints and fingers as others would have you think. The rumors of the dangers of knuckle cracking are greatly exaggerated.

The possibilities that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis and that it causes your joints to swell are most likely false myths, but there may be some truth to them. More research is needed, but as far as researchers have found at the present time, cracking your knuckles doesn’t signal the end of the world.

What Happens When You Crack Your Knuckles

To start with, many people may wonder: “Well, why do our knuckles crack anyway? What makes us feel the need to pop the joints?”

Basically, when you pop your knuckles, you’re popping a gas bubble. It’s similar to the sound of popping a balloon or bubble wrap.

When you stretch your joints, you release gas, and that gas forms a bubble in the lubricating synovial fluid between your joints. That bubble can then pop and collapse, either on its own or when you pop your joint intentionally.

That’s why you typically can’t crack a knuckle more than once. It takes about 20 minutes for that gas to return and form a bubble. (Bet you didn’t know that little fact, huh? We virtually saw the light go off in your head just now.)

In addition to causing arthritis, another myth is that knuckle cracking makes your knuckles larger. You know the one: “Don’t crack your knuckles, or you’ll never be able to wear a ring!” That hasn’t been found to be true either.

The Other Kind of Popping

The sound you hear when you intentionally crack your knuckles due to that bubble of gas is different than the popping you occasionally hear when you stand up from a seated position or crouch down to pick something up off the ground.

That popping, typically in your knees, ankles, or hips, may be the sound of tendons sliding between muscle or over the bones. That kind of sound could be related to osteoarthritis, which occurs when the lubrication between your joints begins to wear away, but it may happen in perfectly healthy joints as well.

Want to Hear More?

Bottom line: Although constantly cracking and popping your knuckles can annoy those around you, doing so is not that bad, and it has not been proven to lead to arthritis or create huge knuckles.

In fact, a Nobel-prize winning researcher, Donald Unger, made himself the subject of a case study in this regard. He popped the knuckles on one hand for 60 years, but not the other. In the end, he didn’t have any more arthritis in one hand than the other.

If your joints ache when they pop or you are concerned about your condition, however, you may wish to make an appointment to see Dr. Arora in West Bloomfield, Macomb, Warren, or Howell for an examination.

As for why you’re constantly cracking your knuckles as a nervous habit, well that’s a different discussion for another day.

Contact Us

Categories
Fingers General

What Causes Broken Knuckles and How to Treat Them

Read Blog
Seek treatment if you experience a broken knuckle in order to avoid possible deformity and unnecessary challenges. There are many potential causes of broken knuckles.

The pain, swelling, and stiffness of a broken knuckle is something many people have experienced, but they then played tough and allowed the injury to heal on its own. Most likely, that decision led to everlasting regret, as a broken bone that is allowed to heal without proper treatment may lead to malformation of that finger.

Although a misshapen finger is relatively minor in the grand scheme of life, it’s still not pleasant to see. More importantly, the muscles and bones will not function the way they were supposed to, possibly leading to minor pain and awkward movements forever.

Do yourself a favor and seek treatment if you experience a broken knuckle in order to avoid possible deformity and unnecessary challenges.

Common Causes of Broken Knuckles

Two of the most common types of hand fractures are phalanges fractures and metacarpal fractures. Phalanges fractures occur in the 14 smaller bones of the fingers. The thumb contains two phalanges, while the other fingers contain three each. Metacarpal fractures are a break in one or more of the five long metacarpal bones of the fingers.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, metacarpal fractures comprise between 18 percent and 44 percent of all hand fractures. Non-thumb metacarpals account for about 88 percent of all metacarpal fractures, with the fifth finger most commonly involved.

Punching something or someone is the most common cause of broken knuckles, which is why athletes who enjoy boxing are encouraged to wrap their hands or use boxing gloves. In fact, broken knuckles are so common in this sport that an injury of the pinky is sometimes referred to as a “boxer’s fracture.”

In addition to participating in sports or other exercises, common causes of broken knuckles include:

  • jamming the finger in a door, window, or tool
  • slamming your hand against a hard surface
  • falling
  • injuring your finger at the workplace, especially in fields requiring skilled labor
A broken knuckle should be treated as soon as possible. If not, the break may heal incorrectly, causing a deformity of the finger.
A broken knuckle should be treated as soon as possible. If not, the break may heal incorrectly, causing a deformity of the finger.

Hand Fracture Treatment

Treatment of broken knuckles or fractured knuckles typically involves realigning the bone by stabilizing it, although the location and extent of the fracture will determine the course of treatment. A common way to do so is to advise the patient to wear a splint or brace until the injury heals.

Surgery is another option, including in cases where an injury has healed improperly and realignment is required. You may require surgery if:

  • Your metacarpal bones are broken and misaligned
  • Your fingers do not align correctly
  • The fracture has broken through the skin
  • The pain gradually worsens

If you have experienced a hand fracture, Dr. Arora will take several steps to gauge the extent of the injury, including:

  • testing the motion and sensitivity in the fingers
  • assessing if there is any significant loss of finger length or loss of the normal alignment of the fingers
  • checking sensitivity to touch to determine if there is nerve damage
  • having an X-ray taken to analyze the extent and location of the fracture

If you have experienced a broken knuckle or other hand fracture, Dr. Arora will help determine the best course of treatment for you. Make an appointment through his website or by calling one of his offices, located in West Bloomfield, Howell, Warren, and Macomb Township.

Schedule an Appointment

Categories
Fingers General Treatments

Mallet Finger: Definitions, Symptoms, and Treatment

Read Blog
As shown here, a splint can be used to correct mallet finger if a hand doctor is seen soon after the finger injury.

Mallet finger is common in many individuals, especially because issues that occur regularly can lead to it. Slamming a finger into a door, injuring it with a baseball, falling, or any number of mishaps can all lead to this finger deformity.

What is Mallet Finger?

A mallet finger is a deformity of the finger caused when the tendon that straightens your finger (the extensor tendon) is damaged.

Such injuries are very common among athletes. When a ball or other object strikes the tip of the finger or thumb and forcibly bends it, the force tears the tendon that straightens out the finger. It may even pull away a piece of bone along with the tendon. As a result, the tip of the finger or thumb is no longer able to straighten.  In fact, mallet finger is also known as baseball finger for this reason.

In a mallet finger, the fingertip droops. If the injury is recent, the finger may be painful, swollen, and bruised. These effects will be especially pronounced if there is an associated fracture. These symptoms may decrease over time, but mild discomfort in the finger and tendons may persist.

Occasionally, blood collects beneath the nail, and the nail can even become detached from beneath the skin fold at the base of the nail.

Mallet Finger Treatment

The majority of mallet finger injuries can be treated without surgery. Ice should be applied immediately, and the hand should be elevated with the fingers toward the ceiling. Medical attention should be sought within a week after injury, or the finger could heal improperly, leading to more permanent damage. It is especially important to seek immediate attention if there is blood beneath the nail or if the nail is detached. This may be a sign of a nail bed laceration or an open fracture.

Mallet fingers can also be treated with splints or casts that keep the fingertip straight until the tendon heals. This usually lasts about eight weeks. The good news is that the finger usually regains acceptable function and appearance with this treatment, although some inability to fully extend the finger may continue.  Once the finger has healed, a hand surgeon or hand therapist will teach you exercises to regain motion in the fingertip.

Seeing a hand doctor for children with mallet finger is especially crucial. Because their fingers are still growing, a doctor can aim to ensure that the finger or fingers do not become stunted or deformed.

Surgery may be required to treat mallet finger if:

  • The condition is severe
  • There are large bone fragments
  • Joints are misaligned.
  • Using a split is not ideal or possible
  • Other treatments are not successful.

Surgical treatments may include tightening the tendon, using tendon grafts, or fusing the joint straight. Pins, wires, or small screws may be used to aid healing.

If you have a new finger injury or have been coping with the symptoms of mallet finger for years, make an appointment to see our hand surgeon in West Bloomfield, Howell, Warren, or Macomb. Dr. Avery Arora can help determine the right treatment options for you.

Schedule an Appointment

Categories
Fingers General

‘Toe Thumbs’: Wonderfully Distinctive

Read Blog
What are toe thumbs, clubbed thumbs, or stub thumbs? This thumb nail looks shorter than some other thumbnails.
Photo Credit: WorldWide Interweb

A Detroit area woman who was recently ghosted after a first date was curious about the reason why, so she had a local radio station contact her date. And would you guess what the reason was? Go ahead, take a guess. … It wasn’t because of her looks; she was beautiful. It wasn’t because of her personality; they said they had a good date. Wouldn’t you know it? Of all things in the world, it was because she had “toe thumbs.”

As surprising as that sounds, she’s not the first to be called out on it.

The gorgeous actress and model Megan Fox has been scrutinized for having “toe thumbs” too.

You know what we say? If that’s the worst of your problems, you can consider yourself very fortunate.

There is really nothing wrong with this type of thumb, which is more appropriately called a “clubbed thumb” or “stub thumb.” It works just like any other thumb. It just looks a wee bit shorter and wider. It’s cute if you really think about it.

Technically, it’s a Brachydactyly type D skeletal variation, or Brachymegalodactylism.

Those big words simply mean that the thumb is about 2/3 the size of a longer thumb, and the nail bed is usually shorter as well.

The reason it occurs is nothing serious. The end bones of the thumbs are shorter, and that’s essentially all there is to it. It’s just one of those genetic factors that make people who they are.

So we’ve mentioned Megan Fox, but do you know of any other celebrities who have these thumbs?

We do!

  • Sanaa Lathan (“The Family that Preys,” “The Best Man,” “Now You See Me 2”)
  • Malin Akerman (“The Proposal,” “Watchmen”)
  • Tory Mussett (“Peter Pan,” “Boogeyman”)
  • Ashley Tesoro (Christian and country music singer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”)

Did you ever even notice? Probably not, because all of those celebrities are beautiful just the way they are.

So if you have clubbed thumbs, wear them proudly!

If you still genuinely don’t like them, contact us to learn more about clubbed thumb surgery options or other solutions.

Categories
Fingers General

All About Fingernails: What They Are and How Long It Takes for Fingernails to Grow Back after an Injury

Read Blog
Fingernails can be rather mysterious. What are fingernails made of? How do fingernails grow? How long does it take for fingernails to grow back after an injury? If you are concerned about fingernail regrowth or damage to your nail bed, make an appointment to see our hand surgeon.

It’s amazing how something so basic can be so mysterious. Of course, we’re talking about fingernails. We were all born with them, we have them with us for every second of every day, we clip them, we have fun polishing them, and yet most of the general population doesn’t actually know what they are.

What are Fingernails, Really?

Do you really, truly know what fingernails are? Are they bones? Ligaments? Tissue? Really thick skin? Are you using them to scratch your head right now?

If you said tissue, you’re on the right track. Fingernails are made of keratin, a protein that forms the cells that make up the tissue in nails. Nails form under your skin and push old cells through as they start to grow. The nails you see, therefore, are essentially dead cells. While the visible part of your nails have no feeling, the inner part of your nails under your skin do. That’s why you can feel pressure near your cuticles but feel nothing when you clip your nails.

Your cuticles are there, by the way, to protect the growth of the cells and prevent infection. Most nail technicians remove them during a manicure for cosmetic purposes. While that’s relatively harmless, it means the cuticles won’t be as effective at their job of protecting your nails and fingers from fungus and other infections.

Can You Completely Lose a Fingernail?

You often hear people talking about “losing a fingernail,” but is that really possible? The answer is yes and no.

You can completely lose the dead cells, the visible part of your nail. But truly, the heart of your nail is under your skin in what is called the matrix or nail root, and you generally won’t lose that. You can, however, damage the matrix, resulting in deformation of the fingernail as it grows back.

How Long Does it Take for Fingernails to Grow Back after an Injury?

If the visible part of your fingernails becomes detached due to an injury, the nail will grow back on its own. But it will require some patience on your part. For the average adult, fingernails grow about 1/10 of an inch a month. That means it can take up to six months for your fingernail to grow back to its full size.

But if you’ve recently lost a fingernail, look at the bright side: At least it wasn’t a toenail. Toenails grow back three to four times slower than fingernails, so it could take up to 1 1/2 years for a toenail to grow back completely.

Nutrients for Healthy Fingernails

Vitamins that are believed to be beneficial for nails include:

  • Biotin, naturally found in foods including liver, nuts, salmon, avocados, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.
  • Folic Acid/Vitamin B9, naturally found in foods including leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, cereals, and rice.
  • Vitamin D, naturally found in dairy products, fatty fish, and eggs.
  • Vitamin B12, naturally found in organ meats, beef, clams, sardines, tuna, trout, salmon, eggs, and dairy products.
  • Iron, naturally found in shellfish, spinach, legumes, red meat, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, turkey, broccoli, tofu, and dark chocolate.
  • Magnesium, naturally found in bananas, dark chocolate, avocados, nuts, legumes, tofu, seeds, whole grains, some fatty fish, and leafy greens.
  • Vitamin C, naturally found in abundance in kakadu plums, as well as cherries, chili peppers, guava, persimmons, thyme, kiwi, and kale.
  • Zinc, naturally found in meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, some vegetables, and dark chocolate.

Other Interesting Facts about Fingernails

  1. Children’s and teenager’s fingernails grow faster than that of adults.
  2. Fingernails grow faster in the summer than in the winter. It’s unclear why this is so, but it’s possibly related to the additional absorption of Vitamin D into your body as a result of more time out in the sun.
  3. Your hair is made out of the same substance.
  4. Men’s nails tend to grow faster than women’s nails.

One More Thing We Have to Say

While all of the above refers to relatively minor fingernail injuries and basic fingernail regrowth, some situations could be more serious and require immediate care. If you have a serious injury, acting quickly can prevent permanent damage to your nail bed or fingers. For assistance, visit an urgent care facility or make an appointment to see Dr. Arora in Howell, West Bloomfield, Warren, or Macomb Township.

Schedule an Appointment

Bill Payment Made Easy

Pay on the Go!

Get on the List

Subscribe

Patient

Stories

Read All

Dr. Aroras office from my first call to schedule my appointment was friendly. Walking in the first day, I felt like I was in a nice atmosphere. Dr. Arora was EXCELLENT in taking great care of my hand injury. He was gentle and very understanding to the concerns I had about my hand. His expertise was admirable and I would recommend anyone with an injury to their hand to his office to be under his care. Because of him, I have healed faster than expected and will make an 100% recovery! Thank you Dr.

Jackie S.

I first thought I was going to have to have painful injections or surgery, but Dr. Arora suggested physical therapy may do the trick. I was doubtful, but I agreed to do it. Now, my pain is gone, and with the help of an ergonomic keyboard at work to keep my hands in the correct position, I am virtually pain free. The therapy strengthened my wrists and shoulders, and built more flexibility into my wrists.

Jerry T.

My experience with this doctor was positive from the outset. Dr. Arora was kind and spent a great deal of time with me. Staff was friendly. The office was nice and bright.

Ariel G.

Very friendly and helpful Great staff!!! Doctor Arora was very professional and did great work. I was very happy with everything!

L B.