What should you know about thumb nail pain and swelling?

A knock can bruise the tissue beneath the nail, while a torn cuticle or nail edge can irritate the surrounding skin. Tenderness, warmth, redness, or pus beside the nail can indicate infection and should not be squeezed. A nail that lifts, splits, or turns dark after injury needs an examination when pain is significant or movement is affected.

Pain at the nail is different from pain at the thumb base or wrist. De Quervain's Tenosynovitis presents around the thumb-side wrist rather than as swelling beside the nail, so describing the exact location is useful.

Keep the area clean and dry, protect it from further knocks, and avoid biting, cutting, or pulling the nail and cuticle. A cool cloth may ease soreness after a minor bump. Do not pierce a darkened nail or drain swelling yourself. Remove rings from the affected hand if swelling is developing.

A clinician can decide whether a trapped blood collection, nail-bed injury, or infection needs treatment. Do not apply leftover antibiotics or strong antiseptics without advice, since they may irritate damaged skin.

Seek same-day care for pus, spreading redness, increasing warmth, fever, severe throbbing, or swelling after a deep puncture. After a crush injury, prompt assessment is also needed if the nail is badly split, the thumb is misshapen, or you cannot bend or straighten it. Urgent help is appropriate for a pale, blue, cold, or numb thumb.

Is the nail bed injured or is the skin infected? Does the nail need protection while it grows out? What changes in colour, drainage, or pain should prompt a return visit?