What causes a felon infection?
A felon is a fingertip abscess deep in the palm side of the finger. It usually is caused by bacterial infection, most often from growth of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. A painful bump on the end of a finger that is sometimes mistaken for a felon is a herpes virus infection that forms a herpetic whitlow.
What is the infection called felon?
An infection of the pad of the finger is called a felon. The finger is made up of several small areas of tissue. Because of this, pus from an infection can build up with no place to go. Then the infection can spread deeper into the finger.
How do you treat felon infections?
Treatment consists of incision and drainage, warm-water soaks and, sometimes, oral antibiotics. Afelon is an abscess of the distal pulp of the fingertip. An early felon may be amenable to elevation, oral antibiotics, and warm water or saline soaks. Amore advanced felon requires incision and drainage.
What does a felon look like?
What does a finger felon look like? Felon finger often presents with a red bump inside the tip of the finger. If an abscess has formed, the bump may be filled with pus and may appear slightly white or yellow.
How painful is a felon?
A felon causes extreme pain at the fingertip, especially when pressure is applied to the “fingerprint” surface. The end of the finger swells, is warm and turns red. There may be an accumulation of a white, thick discharge (pus). As the felon increases, the fingertip may feel numb, and bending the finger may be painful.
How do you get rid of a felony?
A felony conviction remains on an individual’s criminal record for life. The only way to remove it is through expungement. It can be possible to have felony conviction expunged from an individual’s record. There are usually state specific criteria that must be met prior to petitioning the court for an expungement.
How serious is a felon infection?
A felon finger cannot heal properly on its own and therefore requires adequate evaluation and treatment. If left untreated, the infection can spread deeper into the finger and cause several complications. In some cases, the swelling can block the blood supply and result in tissue death (necrosis) of the finger pad.
How can a felon be treated at home?
In some cases, if recognized early, a felon finger can be treated at home. A conservative approach is to treat the felon finger by soaking it in warm water and elevating it for about 10–15 minutes, three or four times a day. Elevation by resting the finger above the level of the heart can also prove beneficial.
Does a felony ruin your life?
Does a Felony Ever Go Away? A felony charge will stay on your record for life. The only way to remove a felony from your record is through a strict process called expungement (more on expungement below).
Can a felon go away on its own?
What kind of pain does a felon cause?
A felon is an infection of the soft tissue (pulp) of the fingertip, usually caused by bacteria. A felon can lead to a pocket of pus (abscess) inside the fingertip, which creates pressure on and causes death of nearby tissues. The fingertip becomes very warm, swollen, and firm with intense throbbing pain.
What kind of infection is a felon infection?
Felon is an infection of the pulp space of the distal portion of a finger or toe near the nail bed, which is usually due to puncture wound.
How are felons treated in the medical field?
Treatment Felons are usually treated with minor surgery to allow drainage. Typically, your doctor will make the whole finger numb by injecting an anesthetic once into each side of your finger, just beyond the knuckle of the hand. Then he or she will make one or more small cuts in the tip of your finger to allow the pus to drain out.
Can a felon spread an infection to the bone?
Also, an untreated felon can spread its infection to the bone within the finger. This can lead to a more serious infection, called osteomyelitis, which takes much longer to cure. Like other types of infections, felons sometimes begin after the finger is punctured by a wood splinter or something else.