Achenbach syndrome - help, please!

[ChipButty]

Over the past month, I have twice experienced a sudden sharp pain - once in a finger and once in my thumb - followed by the sudden appearance of a bruise and slight redness and swelling. The pain recedes quite quickly and the bruising fades over a few days. I have found the name for this condition but cannot find much information about it. Don't know whether to see a doctor. Has anyone had any experience of this, please? TIA.

Had it for years, usually on fingers, occasionally on back of hand. Starts with a stinging or burning sensation, followed by swelling, then bruising.

Just been googling achenbach syndrome as I asked on Facebook about my finger tonight, but I noticed most people get the bruising on the inside whereas mine is on the outside. Also my knuckle has gone red too now… anyone else get this too ? X

@Sheena007 I get it on the backs and sides of my fingers, usually the middle ones.

I’ve got a blue bruise and swelling around my index finger knuckle . Was sore yesterday but eased today. Think it may be Achenbach from googling, but someone said here that alternative could be burst blood vessels, eg from carrying shopping. Which I did do, yesterday. Although I’ve never had this reaction from carrying shopping before ! I’m around 50 ish , so that fits.

This has happened to me a few times but today was the worst! I was using a dustpan and brush and then felt sudden swelling in my thumb. It was quickly twice the normal size and now a bruise has appeared. Pictures are of today and also a previous occasion.

I got one yesterday but without the usual sting/pop. Just looked down and had a funny colour finger!

Did it still hurt?

No, actually. But to be honest, I've stopped noticing. The pop, bruise and get better fairly often. I usually feel them go, but they don't usually hurt after the initial sting.

My thumb is pretty much completely purple and still very swollen. Never had the swelling before, bizarre. It hurts like a bruise too.

A big one then! I honestly try not to think about it too much. It bothers me that I have brittle, friable veins!

The swelling had gone but I’ve just managed to do it again putting the iron away! Now it’s swollen back up again. Bruising hadn’t gone but presumably it’ll be worse again.

has anyone managed to do it on the same place so quickly? It’s been 3 days!

Don’t think it’s happened to me on the same place before, but weirdly it’s happened to me this morning just by opening a drawer then on another finger of the opposite hand a couple of minutes ago. Before today it hadn’t happened to me for months.

I’ve just come across this thread as I have experienced this today also for the first time ! I am 29 years old , I was just casually walking through my kitchen when I felt this sudden shooting pain through my thumb , I held it tight with my other hand as it was pulsating , swelling and hot to touch , it only lasted for about 30 seconds and it disappeared again, I never thought much of it though the day until I was blow drying a clients hair , (I am a full time mum but do some hair dressing when I can ) I noticed my arm felt slightly dead , baring in mind I hadn’t done any hair dressing in the morning when it happened , I then looked at my thumb and noticed it had started to change colour . I still have a bit of heavy ness in my arm but the thumb itself feels ok unless I press hard on it , I am presuming it is what everyone else has said ? I did phone doctor who thought perhaps it was a spontaneous burst blood vessel

That looks just like mine. I’ve popped mine for a third time in a week!

Make that the fourth!

Do you also get like a dull arm ache ? 😅

No I haven’t had that but I feel like my thumb is going to be permanently twice the size of the other one now!

I get this too - twice in the last week - a finger and a toe. This is first time it has been a finger. Normally its a toe (again 3rd or 4th) and I assume I must have stepped on something but I'm sure I didn't. A pop and then a bruise and being unable to bend the toe/finger properly. Ice and elevation is the only thing that helps the toes. Didn't google til today and it led me here. Nothing on NHS site though.....

now you mention it, maybe... but this is the first time its affected a finger.

Oh wow - so pleased to find this thread!
I get this too. Would never have known this was its name. Wonder how many of us there would be if we started a thread with "finger bruise" or something as title.
Clearly this is way more common than we think - but affects middle aged women, so meh...
I'm early 40s and have hypermobile hands.

I have developed this syndrome in the last couple of years. It's my feet or toes that are mainly affected but sometimes fingers.

I get a sharp stabbing pain, when that happens, I now reach for an ice pack and place it on affected area, I feel it somehow helps. I am then left with a nice purple bruise which takes a few days to go down

Yes my mother,myself,and my daughter all have this.I’d love to know why it happens.

I have just been doing a regoogle as yesterday i got one at the side of my big toe and along in the toe crease of the other toes on the same foot. All I can say, as a sufferer for some 65 years, is that the medical folk who write most of the articles don't seem to have any idea what they are talking about. Given that the only time I ever managed to get to a gp with bruising on my foot still showing (years before decent cameras on phones), he confidently told me it was chillblains, I am not surprised.

I have had this same thing. Long time back I was advised by physicians to not donate blood because my veins do not like interference. I suspect these blood vessels bursting have something to do with circulation issues but I'm no Dr. What concerns me is that it is a precursor to some other condition laying ahead for us. A symptom of some sort or a warning that's been trivialized because intially it's minor...

I have one which appeared about 6 weeks ago. A bruise with a slight swelling/bump and pain. Sometimes the bruise fades and then it comes back. It was purple yesterday, faded a bit today. But the added bruising has spread a bit to the side of my finger. I am a bit concerned. Not sure if it's this achenbach though.