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.

That doesn't sound like Achenbach's but something else. The point about Achenbach's is its not known to be a precursor to, or symptom, of anything and was first described in the 1950's. I have no idea about the vein interference thing. It seems unlikely as by definition it is limited to the hands and feet. I was a blood donor for around 30 years, starting in my early 20's and first remember getting an Achenbach episode before that around age 16. I never had an episode linked to a donation. I am now 70. If Achenbachs is a precursor (and its never been reported to be) then it had better get a move on!! I have no idea of your age but mine got worse during perimenopause both in frequently and severity of the bruising, which apparently is not unusual. It has died down again now which is also a common phenomenon. I do believe that its much more common than recorded medicine thinks it is because of the speed with which it resolves. Even when it was possible to get a quick GP appointment, I have only ever managed to get to a GP while still showing bruising once although that may change now because of phones with still cameras and video although all too often, the bruising looks just like a bruise due to injury. www.healthline.com/health/achenbach-syndrome

Hi had this for years, it's a pinched nerve, it can be painful at times at others you don't realise until it's bruised, carrying message bags are my usual downfall, sometimes I've no idea how it's happened, I also have fibromyalgia and hypermobility, I've noticed others who have these conditions , one or other or both, can suffer the same thing. Not saying you have these conditions by no means. But you might want to pay attention to when it happens if you can, if the blood supply gets restricted even for a second it's possible to happen in some ppl. It's nothing to worry about my GP told me , basically I've just to get on with it. Hope this helps .

Yes I know this is an old thread but gonna answer anyway. Yours may well be triggered by a pinched nerve but mine (and many other people's) is not and as you said many people including myself don't have fibro or hypermobility.

I’ve had this intermittently for many years mine isn’t associated with any trauma but I get a sharp pain followed by the bruise, has always been fingers apart from one occasion when I had pain followed by a huge bruise covering most of the top of my foot.

I think its commoner than ther medical profession believes. The symptoms are so transient that it quite hard to get to a doctor while the bruising still shows and once its happened a few times at intervals and nothing else happens then it tends to be dismissed by the sufferer. Additionally and anecdotally it seems to be most prevalent in peri and post menopausal women who historically seem to get ignored or told that its a symptom of menopause.

This thread came up on my 'watch' list and I couldn't for the life of me think why. Then I saw the photos and remembered that back in 2021 I had this happen a few times but never posted about it. It was on my ring or middle fingers. It hasn't happened since then. At the time I would have been 63, and I have hypermobility syndrome.

I agree it is probably quite a common occurrence but doctors rarely see it, it never occurred to me to see a GP about it.

I get this, happens, probably about once a year, a sudden burning pain on the inside of my finger, bit swollen that turns into a bruise which lasts a few days, then finger is all back to normal, it seems to happen spontaneously for no reason.

started when I was about 50, female