Finger Bruises
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Q:
I was climbing in the gym yesterday and hurt my pinky on a hold that was lippy and dug into the side of the finger. When I came down my finger was bruising and tender. Over the next 30 minutes it became really bruised and painful. Today, although it remains bruised it hurts less. What have I done?
— Vanessa, Melbourne, Australia
A:
Vanessa, I tapped into your aura to have a quick look around for any major malfunctions that might explain your easy bruising. Nothing. On an aside, you may be preggers. Either that, or you have an overwhelming desire to be so and your energy field is eliciting a phantom pregnancy.
You have squeezed one of the larger digital vessels, artery or vein, against the hold so hard that it popped like a turtle on the interstate. Although relatively small, say the width of a toothpick, it has bled profusely into the local area, resulting in rapid bruising.
Arteries and veins have no sensory-nerve supply. The pain you felt is due to blood pumping under pressure into the surrounding tissue that does have abundant sensory receptors.
The pain will dissipate quickly, certainly within a day. The bruising will last a week or two. Bear in mind that the damaged vessel will be fragile and prone to re-injury if you put much pressure on it over the next few days. Don’t rub it!