How long does a muscle that is inflamed last?Will it heal itself?

Question

On my right hand between my thumb and forefinger looks a little swollen, at times it aches and i do not have a good grip with my hand . I do not believe I broke anything just maybe have an inflamed muscle, I take antiinflammatory pills and they help.I would go see my doctor but do not want to be told there is nothing wrong and look silly.What would you do?

Answer 1

If this was cause by a physicall activity, then your body is trying to repair the torn or bruised tissue by throwing a bunch of white blood cells at it. These cells are the cause for inflamation. Unfortunatly they restrict the flow of red blood cells which provide oxygen to you finger and that causes tightness and lesser range of motion. Anti-inflamitory can help reduce the swell, but until your tissue is repaired (which depends on how serious the damage is) expect for the white blood cells to due their job. If this swelling comes up for no reson at all, you may have a more serious issue that a doctor needs to look at. I find that popping pills without a true understanding of what's going on can do more harm then good. Go to www.webmd.com if you want to do a self analyses.