Causes of Vibration White Finger

What Causes Vibration White Finger?

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Vibration White Finger is caused by the blood vessels within the hand going into spasm and contracting; this reduces blood supply to the affected fingers and causes the discolouration of the skin and the tingling sensations associated with it. In the majority of cases this is caused by repeated or prolonged use of vibrating equipment.

When the body is subjected to low levels of vibration over short periods of time it has the capacity to deal with it. However, if the vibration is particularly severe, or continues frequently or over longer periods of time the cells become damaged and lose their ability to repair themselves.

One example would be mowing the lawn; a lot of people will mow their grass using a lawn mower (which vibrates as a result of the mechanical movements going on within the engine and the rotor blades) but they will only do this once per week during the summer months. After mowing they may feel a slight tingling sensation in their hands but this will usually subside after a few minutes as the body repairs the damaged cells. Now imagine if you are a groundskeeper and spend most of your days using a lawnmower, perhaps in addition to a hedge-trimmer and a strimmer. The amount of vibration that this can subject the body to can be too much for it to repair, and over the course of time the damage mounts up and becomes longer-term, or in some cases permanent.

Vibration White Finger is a particular risk for those who operate vibrating equipment in cold conditions.

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