Diagnosing Vibration White Finger

How Is Vibration White Finger Diagnosed?

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While a history of working with vibrating equipment can often be enough to suspect a diagnosis of Vibration White Finger, there are a number of standardised tests that can be performed to get a fuller understanding and identify what is causing the symptoms.

When you visit your doctor they will most likely ask you about your experience of the condition and your work history. It is likely that they will test the strength of your grip, your ability to perform fine hand movements and the reaction of your hands and fingers when exposed to cold temperatures. They will also look carefully at your fingers to identify any visual symptoms such as colour changes.

Since Vibration White Finger has been recognised as an industrial disease, there are further tests that can be instigated, particularly in cases where sufferers are looking at making a legal claim. These include:

• The Vibrotactile Threshold test: this test is used to measure how much vibration the finger can feel by measuring the sensitivity of the mechanoreceptors in the nerves of each hand. It also tests the texture of the hand and fingers along with the ability to stretch the digits.
• The Thermal Aesthesiometry test looks at the hand and fingers’ ability to feel heat or cold through their thermal receptors.
• The Purdue pegboard test measures dexterity and any loss of movement in either hand.
• The Cold Provocation test – this is a test to look at the visual evidence of blanching (when the finger or fingers go white when exposed to cold).

Performing these tests can help to identify Vibration White Finger and Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome but they can also help identify other conditions that can sometimes have similar symptoms. These include Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Buerger’s Disease, Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Some of these conditions can have symptoms that appear similar to Vibration White Finger or Raynaud’s Disease, and it is for your doctor to decide on the ultimate diagnosis.

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