Hair Tourniquet Quiz

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Reviewed By:

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)

Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.

Yuta Sasaoka, MD

Yuta Sasaoka, MD (Pediatrics)

Dr. Sasaoka graduated from the Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine. After working in the Department of Pediatrics at Hakodate Municipal Hospital, the Emergency Center at Hakodate Municipal Hospital, and the Department of Emergency Medicine at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's General Medical Center, he joined the Sapporo Medical University Advanced Emergency Medical Center in April 2020. Dr. Sasaoka is well versed in pediatric emergency medicine, covering a wide range of pediatrics and emergency medicine. He is also a certified AHA-PALS instructor and focuses on pediatric secondary life support education at the Hokkaido Training Site.

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Content updated on Mar 15, 2024

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  • Hair Tourniquet as well as similar diseases can be checked at the same time.

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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes

  • Pain in both hands

  • Pain in my toe

  • Redness on affected area

  • Thumb pain

  • Pain in the toes

  • Fingers "catch" on something when I make a fist or open a palm

  • I have pain in my little toes on both feet

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What is Hair Tourniquet?

A hair tourniquet happens when a hair strand wraps around a body part, cutting off circulation. It can damage nerves, skin tissue, and the function of the affected body part. The average age of diagnosis is five months. The average age that finger hair tourniquets occur is 3 weeks old. The average age that toe hair tourniquets occur is 4 months old. When genitals are involved in hair tourniquets, the average age of diagnosis is 2 years old. There may be redness or swelling on a finger, toe or another body part. The area may be tender and cause the baby pain and discomfort.

Typical Symptoms of Hair Tourniquet

  • Fingers and/or toes have hair or thread wrapped tightly around them

  • Redness and swelling of fingers/toes

  • Redness in the affected area

  • Finger pain

  • Toe pain

  • Skin problem over the back of the hand

  • Toe swelling

  • Hands and feet turned pale and blue

Doctor's Diagnostic Questionson Hair Tourniquet

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:

  • Is there hair or thread wrapped tightly around your fingers or toes?

  • Is the affected area red?

  • Are your fingers hurting?

  • Do your toes hurt?

  • Do your hand problems affect the skin beyond the wrist?

Treatmentof Hair Tourniquet

The primary treatment is removing the hair tourniquet by dissolving, unwrapping, or cutting the hair. The removal method depends on the condition's severity.

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View the symptoms of Hair Tourniquet

References

  • Aslantürk O, Özbey R, Yılmaz Ö, Ergen E. Hair tourniquet syndrome of toes and fingers in infants. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc. 2019 Jul;53(4):306-309. doi: 10.1016/j.aott.2019.04.010. Epub 2019 May 16. PMID: 31104884; PMCID: PMC6738272.

    https://www.aott.org.tr/en/hair-tourniquet-syndrome-of-toes-and-fingers-in-infants-133432

  • Bannier MA, Miedema CJ. Hair tourniquet syndrome. Eur J Pediatr. 2013 Feb;172(2):277. doi: 10.1007/s00431-012-1883-5. Epub 2012 Nov 2. PMID: 23117472.

    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-012-1883-5

  • O'Gorman A, Ratnapalan S. Hair tourniquet management. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2011 Mar;27(3):203-4. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e31820d65b7. PMID: 21378520.

    https://journals.lww.com/pec-online/Abstract/2011/03000/Hair_Tourniquet_Management.10.aspx

  • Hair Tourniquet - Cleveland Clinic

    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23332-hair-tourniquet

User Testimonials

Reviewed By:

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)

Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.

Yuta Sasaoka, MD

Yuta Sasaoka, MD (Pediatrics)

Dr. Sasaoka graduated from the Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine. After working in the Department of Pediatrics at Hakodate Municipal Hospital, the Emergency Center at Hakodate Municipal Hospital, and the Department of Emergency Medicine at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's General Medical Center, he joined the Sapporo Medical University Advanced Emergency Medical Center in April 2020. Dr. Sasaoka is well versed in pediatric emergency medicine, covering a wide range of pediatrics and emergency medicine. He is also a certified AHA-PALS instructor and focuses on pediatric secondary life support education at the Hokkaido Training Site.

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