Treatment for Vibration White Finger (VWF)

If you have been diagnosed with Vibration White Finger (VWF), there are a range of treatments that may relieve your symptoms.

Treatment for severe symptoms

If your symptoms are severe, vasodilator drugs may be prescribed to dilate the small blood vessels. Some people have to take this medicine every day to prevent symptoms while others just use it  when it is particularly cold.

Most physicians will only recommend surgery if they feel that normal treatments are not treating the condition effectively.  However, one operation that can be used to temporarily help those with Vibration White Finger is called a sympathectomy and it involves cutting the nerves that cause the arteries to constrict.

Treatment for symptoms that are less severe

Ideally, vibratory work should be stopped. However, if symptoms are not severe and you are continuing to carry out physical work, anti-vibration gloves can be recommended.  These gloves reduce vibration while keeping the fingers and hands warm and dry.

In order to prevent your condition from worsening, it is important to take regular breaks when using vibratory tools.  It is also advisable to check tools are in good condition and that they conform to safety standards.  As an alternative, your employer may be able to provide non-vibratory tools.

Conventional therapies

Some conventional therapies for VWF include:

• Physiotherapy: a range of massage techniques, exercise, heat, infrared and ultraviolet rays.
• Immobilisation: the use of splints to alleviate pain by immobilising the hands and arms.
• Steroid injections: an injection of cortisone into the pain trigger point joint.