Q: I am a 29 years old male. I had pain on my finger tips so I consulted a neurosurgeon. I was sent for 4 doppler tests for blood circulation and the results were normal. The doctor gave some tablets with which the pain has reduced. Could you please suggest me if any other tests are required to be done? He also said that my blood circulation is slow, so could you please suggest me exercises for increasing the blood circulation and diet too? Could this problem occur due to masturbation?

A:It is very unlikely to be anything to do with your circulation, as it is so well localised to your right hand. If there are accompanying symptoms of numbness or tingling, it could be due to a nerve entrapment and this may be either due to a problem in the neck or pressure in the wrist. The nerves to the fingers go through a small tunnel at the wrist to get into the hand - called the carpal tunnel. Pressure here will produce similar symptoms. Usually it is the middle fingers that are most affected. It can be worse at night and cause pain or discomfort that may wake you, or the hand may feel particularly numb and heavy first thing in the morning. Other causes include rheumatic conditions like arthritis or vasculitis, etc. It needs to be examined and then appropriately investigated. Masturbation has nothing to do with this.