Why does it hurt so much when the skin close to our fingernails falls or gets damaged?
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One of the primary reasons, like other posters have mentioned, is due to the density of nerves in the fingertips. The more nerves transmitting OUCH THAT HURTS to the brain, the more intense the sensation. The other thing is that when inflammation occurs, the edema (swelling) has limited space to aggregate. Anatomically, the nail plate will act as an obstacle that will only accommodate so much swelling. If you’ve ever had a paronychia (infection of the skin around the nail), you’ll know how profound that type of pain can be due to the mounting pressure. And lastly, we use our hands very often and any innocuous “bop” to the inflamed area will result in a zing of pain and encourage more swelling.
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