Why do diabetes testing things prick your fingers?

[antillean]

I saw a "call 1-800" ad earlier for a one that can inject your arm, and apparently that's a big deal. Why can't they all do that?

 

[Balt]

If I were to guess I'd say it's because it's easy to get blood to pool into your hands by letting them hang low. That would make it easier to get enough blood for a sample.

Also some diabetics have blood that doesn't clot very well so it might not be wise to just randomly puncture different places.

As I said, that's just a guess. 😛

 

[Captante]

I believe its because your finger tips are full of tiny capillarys which are relatively undamaged by repeated pricking & also because they heal very quickly ... the bad news is that they are also loaded with sensitive nerves so needle-pricks there tend to hurt.

 

[GRHawk]

Most of the test kits come with an attachment to stick the palm of your hand instead.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: Captante
I believe its because your finger tips are full of tiny capillarys which are relatively undamaged by repeated pricking & also because they heal very quickly ... the bad news is that they are also loaded with sensitive nerves so needle-pricks there tend to hurt.

Actually, I believe the finger tips are a lot less sensitive. The pads of your fingers are full of nerves.. the tips not so much (which is why you never take a pulse with your finger tips, only with your the pads of your fingers). Everything else you said is pretty on.

 

[getbush]

The real answer is that readings from the fingers will be much more consistent. Using other areas gives less consistency. Other areas fluctuate and have more variability in glucose levels.

 

[h8red]

Originally posted by: getbush
The real answer is that readings from the fingers will be much more consistent. Using other areas gives less consistency. Other areas fluctuate and have more variability in glucose levels.

This is the answer