Hair tourniquet

Hair tourniquet is a medical condition wherein a hair or other thread becomes tied around a toe or finger or male genital tightly, so as to put the digit at risk of damage. Occasionally, this is known as toe tourniquet. Hair tourniquet is a medical condition wherein a hair or other thread becomes tied around a toe or finger or male genital tightly, so as to put the digit at risk of damage. Occasionally, this is known as toe tourniquet. The problem usually arises in babies and small children when hairs and thread are lost loosely inside socks. They can become spontaneously tied round a toe and will tend to tighten with wriggling. Natural hair is much more likely to undergo this phenomenon than spun thread. Incidents similar to this can also occur during sleep, usually under duvets or sheets which have loose threads which can constrict the toes.