difficult It is difficult to imagine the life of a person without helpers and small workers - fingers. They carefully hold a cup of coffee, write tirelessly, do all the small and hard work. Due to this high performance, the fingers are susceptible to a number of diseases. In order not to bring pathological processes to irreversible consequences, it is necessary to know why the joints of the hands are injured, how they can be healed.
What is finger pain
The human musculoskeletal system contains over 300 joints. The fingers contain the smallest and most mobile ones. The articular joints at the ends of the hands have a thin synovial membrane and a small articular surface, so they are often exposed to various diseases. Each finger in the hand consists of three joints (proximal phalanx, middle phalanx, distal interphalangeal) and three bones (proximal, middle, distal phalanx).
Pain can be caused by inflammation of the joints. Against the background of hypothermia of the hands, bitterness may appear, accompanied by cyanosis of the skin, which then turns into redness. As a result of damage or compression of the ankle joint, paroxysmal pain occurs. Sharp and sharp sensations, accompanied by a sensation of electric current passing through the fingers, may indicate osteochondrosis of the cervix.
The duration of symptoms depends on the cause of the disease. The longer the pain syndromes in the hands are ignored, the more their motor activity is disturbed. If the first signs of developing finger disease are not treated, irreversible joint deformity may be allowed, in which a person is given disability.
Most Dangerous Complications:
- bone necrosis;
- osteomyelitis (purulent-necrotic process that develops in the bone);
- osteolysis (complete resorption of bone tissue elements);
- generalized sepsis (purulent infection.
Why my fingers hurt
As a rule, pain in the joints of the upper extremities is a symptom of developing diseases of the hands. Often, such symptoms indicate manifestations of diseases of other organs. Phalangeal pain is a sign of cervical osteochondrosis, ischemic heart disease, and peripheral nerve pathologies. If the finger joints are injured, it is important to quickly determine the cause in order to identify potential risk factors for human health.
Bending
The following conditions can cause joint pain when bending the phalanx:
- Spinal nerve entrapment. Occurs when nerve roots extending from the spinal cord squeeze hernias, cartilages, tumors, spasmodic muscles, tendons, or other vertebrae.
- Osteoarthritis. Degeneration of articular cartilage occurs and the development of osteophytes in the bone, which leads to impaired movement.
- Tunnel Syndrome. There is a tip of the median nerve, which passes into the palm through the carpal tunnel, which protects the nerve fibers from oppression. Subsequently, it can lead to tendovaginitis - an inflammatory disease of the tendons and tendon sheaths;
- Stenotic ligaments. It is characterized by blockage of the phalanges in an extended or bent position. Most often the pain of the thumb hurts. Pathology refers to diseases of the tendon-ligament apparatus.
- Rhizarthrosis. Deformation of the cartilaginous plates in the articular joint of the thumb occurs after injury or excessive stress.
- Vibration disease. An occupational disease that occurs when working with a vibrating instrument.
Finger joints are swollen and sore
Both elderly and young patients face the problem of bloating. Sometimes the fingers swell due to fluid retention in the body, but if they also hurt, then this may indicate pathological changes in the bone joints.
The reasons for this condition could be:
- open wounds, scratches, cuts;
- fractures, dislocations, injuries;
- insect bites;
- radial nerve neuropathy;
- heart and / or kidney pathology;
- fibromyalgia (muscle and joint pain);
- polycythemia (abnormal increase in the number of red blood cells in the blood);
- bursitis (inflammation of the joint capsule);
- osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone tissue);
- chronic arthritis of various origins (rheumatoid, gout, septic, neglected, purulent and others).
In the morning
Any disease of the knuckles is manifested by morning pain. To prevent the progression of the pathology, it is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis, and this to undergo a proper examination. Most often fingers are injured in the morning with arthritis of various origins. The disease may not be infectious in nature, but appears due to disorders of the immune system.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the articular cartilage of the index fingers is more likely to be damaged, on which small seals appear. With this pathology, symmetrical damage to the joints in both hands can also develop. Infectious arthritis affects several fingers at once and develops under the influence of viruses or bacteria. In addition to pain, there is an increase in body temperature in the morning, intoxication of the whole body. The phalanges are injured in the morning and with psoriatic arthritis and with gout and osteoarthritis.
The latter disease, in addition to morning pain, is characterized by stiffness and stiffness. Most often, osteoarthritis is observed in middle-aged women, as its development is associated with fluctuations in estrogen levels. Gout can be identified by intolerable paroxysmal pain in the morning or at night, accompanied by redness and swelling of the joint.
Sharp pain
Stenotic wrist ligament is associated with burning pain in all fingers except the little finger. Burning and numbness are felt not only in the edges of the hand, but also along the entire length of the palm. Symptoms worsen at night and improve during the day. Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is also associated with sharp pain in the joints of the limbs, but numbness appears only in the little finger.
Panaritium (purulent inflammation of the tissues of the hand) can also provoke such a symptom. The disease arises as a result of infectious infection. The pain is sharp, trembling and gradually intensifies, especially at night. The phalanges swell, turn red, their touch is very painful and the body temperature often rises. Panaritium requires prompt medical attention, otherwise a person can not avoid serious complications.In Raynaud's syndrome, at first, there is a cold and spasm in the vessels, and then, due to impaired blood flow, a person feels a sharp pain in the fingers, which swell and turn blue. In the third stage of the disease, when blood flow improves, these symptoms disappear. A painful attack lasts from a few minutes to half an hour. Raynaud's disease is a consequence of atherosclerosis of the extremities, so it must first be treated.
During pregnancy
Why do finger joints hurt during pregnancy and after childbirth? Gynecologists know for sure.
When the extremities swell during childbearing, this indicates the following pathologies:
- presence of joint diseases;
- an increase in the level of relaxation, a hormone responsible for ligament softening;
- median nerve block;
- lack of calcium in the body;
- fibromyalgia due to depression.
Painful feelings can pass quickly and sometimes get worse every day. This often occurs at 35 weeks of gestation, which is accompanied by a rapid increase in body weight, which causes compression of the nerve trunks that connect the hand to the arm.
The problem is that a woman suffers not only from joint pain, but also from other symptoms:
- burning, itching of the palms;
- sudden sharp pain in the forearm;
- numbness of the upper limbs.
After the exercise
The appearance of painful symptoms on the hands after any physical activity is a clear sign of vascular disease. Painful sensations are accompanied by numbness of the joints, cramps and rapid fatigue of the hands. The skin becomes pale and cold, the hairline thins, the nail plates thicken. The pathology over time takes a chronic form, as a result of which it becomes impossible to feel the pulse in the radial artery, the lumen of the vessels narrows, the blood flow to the extremities is disturbed. The pain becomes constant and reappears even with slight strain.
As a person ages, the cartilage becomes thinner, becomes brittle, and a crack is heard as it moves. If pain in the hands appears after physical exertion, then this symptomatology may indicate the development of polyostoarthritis. The disease is characterized by destructive changes in the joints that hurt when the fingers are used or before the weather changes. It is difficult for a person to steer and bend the brush. Pain syndrome subsides when manual labor is excluded.
Diagnosis
Early diagnosis will help relieve the symptoms of joint disease and complete recovery. Only an experienced specialist (neuropathologist, surgeon, traumatologist) can accurately determine the cause of this symptomatology. Diagnosis is made based on examination results and patient history. During the collection of information, the nature of the complaints, the time of onset of the first pain, the presence of articular pathologies in another relative is revealed. Family predisposition to the development of arthritis and osteoarthritis plays an important role.
Research needed for limb joint pain complaints:
- radiography;
- ultrasound examination;
- computed tomography;
- electrospondylography (computer diagnostics of the spine);
- magnetic resonance;
- reverse discography;
- blood and synovial fluid tests;
- puncture (injection of the drug into the lump cavity);
- skin biopsy.
Treatment
Therapeutic tactics are determined by the type of pathology, the severity of symptoms, the dynamics of the inflammatory process and the features of the clinical course of the disease. When prescribing drug treatment, it is taken into account that the patient has hypersensitivity to the active ingredients of the drug. Complex treatment includes the appointment of chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticosteroids.
In addition to medicines, local massage, specially designed gymnastic exercises are prescribed. An excellent therapeutic effect can be achieved with the help of acupuncture and other types of physiotherapy procedures.
Diet chart number 10 should set out the main rules of which:
- reduce salt intake;
- once a week fasting day for vegetables and dairy products;
- a diet without tomatoes, sorrel, spicy dishes, fatty meats.
In case of joint pain, doctors recommend a spa treatment. For each patient, doctors choose an individual rehabilitation program that will be most effective in each specific case. The sanatorium teaches healthy living skills, performs therapeutic exercises, physiotherapy, massage. As a rule, after such treatment, the patient for a long time forgets about the recurrence of the disease.
Medications
When prescribing medication, two goals are pursued: alleviating the inflammatory process and eliminating pain. Basically, doctors use cyclooxygenase inhibitors (NSAIDs), and if the cause of the disease lies in an autoimmune pathology, then steroid drugs are prescribed. Antibiotics can be used for acute infections.Topical medications (creams, oils, gels) are prescribed to quickly relieve symptoms. With dystrophic lesions of the articular surfaces the use of chondroprotectors is recommended.
Massage
Medications alone are not enough for arthritis or osteoarthritis of the fingers. Specialists in the period of remission of the disease propose to take therapeutic massage courses, the number of sessions of which the doctor will determine individually. The procedure begins with kneading each part of the hand. If the patient does not feel severe pain, then the effect on the affected joints begins already in the first session.
The preparatory phase of the massage is to warm the arm from the elbow to the fingers in a spiral motion. The patient is in a sitting position, the hand is placed on the table, the bent elbow rests on the support and a roller is placed under the hand. After heating, the specialist cooks each finger separately with stroke movements without touching the joints. For best effect, 2-3 approaches are done.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy helps speed recovery, relieve symptoms and prevent complications.
Patients who experience severe pain in the fingers are advised to pay attention to the following techniques:
- Electrophoresis. Treatment is based on deep injections of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs under the skin. The procedure takes place under the influence of a constant electric current. The course of treatment is 10 procedures, of 25 minutes each.
- Ultrasound therapy. During the session, tissue micromassage is performed using ultrasonic vibration with a frequency of 800-900 kHz. Ultrasound activates metabolic processes, removes excess uric acid, increases local immunity. Exposure time is 1-5 minutes per area. The session lasts 12-15 minutes. The course of treatment is 10-12 procedures.
- Microwave (microwave therapy). The treatment is based on the use of electromagnetic oscillations with a wave up to 1 m. The impact is aimed at restoring biological processes and functional systems of cell structures. Exposure time is 8-12 minutes. Number of sessions - from 2 to 12.
- Thermal procedures. Involves exposure of joints affected by heat. Steam baths are used with the addition of essential oils, salts or herbs. The duration of the course is 12-20 procedures, 15-20 minutes each.
- Barotherapy. Treatment in a low or high pressure chamber helps saturate the body with oxygen, which provokes muscles, tissues and joints to recover more quickly. The duration of the procedure is 60 minutes. The full course includes 22-25 sessions.
Folk remedies
Alternative treatment will help prevent destruction of the articular cartilage in the fingers.
Most popular recipes:
- Take a thick fermented milk product, mix it with oatmeal, which must be pre-chopped. Leave the mixture on sore fingers overnight, wrapped in a cloth;
- Pass 500 g of Kalanchoe through a meat grinder, pour 1 liter of vodka, leave for 5 days. After tincture, rub daily on sore joints;
- Mix 1 tbsp. olive oil with a few drops of freshly squeezed garlic. Drink in the morning on an empty stomach
Prevention
In order not to suffer from inflammatory processes in the joints of the fingers and not to treat osteoarthritis and arthritis for a long time, it is necessary to adhere to simple preventive measures:
- keep your hands warm;
- exclude alcohol, cigarettes;
- include more fruits and vegetables in the daily menu;
- does not tolerate colds in the feet;
- remove the habit of "clicking" your fingers;
- replace tea and coffee with herbal teas;
- check body weight.