When the hands and fingers hurt, it means the body is signaling joint disease or internal pathologies. Often the patient tries to solve the problem on his own, oblivious to the danger of becoming disabled in a short time. Information on why pain in the joints of the fingers manifests itself and what to do is useful for those who felt the first symptoms of the disease, relatives of which suffer from joint pathology.
Causes
There are a number of illnesses associated with pain and inflammation in the hands. These include:
Gouty arthritis
The disease manifests itself around the age of 20. The thumbs are the first exposed to the inflammatory process. There is a paroxysmal course of joint inflammation. The attack often begins at night. Joint pain is acute. The skin of the affected joint turns crimson. The finger becomes hot and difficult to bend. The inflammation lasts a maximum of 10 days. The attack may go away suddenly, without treatment, but will reappear soon.
Polyarthrosis
People over 40 are sick: men - less often than women. A feature of the disease are Heberden's nodules, when nodules begin to form, swelling and redness of the joints, burning, sharp pain are noted, in some patients nodules are formed asymptomatically. With polyosteroarthrosis, the formation of nodules on the joints in the middle of the finger is also observed. Bouchard's nodules are spindle-shaped, almost painless, and characterized by slow growth.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The onset of the disease is manifested by inflammation of the index and middle joints. With metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swell, hurt. The finger joint hurts especially in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis accompanies weakness, sore joints, and fever.
The development of rheumatoid arthritis is noted after stress, hypothermia, infections.
Psoriatic arthritis
Pathology develops in patients with psoriasis. With pathology, joint pain, swelling is noted. Pathology has another name - a finger "sausage". At the same time, all the joints and joints of the finger become inflamed. In rare cases, the joints of both hands become inflamed, but on different fingers.
Tenosynovit from Quervain
Inflammation only affects the thumb. The pain is caused by the load trying to extend it towards the elbow. Sometimes a finger hurts for no apparent reason.
Rhizarthrosis
A rare pathology. Rhizarthrosis is a chronic form of osteoarthritis. The location is noted at the base of the thumb. The disease leads to deformation of the cartilage tissue. The thumb bone is deformed, restricting movement of the inflamed joint.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
The pathology is manifested by symptoms:
- Pain is felt inside the thumb.
- The index hurts.
- There is numbness in the skin of the palm.
- Decreased motor skills of the hand.
Without treatment, the nerve loses its ability to function, resulting in disability.
Raynaud's disease
The causes of the disease are a decrease in hair tone. It is manifested by symptoms: numbness, paleness of the skin of the hand, vasodilation, as a result of which the fingers turn red. Sometimes there is a bluish color, sharp pain, edema. Pathology is characterized by constant freezing of the hands, which at the last stage of development turn bluish or black. Trophic ulcers are often observed.
Trauma
Pain in the hand most often occurs with bruises and sprains. A bruise on the hand is manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, blue discoloration or redness of the bruised site, severe pain when trying to move a finger, hematoma formation, pathological mobility of the injured finger.
Sprains of the ligaments of the finger occur more often with sudden movement of the joint, which is observed in athletes, overly mobile people and children.
Tendinitis
The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous movements (sewing, typing, playing the piano). The "writing" cramp appears with everyday stress when typing. Pain syndrome is observed in people with cervical osteochondrosis. Wrist pain is mostly felt at night. Painful sensations are often accompanied by a cracking sound.
Tingling, numbness in the fingers is manifested in a person making small movements with his hands. The onset of finger snap syndrome is facilitated by repeated overvoltage of the hand. A bent finger is difficult to straighten; if you apply force to extend, a click is heard.
Painful sensations with internal pathologies
Often pain in the hand and fingers for reasons unrelated to joint disease. People with pathologies are at risk. Cardiac ischemia. With myocardial infarction, the onset of an attack often coincides with a feeling of pain and tingling in the left hand. Diabetes. The pathology leads the hands to a more sensitive state due to circulatory disorders.
Often painful sensations, numbness are observed in pregnant women. The following changes cause swelling and pain in the joints of the fingers during pregnancy: increased amount of the hormone relaxin, calcium deficiency, median nerve damage, depression.
Important!Heredity, freezing of the hands, frequent immersion in cold water, decrease in immunity contribute to pathological changes in the hands.
Pain in the fingers of the right hand
Several fingers hurt at the same time. Half of the painful manifestations occur in the ring and little fingers, and a third in the index and thumb. If the pain is felt in all the fingers of the right hand, the problem is vascular. Pain in the index finger and thumb signals pathology of the spine. If the index finger, ring finger and thumb hurt at the same time, this indicates radial nerve disease. Simultaneous pain in the little finger and ring finger indicates the presence of a foraminal hernia.
The fingers of the left hand hurt
If the pain occurs only in all the fingers of the left hand, the problem is looked for in the vessels. The thumb, index and ring fingers hurt - the radial or middle nerve is affected, the index and thumb are a pathology of the spine. Pain in the little finger and ring finger manifests as a C5-C6 foraminal hernia. The middle finger joint hurts with a C4-C5 foraminal hernia.
Which specialist to choose
Whatever the reason for the pain in the hands, a visit to the doctor is mandatory. For post-traumatic pain, you must make an appointment with a traumatologist. If the joints become inflamed, swelling appears, a rheumatologist will help. When the cause of the pain is not clear, you should see a cardiologist and an endocrinologist.
Diagnostic
It is possible to diagnose pathologies with the help of the following material studies:
- X-ray. The painless procedure examines bone tissue. The results of the research are recorded on the film in 3 projections.
- CT. The study is carried out with X-rays. The results obtained after computer processing are a series of sectional images.
- Electrospondylography. Reveals the presence of abnormalities in the part of the spine responsible for the functioning of the hands. Pathology is detected at the initial stage of development.
- MRI. Diagnosis is carried out using electromagnetic radiation. As a result of the study, images of longitudinal and cross sections are obtained.
The X-ray method is considered the most informative for pathologies of bone tissue.
Laboratory methods
To diagnose joint pathology, studies are carried out:
- General urine analysis. It helps identify advanced forms of bone inflammation.
- General blood test. The study determines the presence of leukocytosis and anemia.
- Biochemical blood test. Determines the increased presence of fibrinogen, sialic acids.
- Puncture. After a puncture of the affected joint, the fluid in it is taken for examination. The study is responsible for accurately determining the cause of the development of pathology; performed in rare cases.
- Biopsy. A piece of skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. Using the method, lupus erythematosus, scleroderma are detected.
Processing
Hand pain is treated depending on the cause. For exacerbations of arthritis, NSAIDs are used. For the normal supply of food from the blood to the joints, the use of vasodilators is necessary. For local therapy, ointments and gels are used. Good results are obtained in the treatment of arthritis by ultrasound, electrophoresis and acupuncture.
In osteoarthritis, central analgesics are prescribed to relieve the patient of acute pain. In addition to relieving pain, the drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect. In some cases, chondroprotectors are taken continuously. In the treatment of osteoarthritis, laser treatment is used successfully. Significant relief is achieved with the help of physiotherapeutic procedures: massage, mud therapy.
With gout, drugs are shown to normalize the exchange of purines in the body. Analgesics are prescribed for pain relief. A diet that limits the use of meat, fish and alcohol products is especially important. Rheumatoid arthritis cannot be cured, but the destructive process of the joint can be slowed down using anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy, and surgical methods. Acupuncture and massage also worked well.
For the treatment of tunnel syndrome, a comfortable working environment should be created, taking into account the correct position of the hand. For painful sensations, compresses are made from a decoction of chamomile.
Surgical methods
If conservative treatment is ineffective, the joint is replaced by a surgical method. The indications for surgery are:
- Injuries with detachment of the tendon from the point of attachment to the phalanx of the nail.
- Arthritis of the hand.
- Fractures and cracks.
- Deep cuts.
- Malignant tumors of the hand.
How to cure according to folk recipes
Effective folk recipes for dealing with pain in the hands:
- Recipe number 1. Aloe ointment. Take 20 g of chopped fresh aloe leaf, add 5 g of dry mustard. Mix, simmer for 8-10 minutes, until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Transfer to a dish without access to the light. The brush joints are lubricated morning and evening until visible improvement.
- Recipe number 2. Tincture of bird cherry. 50 g of bird cherry bark for 200 ml of vodka. Insist 10 days without access to light. Lubricate the brushes 3 times a day. The duration of treatment is 3 weeks.
- Recipe number 3. Calendula bath. A tablespoon of dried calendula flowers is poured with 200 ml of boiling water. The broth is prepared for 15 minutes. low heat. Treatment procedures continue - 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.
- Recipe number 4. Drink dandelion roots. So, 1 tablespoon of dandelion roots is poured into 200 ml of boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Drink 1 tablespoon 15 minutes before meals for 14 days.
- Recipe number 5. Three tablespoons of sea salt are heated in a microwave oven. Wrapped in a gauze bandage, applied to the joint, kept for 30 minutes.
Procedures are carried out daily for 20 days.
Helpful Tips
By following the recommendations of doctors, you can significantly help the body in relieving joint diseases. If you notice swelling of the brushes, remove the jewelry. In case of injury, it is necessary to ensure the immobility of the hand and to apply a cold compress. In the event of pain on exertion, they must be excluded or significantly reduced. It is necessary to change work which requires repetitive movements.
You should see a doctor immediately if you experience symptoms:
- Post-traumatic pain persists, stiffness of movements is noted, and it is difficult to bend the finger.
- The brush is reddened, there is heat in the skin area.
- Tingling sensation in the hand.
- The phalanges of the fingers hurt.
- The brush or the finger goes numb.
It is advisable to exclude smoking, caffeine, which causes narrowing of blood vessels, not giving the right amount of blood to the hands.
Prophylaxis
To avoid pain in the hand, you should:
- Include exercises to strengthen the muscles of the hands in the morning exercise complex.
- If you have to perform repetitive movements, you should take breaks.
- A prolonged position in a position requiring a fixed position of the hands should be excluded.
- Avoid hypothermia of the hands.
Hand pain is caused by various reasons. To relieve pain, medicines, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk recipes are used. To improve the quality of life, it is important to follow the doctor's recommendations.