If the hands and fingers hurt, it means that the body is signaling joint diseases or internal pathologies. Often, the patient tries to solve the problem on his own, unaware of the danger of becoming disabled as soon as possible. Information on why the pain in the joints of the fingers manifests itself and what to do is useful for those who feel the first signs of the disease, close relatives suffering from joint pathology.
Reasons
There are a number of diseases associated with pain and inflammation of the hands. These include:
Gout arthritis
The disease manifests itself after the age of 20. The thumbs are the first to be 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 on the affected joint becomes red. The finger becomes hot and difficult to bend. Inflammation lasts a maximum of 10 days. The attack may pass suddenly, without treatment, but will soon reappear.
Polyosteoarthritis
People over the age of 40 are sick: men - less than women. The characteristic symptom of the disease is Heberden's nodules, when the nodules begin to form, swelling and redness of the joints, burning, sharp pain are noted, in some patients the nodules appear asymptomatically. With polyosteroarthritis, nodules also form in the joints in the middle of the finger. Bouchard nodes are millet-like, almost painless, and are characterized by slow growth.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The onset of the disease is manifested by inflammation of the index finger and middle joints. Along with the metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swollen, and painful. The joint in the finger is especially painful in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis is accompanied by weakness, joint pain and fever.
The development of rheumatoid arthritis after stress, hypothermia, infections is noted.
Psoriatic arthritis
Pathological development in patients with psoriasis. Pain and swelling are noted along with the pathology. The pathology has another name - "sausage" finger. 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 de Quervain
Inflammation affects only the thumb. The pain occurs when trying to extend the load to the elbow. Sometimes the finger hurts for no reason.
Rhizarthrosis
A rare pathology. Rhizarthrosis is a chronic form of osteoarthritis. The localization is marked under the thumb. The disease leads to deformation of cartilage tissue. The thumb bone is deformed, restricting the movement of the inflamed joint.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Manifested by pathological symptoms:
- The pain is felt on the inside of the thumb.
- The index finger hurts.
- There is numbness in the skin of the palm.
- Decreased motor skills of the hands.
When left untreated, nerves lose their ability to function, leading to disability.
Raynaud's disease
The causes of the disease are a decrease in capillary tone. This is manifested by symptoms: numbness, pale skin of the hands, vasodilatation, as a result of which the fingers become red. Sometimes there is a bluish color, sharp pain, edema. It is characterized by constant freezing of the hands, which turns blue or black in the last stage of pathological development. Trophic ulcers are often observed.
Trauma
Pain in the hands is most often caused by bruising and sprains. Hand bruises are manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, discoloration or redness of the bruise, severe pain when trying to move the finger, the formation of a hematoma, pathological mobility of the injured finger.
Twisting of the finger joints is more common in athletes, people with excessive mobility, and children with abrupt joint movements.
Tendinitis
The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous movements (sewing, printing, playing the piano). "Writing" cramps appear with daily stress while writing. Pain syndrome is observed in people suffering from cervical osteochondrosis. Wrist pain is especially felt at night. Painful feelings are often accompanied by a crisis-like sound.
Tingling in the fingers, numbness manifests itself in a person who makes small movements with his hands. The appearance of throbbing finger syndrome is facilitated by repeated overloading of the hand. The twisted finger is difficult to straighten, and if you apply force to extend it, a click is heard.
Pain with internal pathologies
Often, pain in the hands and fingers for reasons not related to joint disease. People suffering from pathologies are at risk. Cardiac ischemia. With a myocardial infarction, the onset of the attack often coincides with pain and tingling in the left arm. Diabetes. Makes the hands more sensitive due to pathological circulatory disorders.
Painful sensations and numbness are often observed in pregnant women. The following changes cause swelling and pain in the joints of the fingers during pregnancy: increased hormone relaxin, calcium deficiency, median nerve disorders, depression.
It is important!Heredity, freezing of the hands, frequent immersion in cold water, decreased immunity cause 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 finger and little finger, and the third in the index and thumb. If the pain is felt in all the fingers of the right hand, the problem is the veins. Pain in the index finger and thumb indicate pathology of the spine. If the index finger, ring finger and thumb hurt at the same time, it 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 fingers of the left hand, the problem is looking for veins. Pain in the thumb, index and ring fingers - the radial or middle nerve is affected, the index and thumb are pathology of the spine. Pain in the little finger and ring finger manifests itself with a C5-C6 foraminal hernia. The middle finger joint is painful with a C4-C5 foraminal hernia.
Which specialist to choose
If the hands hurt, it is necessary to see a doctor. You should make an appointment with a traumatologist for post-traumatic pain. If the joints become inflamed, swelling appears, a rheumatologist will help. If the cause of the pain is not clear, you should consult a cardiologist and endocrinologist.
Diagnostics
It is possible to diagnose pathologies using the following hardware studies:
- Radiography. The painless procedure allows you to examine the bone tissue. The results of the study are recorded in 3 projections on the film.
- CT. The study is performed with X-rays. The results obtained after computer processing are a series of cross-sections.
- Electrospondylography. Reveals abnormalities in the part of the spine responsible for hand function. It is detected at an early stage of pathological development.
- MRT. Diagnosis is made using electromagnetic radiation. As a result of the research, images of longitudinal and transverse sections are obtained.
X-ray method is considered the most informative for bone tissue pathologies.
Laboratory methods
Studies are conducted for the diagnosis of articular pathology:
- General urinalysis. This allows you to identify advanced forms of bone inflammation.
- General blood test. The study determines the presence of leukocytosis and anemia.
- Biochemical blood test. Fibrinogen determines the increased presence of sialic acids.
- Puncture. After puncture of the affected joint, the fluid inside is taken for examination. The study is appointed to determine the exact cause of the development of the pathology; rarely carried out.
- Biopsy. A piece of skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. Using the method, lupus erythematosus, scleroderma are detected.
Treatment
Hand pains are treated according to the cause. NSAIDs are used to aggravate arthritis. The use of vasodilators is necessary for the normal supply of food from the blood to the joints. Ointments and gels are used for topical therapy. Good results are obtained in the treatment of arthritis with ultrasound, electrophoresis and acupuncture.
In osteoarthritis, the patient is prescribed central analgesics to relieve acute pain. In addition to analgesics, the drug has anti-inflammatory effects. In some cases, chondroprotectants are taken continuously. Laser treatment is used successfully in the treatment of osteoarthritis. An important relief is obtained using physiotherapeutic procedures: massage, mud therapy.
With gout, medications are prescribed to normalize the metabolism of purines in the body. Analgesics are prescribed to relieve pain. Of particular importance is a diet that restricts the use of meat products, fish and alcohol. Rheumatoid arthritis cannot be treated, but it is possible to slow down the destructive process of the joint using anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy and surgery. Acupuncture and massage also gave good results.
For the treatment of tunnel syndrome, comfortable working conditions should be created, taking into account the correct position of the hand. Compresses are made from chamomile decoction for painful sensations.
Surgical methods
If conservative treatment is ineffective, it is replaced by joint surgery. The indications for surgery are:
- Injuries with rupture of the tendon from the point of attachment to the nail phalanx.
- Hand arthritis.
- Fractures and cracks.
- Deep incisions.
- Malignant neoplasms of the hands.
How to treat according to folk recipes
Effective folk recipes to combat pain in the hands:
- Recipe number 1. Aloe ointment. Take 20 g of chopped fresh aloe leaves, add 5 g of dry mustard. Stir and simmer for 8-10 minutes until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Transfer to a bowl without access to light. Brush joints are lubricated in the morning and evening until visible improvement.
- Recipe number 2. Bird cherry tincture. Pour 50 g bird cherry peel 200 ml of vodka. Insist for 10 days before going out. Lubricate the brushes 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 3 weeks.
- Recipe number 3. Bath with calendula. A tablespoon of dried calendula flowers pour 200 ml of boiling water. The broth is prepared for 15 minutes. over low heat. The treatment procedure lasts - 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.
- Recipe number 4. Drink from the roots of dandelion. Thus, 1 tablespoon dandelion roots pour 200 ml of boiling water. Boil 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.
The procedures are performed daily for 20 days.
Useful Tips
By following your doctor's advice, you can significantly help your body relieve joint pain. If you encounter swelling of the brushes, remove the jewelry. In case of injury, it is necessary to immobilize the hand and apply a cold compress. When there is pain from tension, they should be excluded or significantly reduced. Work that requires repetitive actions needs to be changed.
If you experience symptoms, you should consult a doctor immediately:
- Post-traumatic pain persists, stiffness is noted, finger flexion is difficult.
- The brush is red and there is heat in the skin area.
- Acquired tingling sensation.
- The phalanges of the fingers hurt.
- Match the brush or finger.
It is recommended not to give enough blood to the hands, to exclude smoking and caffeine, which cause narrowing of blood vessels.
Prophylaxis
To prevent hand pain, you need to do the following:
- Include exercises to strengthen the muscles of the hands in the morning exercise complex.
- If you need to do repetitive actions, you should take a break.
- A long-term position should be ruled out in a position that requires a stable position of the hands.
- Avoid hypothermia of the hands.
Hand pain occurs for various reasons. Medicines, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk recipes are used to relieve pain. It is important to follow your doctor's advice to improve your quality of life.