When the hands and fingers hurt, it means that the body signals joint diseases or internal pathologies. Often the patient tries to solve the problem on his own, without realizing the danger of becoming disabled for a short time. Information about why there is pain in the joints of the fingers and what to do is useful for those who have experienced the first symptoms of the disease, whose close relatives suffer from joint pathology.
Reasons
There are a number of diseases associated with soreness and inflammation of the hands. They include:
Gouty arthritis
The disease manifests itself at the age of over 20 years. The thumbs are the first to be exposed to the inflammatory process. There is a paroxysmal course of joint inflammation. The attack often starts at night. The pain in the joints is sharp. The skin over the affected joint becomes purple. The finger becomes hot and difficult to bend. Inflammation lasts a maximum of 10 days. The attack may go away suddenly without treatment, but will soon reappear.
Polyosteoarthritis
People over the age of 40 are ill: men are less likely than women. A distinctive feature of the disease are Heberden's nodules, when nodules begin to form, swelling and redness of the joints, burning, sharp pain, in some patients the nodules form asymptomatically. In polyosteroarthritis, the formation of nodules in the joints in the middle of the finger is also observed. Bouchard's nodules are spindle-shaped, almost painless and are characterized by slow growth.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The onset of the disease is manifested by inflammation of the joints of the index and middle fingers. Together with the metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swollen and sore. The joint of the finger hurts especially painfully in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis is accompanied by weakness, joint pain and fever.
The development of rheumatoid arthritis is noted after stress, hypothermia, infections.
Psoriatic arthritis
The pathology develops in patients with psoriasis. In pathology, joint pain and swelling are noted. The pathology has another name - soil "sausage". At the same time, all joints and joints of the finger become inflamed. In rare cases, the joints of both hands become inflamed, but on different fingers.
Tenosynovitis de Kerven
Inflammation affects only the thumb. The pain is caused by the load when trying to extend it to the elbow. Sometimes the finger hurts for no apparent reason.
Rizarthrosis
Rare pathology. Rharthrosis is a chronic form of osteoarthritis. The localization is noted at the base of the thumb. The disease leads to deformation of cartilage tissue. The bone of the thumb is deformed, restricting the movement of the inflamed joint.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
The pathology is manifested by symptoms:
- The pain is felt on the inside of the thumb.
- The index finger hurts.
- There is tingling in the skin of the palm.
- Reduced motor skills of the hand.
Without treatment, the nerve loses its ability to function, leading to disability.
Raynaud's disease
The causes of the disease are a decrease in capillary tone. Manifested by symptoms: numbness, pale skin of the hand, vasodilation, resulting in redness of the fingers. Sometimes there is a bluish color, sharp pain, swelling. The pathology is characterized by constant freezing of the hands, which at the last stage of development become bluish or black. Trophic ulcers are common.
Trauma
Pain in the arm most often occurs with bruises and sprains. Bruising of the hand is manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, blue discoloration or redness at the site of bruising, severe pain when trying to move a finger, hematoma formation, pathological mobility of the injured finger.
Sprains of the finger ligaments occur more often with sudden movement of the joint, which is observed in athletes, people with excessive mobility and children.
Tendinitis
The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous movements (sews, writes, plays the piano). The perception of "letters" occurs with daily stress when writing. The pain syndrome is observed in people suffering from cervical osteochondrosis. Wrist pain is especially noticeable at night. Painful sensations are often accompanied by a crunch-like sound.
Numbness, numbness of the fingers occurs in a person who makes small movements with his hands. The onset of finger snap syndrome is facilitated by repeated straining of the hand. The folded finger is difficult to straighten; if you apply force to extend it, a click is heard.
Sensations of pain with internal pathologies
Often pain in the hand and fingers for reasons not related to joint disease. People suffering from pathologies are at risk. Cardiac ischemia. In myocardial infarction, the onset of the attack often coincides with soreness and tingling in the left arm. Diabetes. The pathology leads to a more sensitive condition of the hands due to circulatory disorders.
Often in pregnant women there are painful sensations, tingling. The following changes lead to swelling and pain in the joints of the fingers during pregnancy: increased amount of the hormone relaxin, calcium deficiency, damage to the median nerve, depression.
Important!Heredity, freezing of the hands, frequent immersion in cold water, reduced 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 appear on the ring finger and little finger, and one third on 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 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 appears only in all the fingers of the left hand, the problem is sought in the vessels. The thumb, forefinger and ring finger hurt - the radial or middle nerve is affected, the index and thumb are pathologies of the spine. Pain in the little finger and ring finger is manifested by foraminal hernia C5-C6. The joint of the middle finger hurts with foraminal hernia C4-C5.
Which specialist to choose
For whatever reasons the hands hurt, a visit to the doctor is mandatory. In case of post-traumatic pain, you should make an appointment with a traumatologist. If the joints become inflamed, swelling occurs, a rheumatologist will help. When the cause of the pain is not clear, you should consult a cardiologist and endocrinologist.
Diagnosis
It is possible to diagnose pathologies with the help of the following hardware tests:
- Radiography. The painless procedure allows for the examination of bone tissue. The results of the study are recorded on the film in 3 projections.
- CT. The examination is performed with X-rays. The results obtained after computer processing are a series of cross-sectional images.
- Electrospondylography. Reveals the presence of abnormalities in the part of the spine responsible for the functioning of the hands. The pathology is detected at an early stage of development.
- NMR. The diagnosis is made with the help of electromagnetic radiation. As a result of the research, images of longitudinal and cross sections are obtained.
The X-ray method is considered to be the most informative for bone pathologies.
Laboratory methods
To diagnose joint pathology, tests are performed:
- General urine analysis. This makes it possible to identify advanced forms of inflammation of the bones.
- General blood test. The test determines the presence of leukocytosis and anemia.
- Biochemical blood test. Determines the increased presence of fibrinogen, sialic acid.
- Puncture. After puncture of the affected joint, the fluid in it is taken for examination. The study is assigned to accurately determine the cause of the pathology; performed in rare cases.
- Biopsy. A piece of skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. With the help of the method lupus erythematosus, scleroderma are detected.
Treatment
Pain in the hands is treated according to the cause. NSAIDs are used to exacerbate 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, central analgesics are prescribed to relieve the patient from acute pain. In addition to relieving pain, medications have an anti-inflammatory effect. In some cases, chondroprotectors are taken continuously. Laser treatment has been used successfully in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Significant relief is obtained with the help of physiotherapy procedures: massage, mud therapy.
In gout, drugs are shown to normalize purine metabolism in the body. Analgesics are prescribed to relieve pain. Of particular importance is the diet, which limits the use of meat products, fish and alcohol. Rheumatoid arthritis cannot be cured, but it is possible to slow down the destructive process of the joint by using anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy and surgical methods. Acupuncture and massage also worked well.
For the treatment of tunnel syndrome, a comfortable working environment must be created, taking into account the correct position of the arm. In case of painful sensations, compresses are made from a decoction of chamomile.
Surgical methods
If conservative treatment is ineffective, the joint is replaced by surgery. The indications for surgery are:
- Injuries with detachment of the tendon from the point of attachment to the nail phalanx.
- Arthritis of the hand.
- Fractures and cracks.
- Deep cuts.
- Malignant neoplasms of the hand.
How to treat yourself 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 leaves, add 5 g of dry mustard. Stir, simmer 8-10 minutes until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Transfer to a plate without access to light. The brush joints are lubricated in the morning and evening until visible improvement.
- Recipe number 2. Bird cherry tincture. 50 g of cherry peel is poured with 200 ml of vodka. Insist 10 days without access to light. Lubricate the brushes 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 3 weeks.
- Recipe number 3. Bath with calendula. One tablespoon of dried marigold flowers is poured with 200 ml of boiling water. The broth is prepared in 15 minutes. on low heat. The healing procedures last - 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.
- Recipe number 4. Drinking 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 gauze bandage applied to the joint, held for 30 minutes.
The procedures are performed daily for 20 days.
Useful tips
By following the recommendations of doctors, you can significantly help the body relieve joint disease. If you feel swelling of the brushes, remove the jewelry. In case of injury it is necessary to ensure the immobility of the hand and apply a cold compress. In case of pain from exercise, they should be excluded or significantly reduced. You need to change jobs that require repetitive movements.
You should consult a doctor immediately if you experience symptoms:
- Post-traumatic pain persists, there is stiffness of movement and it is difficult to bend the finger.
- The brush is red, there is heat in the skin.
- Feeling of tingling in the hand.
- The phalanges of the fingers hurt.
- Brush or finger numb.
It is advisable to exclude smoking, caffeine, which leads to narrowing of blood vessels, does not give the required amount of blood on the hands.
Prevention
To prevent arm pain, you should:
- Include exercises to strengthen the muscles of the arms in the complex of morning exercises.
- If you have to perform repetitive movements, you need to take breaks.
- Prolonged position in a position requiring a fixed arm position should be excluded.
- Avoid hypothermia of the hands.
Pain in the hands is caused by various reasons. Medicines, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk recipes are used to relieve pain. To improve the quality of life, it is important to follow the doctor's recommendations.