In older age groups, finger pain is very common in both men and women. They are often accompanied by swelling, stiffness, and crunching when flexing or extending the joints. Such symptoms are not only a sign of the natural aging of the body, but also clinical manifestations of various pathologies. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the cause of pain in the joints of the fingers, and treatment should be carried out immediately.
Causes of pain in the joints of the fingers
If the pain occurs every week, it can no longer be attributed to increased muscle tension after long manual labor. In the initial phase of development, inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic pathologies appear in this way. Finger pain is associated with the gradual destruction of bone and cartilage tissue, which can cause joint deformation, complete or partial immobilization (ankylosis).
Arthritis
The joints of the fingers of the hands can be affected by rheumatoid, reactive, psoriatic arthritis - inflammatory, rapidly progressing pathologies. In addition to severe pain, inflammation is observed: redness of the skin and swelling, limitation of mobility. And the course of infectious arthritis is often accompanied by signs of general intoxication of the body: increased body temperature, chills, fever.
Still's disease
This is a serious autoimmune pathology, presumably developing due to an inadequate response of the immune system to the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms. Still's disease affects not only small and large joints. The skin, organs of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and lymph nodes are damaged.
Osteoarthritis
This pathology is characterized by the destruction of bone tissue with further deformation of the joints. With osteoarthritis in the morning, the fingers swell and when you try to bend or straighten them, there is some resistance. Sharp pains appear only during the relapse period and in the remission phase - only mild discomfort.
Stenosing ligamentitis
Pathology develops due to often repetitive monotonous movements. Stenosing ligamentitis affects the tendon apparatus of the hand, in which there is a blockage of the finger in an extended or bent position. But such a pronounced symptom occurs in the final stage of the pathology, and in the initial stage it is manifested by pain, creaking or clicking when flexing the joints.
Gout
With gout, crystals of uric acid salts begin to settle in the joints of the fingers, causing irritation of the soft bone, cartilage tissues. An inflammatory process develops, in which ligaments, muscles, tendons are gradually involved. Sharp, burning, stabbing pains occur during a gouty attack. The skin over the joints swells, turns red, becomes hot to the touch.
Polosteoarthritis
Polyosteoarthritis is a form of osteoarthritis that affects multiple joints at the same time. Cartilage tissues become thinner, thickened and lose their cushioning properties. To stabilize the joints, the bone structures begin to deform, grow with the formation of osteophytes. These growths damage soft tissues, which often leads to the development of an inflammatory process.
Injury
Pain in the joint of the fingers can be a consequence of fracture, dislocation, subluxation, rupture of muscles, ligaments, tendons. A person receives such injuries when they fall on an outstretched arm, a strong directional impact, or a bruise. If the victim does not seek medical help, the joint structures are fused in the wrong anatomical position, then the pain in the hands becomes constant, increases after hypothermia or a sharp change in the weather.
Vibration sickness
This pathology develops in mechanized manual workers associated with the use of percussion or rotary instruments. Clinically, vibration disease manifests itself not only with discomfort sensations in the joints of the fingers, but also with vascular disorders, angiospasms, circulatory disorders and blood pressure spikes.
Tunnel syndrome
The cause of the appearance of tunnel syndrome is any pathology that causes a decrease in the volume of the carpal tunnel (arthrosis, arthritis, lipoma). The result is an ischemic compression injury of the median nerve. Pain occurs, sensitivity decreases, patients complain to the doctor about sensations of numbness, tingling sensations, crawling chills. Any movement with your hand is accompanied by weakness, especially if you have to grab an object with your thumb.
Symptoms
Spasms, palpitations, sharp pain in the finger joint is the main symptom of gouty, infectious rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile. Concomitant symptoms are an increase in local temperature, redness and swelling of the skin.
Osteoarthritis and other degenerative-dystrophic pathologies in the initial stage of development are asymptomatic. Occasionally, mild pain occurs, which subsides after a short rest. But their severity is constantly increasing. The pain is accompanied by stiffness, clicking when flexing and / or extending the fingers.
Effects
In the absence of medical intervention, the intensity of pain increases against the background of deformation of the interphalangeal joints. In the final stage of any pathology, partial or complete fusion of the joint space occurs. A person is unable to bend or bend his fingers, which causes loss of working capacity, disability.
Inflammatory and destructive processes gradually spread to healthy soft, cartilage and bone tissues. Therefore, pain may soon be felt in several joints or fingers.
Diagnostics
Primary diagnosis is made on the basis of an external examination, patient complaints, medical history data and the results of a series of functional tests. To confirm this, X-rays, MRI, CT, arthroscopy are performed. If an infectious origin of the pathology is suspected, a biological sample is inoculated in nutrient media to establish the type of bacteria, their resistance to antibiotics.
Treatment
Determining therapeutic tactics, the doctor (orthopedist, rheumatologist, traumatologist) takes into account the type of disease, the form of its course, the degree of tissue damage and the number of complications that have developed. Often, to reduce the severity of the patient's pain, it is recommended to wear soft bandages, splints or semi-rigid and rigid orthoses.
Medicines
In the treatment of pathologies manifested by pain in the joints of the fingers, drugs of various clinical and pharmacological groups are used. These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, chondroprotectors. Drugs to improve blood circulation, B vitamins, warming ointments are also used. To relieve acute pain, intramuscular and sometimes intra-articular administration of drugs is practiced. The use of compresses or ointments will allow you to get rid of less pronounced discomfort.
Massage
After the relief of acute pain and inflammation, patients are assigned sessions of classical, acupressure, vacuum, including hardware massage. Revitalizing procedures help improve blood circulation, eliminate muscle spasms and accelerate the recovery of damaged tissues.
Physiotherapy
Procedures of electrophoresis, ultraphonophoresis help relieve pain or completely eliminate them. During their implementation, hormonal agents, chondroprotectors, anesthetics, analgesics, vitamins of group B are used. For the treatment of joint pathologies, patients can also be prescribed up to 10 sessions of magnetotherapy, laser therapy, UHF therapy.
Phisical exercises
Regular physical therapy can quickly strengthen the hand muscles, prevent the progression of osteoarthritis or arthritis. The set of exercises is done by the physician of physical therapy, taking into account the type of disease. It usually includes rotations of the hand, flexion-extension of the fingers, grasping and holding small objects.
Diet
In the diet of a patient with arthritis or osteoarthritis, there should be a lot of fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits. It is necessary to completely exclude semi-finished products, smoked meats, fast food, fatty meat, any alcohol from the menu of the day. Instead, it is useful to eat rabbit meat, beef, fatty sea fish, clear soups, cereals, dairy products.
Folk remedies
After the main treatment, the elimination of pain and inflammation, doctors can allow the use of traditional medicine. During the rehabilitation period it is allowed to use some decoctions, hand baths, homemade ointments.
The use of herbal infusions and decoctions
The course of pathologies that provoke pain in the fingers is often aggravated by a deterioration in the psychoemotional state of a person. Using herbal teas will help improve it. St. John's wort, valerian, motherwort, thyme, lemon balm and oregano have a tonic, calming and normalizing effect on sleep. To prepare a drink, a teaspoon of dry plant materials (without a slide) is prepared with a glass of boiling water. Leave to infuse for a couple of hours, then filter and take 100 ml before bedtime.
Ointment of onion and baked wax
Two medium-sized peeled onions are cooked until soft, ground in a mortar until smooth, adding 20 g of melted wax in a water bath in portions. The resulting mass is applied to the joints, fixed with a gauze bandage. The duration of the treatment procedure is 1-2 hours.
Honey and herbal mustard ointment
Pour a spoonful of dried calendula and chamomile flowers into a container, pour 0. 5 cups of boiling water, leave for 5 hours. Mix a teaspoon of dry mustard and fatty sour cream in a mortar, add 2 tablespoons of honey. The resulting infusion is injected drop by drop until a homogeneous mass is formed. Before using the ointment, the skin is lubricated with vegetable oil.
Herbal baths
Put 5 wild rose berries, juniper, barberry in a thermos, pour a spoonful of elecampane, St. John's wort, birch buds into a thermos. Pour a liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Cool slightly, strain, pour into a cup, add more hot water if necessary. Soak the brushes in the resulting brew for 30 minutes.
Oil baths
Fill a small container with warm water (1, 5-2 liters), add 1-2 drops of essential oils of rosemary, eucalyptus, pine. Pour a spoonful of cosmetic almond oil, shake. They put their hands in the water for 30-40 minutes. After the procedure, any nourishing or moisturizing cream is rubbed into the skin.
Trays of straw
Pour 0, 5 liters of chopped oat straw into a small saucepan, pour 2 liters of hot water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 30-40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, filter. Pour the hot broth into a cup, keep the brushes inside for about half an hour.
Preventive actions
To avoid pain in the joints of the fingers, it is necessary to undergo a complete physical examination every 6-12 months. Pathology detected early in development usually responds well to conservative treatment. It is also necessary to avoid traumatic situations, not to smoke, limit alcohol consumption, exclude foods rich in fats and simple carbohydrates from the diet.