When the hands and fingers hurt, it means that the body is signaling for joints or internal pathologies. Often, the patient tries to solve the problem on his own, ignoring the risk of becoming disabled in a short time. Information on why the pain in the joints of the fingers occurs and what to do, is useful for those who have felt the first symptoms of the disease, whose close relatives suffer from joint pathology.
Causes
There are a number of ailments associated with pain and inflammation in the hands. These include:
Gout
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. Joint pain is acute. The skin above the affected joint becomes red. The finger becomes hot and difficult to bend. The inflammation lasts for a maximum of 10 days. The attack may subside suddenly, without treatment, but will soon reappear.
Polyosteoarthritis
People over 40 are sick: men - less often than women. Characteristic of the disease are Heberden's nodules, when nodules begin to form, swelling and redness of the joints are observed, burning, acute pain, in some patients nodules form asymptomatically. With polyosteoarthritis, nodules form in the joints of the middle of the finger. Bouchard nodules are spindle-shaped, almost painless and characterized by slow growth.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The onset of the disease is manifested by inflammation of the joints of the index and middle. Along with the metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swollen, and sore. The joint in the finger hurts especially painfully in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis is accompanied by weakness, joint pain and fever.
The development of rheumatoid arthritis occurs after stress, hypothermia, infections.
Psoriatic ARTHRITIS
The pathology develops in patients with psoriasis. With pathology, there is pain in the joints, swelling. The pathology has another name - finger "sausage". At the same time, all the joints and the joints of the finger become inflamed. In rare cases, the joints in both hands become inflamed, but in different fingers.
Tenosynovit de Quervain
Inflammation only affects the thumb. The pain is caused by the load when trying to extend it to the elbow. Sometimes a finger hurts for no apparent reason.
Rehabilitation
A rare pathology. Rizarthritis is a chronic form of joint disease. The location is noted at the base of 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
The pathology is manifested with symptoms:
- The pain is felt inside the thumb.
- The index finger hurts.
- There is numbness in the skin of the palm.
- Reduced hand motor skills.
Without treatment, the nerve loses its ability to function, leading to disability.
Raynaud's disease
The causes of the disease are the reduction of capillary tone. Manifested by symptoms: numbness, paleness of the skin of the hand, vasodilation, resulting in redness of the fingers. Sometimes there is a blue color, sharp pain, swelling. The pathology is characterized by constant freezing of the hands, which in the last stage of development become blue or black. Food ulcers are common.
Wound
Pain in the hand occurs more often with bruises and sprains. The bruise on the hand is manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, blue discoloration or redness of the bruised position, severe pain when trying to move the finger, hematoma formation, abnormal mobility of the injured finger.
Sprains of the finger joints most often occur with a sudden movement of the joint, which is observed in athletes, people with excessive movement and children.
Tendonitis
The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous movements (sewing, typing, playing the piano). The "writing" cramp appears with daily stress when typing. Painful syndrome is observed in people suffering from cervical osteochondrosis. Wrist pain is especially noticeable at night. Painful sensations are often accompanied by a sound similar to a sting.
Tingling, numbness in the fingers is manifested in a person who makes small movements with his hands. The onset of fracture syndrome is facilitated by repetitive hand tension. A bent finger is difficult to straighten; if you exert force to extend it, a click is heard.
Pain sensations with internal pathologies
Often, pain in the hand and fingers for reasons unrelated to joint disease. People suffering from pathologies are at risk. Cardiac ischemia. With myocardial infarction, the onset of an attack often coincides with pain and tingling in the left arm. Diabetes. The pathology leads the hands to a more sensitive condition due to circulatory disorders.
Often, painful sensations, numbness are observed in pregnant women. The following changes lead to swelling and pain in the finger joints during pregnancy: increased amount of the hormone chalasin, calcium deficiency, involvement of the median nerve, depression.
Great!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
Many fingers ache at the same time. Half of the painful manifestations occur on the middle 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 finger and thumb marks a pathology of the spine. If the index finger, middle finger and thumb ache at the same time, this indicates radial nerve disease. Simultaneous pain in the little finger and middle finger indicates the presence of a hernia.
The fingers in the left hand hurt
If the pain occurs only in all the fingers of the left hand, the problem is sought in the vessels. The thumb, forefinger and middle finger hurt - the radial or middle nerve is affected, the index finger and thumb are a pathology of the spine. Pain in the little finger and toe is manifested by hernia C5-C6. The middle finger joint hurts with C4-C5 hernia.
Which specialist to choose
For whatever reason your hands hurt, a visit to the doctor is mandatory. For post-traumatic pain, you should make an appointment with a traumatologist. If the joints become inflamed, swollen, a rheumatologist will help. When the cause of the pain is not clear, you should consult a cardiologist and an endocrinologist.
Diagnostics
It is possible to diagnose pathologies using the following material studies:
- X-ray. The painless procedure makes it possible to examine the bone tissue. The results of the research are recorded in the film in 3 projections.
- CT. The study 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 that is responsible for the function of the hands. The pathology is located in the initial stage of development.
- MRI. The diagnosis is made by electromagnetic radiation. As a result of the study, images of longitudinal and transverse sections are obtained.
The X-ray method is considered the most informative for bone tissue pathologies.
Laboratory methods
For the diagnosis of joint pathology, studies are performed:
- General urine analysis. Makes it possible to detect 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 puncturing the affected joint, the fluid in it is taken for examination. The study has been commissioned to accurately determine the cause of the pathology. takes place in rare cases.
- Biopsy. A piece of skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. Using the method, lupus erythematosus, scleroderma are detected.
Treatment
Pain in the hands is treated depending on the cause. For exacerbations of arthritis, NSAIDs are used. The use of vasodilators is necessary for the normal supply of blood from the blood to the joints. For topical treatment, ointments and gels are used. Good results are achieved 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, drugs have anti-inflammatory action. In some cases, chondroprotectants are taken continuously. In the treatment of osteoarthritis, laser treatment is used successfully. Significant relief is achieved using physiotherapy procedures: massage, mud therapy.
With gout, medication is indicated to normalize the exchange 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 can not be cured, but it is possible to slow down the destructive process of the joint using anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy and surgical methods. Acupuncture and massage have 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, the compresses are made from a decoction of chamomile.
Surgical methods
If conservative treatment is ineffective, the joint is surgically replaced. The indications for surgery are:
- Injuries with detachment of the tendon from the point of adhesion to the phalanx of the nail.
- Arthritis of the hand.
- Fractures and cracks.
- Deep incisions.
- Malignant neoplasms of the hand.
How to heal according to folk recipes
Effective folk recipes for treating hand pain:
- Recipe number 1. Aloe vera ointment. Take 20 g of chopped fresh aloe leaf, add 5 g of dry mustard. Stir, simmer for 8-10 minutes, until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Transfer to a plate without access to light. The joints of the brushes are lubricated morning and night until they improve visibly.
- Recipe number 2. Cherry tincture. Pour 200 ml of vodka on 50 grams of cherry peel. 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. A tablespoon of dried calendula flowers is poured with 200 ml of boiling water. The broth is prepared for 15 minutes. on low heat. The treatment procedures continue - 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.
- Recipe number 4. Drinking from dandelion roots. Thus, 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, it is kept for 30 minutes.
The procedures are performed daily for 20 days.
Helpful tips
By following the recommendations of doctors, you can significantly help the body to alleviate joint disease. 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 apply a cold compress. In case of pain from fatigue, they should be significantly excluded or reduced. It is necessary to change jobs that require repetitive movements.
You should consult a doctor immediately if you experience symptoms:
- Post-traumatic pain persists, there is stiffness in movement and it is difficult to bend the finger.
- The brush is red, there is heat in the skin area.
- Feeling of tingling in the hand.
- The phalanges of the fingers ache.
- The brush or finger is numb.
It is recommended to exclude smoking, caffeine, which leads to narrowing of blood vessels, not giving the right amount of blood to the hands.
Prophylaxis
To avoid hand pain, you should:
- Include exercises to strengthen the muscles of the hands in the complex of morning exercises.
- If you need to do repetitive movements, you should take breaks.
- An extended position in a position that requires a firm hand position should be ruled out.
- Avoid hypothermia of the hands.
Pain in the hands is caused by several reasons. To relieve pain, medications, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk remedies are used. To improve your quality of life, it is important to follow your doctor's recommendations.