When hands and fingers ache, it means that the body signals for joint disease or internal pathology. Often, the patient tries to solve the problem on his own, unaware of the risk of disability in a short time. Information on why the pain is manifested in the joints of the fingers and what to do, is useful for those who have felt the first symptoms of the disease, whose relatives suffer from joint pathology.
Causes
There are a number of diseases associated with pain and inflammation of the hands. This includes:
Gout arthritis
The disease appears in people over 20 years of age. The thumb is 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 over the affected joint becomes red. 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 40 are sick: men - less often than women. A distinguishing sign of the disease are Heberden's joints, when the joints begin to form, swelling and redness of the joints are observed, burning, sharp pain, in some patients the joints form asymptomatically. With polyosteroarthritis, the formation of joints in the joints between the toes is also observed. Bouchard nodes are shaft-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. Along with the metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swollen, aching. The knuckle in the finger hurts especially with pain in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis accompanies weakness, joint pain and fever.
The development of rheumatoid arthritis is observed after stress, hypothermia, infections.
Psoriatic arthritis
The pathology develops in patients with psoriasis. With pathology, joint pain, swelling are observed. Pathology has another name - finger "sausage". At the same time, all the joints and knuckles of the finger become inflamed. In rare cases, the joints in both hands become inflamed, but in different fingers.
Tenosynovit de Quervain
Inflammation affects only the thumb. The pain is caused by the load when you try to stretch it towards the elbow. Sometimes a finger hurts for no apparent reason.
Rizartroza
A rare pathology. Rhizarthrosis is a chronic form of osteoarthritis. Localization is observed 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 wrist.
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 numbness in the skin of the palm.
- Decreased hand motor skills.
Without treatment, the nerve loses its ability to function, leading to disability.
Raynaud's disease
The causes of the disease are a decrease in the tone of the capillaries. Appears with symptoms: numbness, pallor of the skin of the hand, vasodilation, as a result of redness of the fingers. Sometimes there is a bluish tinge, acute pain, edema. The pathology is characterized by constant freezing of the hands, which in the last stage of development become bluish or black. Trophic ulcers are often observed.
Trauma
Pain in the hand most often manifests itself with bruising and convulsions. A bruising of the hand is manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, blue spot or redness of the bruised place, severe pain when trying to move the finger, formation of a hematoma, pathological mobility of the injured finger.
Finger ligament sprains occur most often with a sharp movement of the wrist, which is observed in athletes, highly mobile people, and children.
Tendonitis
The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous movements (sewing, pressing, playing the piano). The "writing" cramp appears with the daily stress when pressing. Painful syndrome is observed in people suffering from cervical osteochondrosis. Wrist pain is felt especially at night. Painful sensations are often accompanied by a sound similar to a crack.
Sucking, numbness in the fingers is manifested in a person making small movements with his hands. The onset of fractured toe syndrome is facilitated by repetitive strain on the hand. A bent finger is difficult to steer; if you apply force to extend, a click is heard.
Pain sensations with internal pathology
Often, pain in the hand and fingers for reasons unrelated to joint disease. People suffering from pathologies are at risk. Ischemia of the heart. With myocardial infarction, the onset of an attack often coincides with a pain and tingling sensation in the left hand. 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 joints of the fingers during pregnancy: an 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, decreased immunity contribute to pathological changes in the hands.
Pain in the fingers of the right hand
Several fingers are injured at the same time. Half of the painful manifestations occur in the ring finger and little finger, and a third in the index finger and thumb. If the pain is felt all over the fingers of the right hand, the problem is vascular. Pain in the index finger and thumb signals a pathology of the spine. If the index finger, ring finger and thumb are injured at the same time, this indicates a radial nerve disease. Simultaneous pain in the little finger and ring finger indicates the presence of a foramen hernia.
The fingers in the left hand hurt
If the pain appears only on all the fingers of the left hand, the problem is sought in the blood vessels. The thumb, forefinger and ring finger hurt - the radial or middle nerve is affected, the index finger and thumb are spinal pathology. Pain in the little finger and ring finger is manifested by foraminal hernia C5-C6. The middle finger joint hurts with foramen hernia C4-C5.
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, swelling appears, a rheumatologist will help. When the cause of the pain is not clear, you should consult a cardiologist and endocrinologist.
Diagnosing
It is possible to diagnose pathologies using the following hardware studies:
- Radiography. The painless procedure makes it possible to examine the bone tissue. The research results were recorded on film in 3 projections.
- CT. The study is performed with X-ray. The results obtained after computer processing are a series of cross-sectional images.
- Electrospondylography. Detects the presence of abnormalities in the part of the spine responsible for the functioning of the hands. The pathology is detected in the initial stage of development.
- MRI. Diagnosis is performed using 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
To diagnose joint pathology, studies are performed:
- General urine analysis. Makes it possible to 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.
- Beer. After a puncture of the affected wrist, the fluid in it is taken for examination. The study is designed to accurately determine the cause of the development of pathology; performed in rare cases.
- Biopsy. A portion of the skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. Using the method, lupus erythematosus, scleroderma are detected.
Treatment
Hand pain is treated according to 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. Ointments and gels are used for local 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. In the treatment of osteoarthritis, laser treatment is used successfully. Significant relief is achieved using physiotherapeutic procedures: massage, mud therapy.
With gout, medication is indicated to normalize purine exchange in the body. Analgesics are prescribed to relieve pain. Of particular importance is a diet that limits 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 proper 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 with a surgical method. 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 neoplasms of the hand.
How to heal according to popular recipes
Effective folk recipes for treating pain in the hands:
- Recipe number 1. Aloe vera ointment. Take 20 g of chopped fresh aloe leaves, 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. Brush connections are lubricated in the morning and evening until noticeable improvement.
- Recipe number 2. Poultry cherry tincture. 50 g of bird cherry peel pour 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 calendula flowers is poured with 200 ml of boiling water. The liquid is prepared for 15 minutes. over low heat. Treatment procedures continue - 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.
- Recipe number 4. Drinking from dandelion roots. So, 1 tablespoon of dandelion root is poured into 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 joints, held for 30 minutes.
Procedures are performed daily for 20 days.
Useful tips
By following the recommendations of doctors, you can significantly help the body to alleviate joint disease. If you have swollen 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 exertion, they should be excluded or significantly reduced. It is necessary to change jobs that require repetitive movements.
You should consult a doctor immediately if you have symptoms:
- Post-traumatic pain persists, stiffness of movement is observed, and it is difficult to flex the finger.
- The brush is flushed, there is a heat in the skin area.
- Sensation of needle piercing in the hand.
- The phalanges of the fingers hurt.
- The brush or finger is numb.
It is advisable to exclude smoking, caffeine, which leads to narrowing of blood vessels, not giving the right amount of blood to the hands.
Prophylaxis
To prevent 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 need to take breaks.
- An extended position in a position that requires a fixed hand position should be excluded.
- Avoid hypothermia of the hands.
Hand pain is caused by a variety of reasons. To relieve pain, medicines, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk remedies are used. To improve your quality of life, it is important to follow your doctor's recommendations.