If your hands and fingers hurt, it means that the body is signaling joint diseases or internal pathologies. Often, the patient tries to solve the problem himself, not knowing the danger of becoming disabled in the short term. Information about why pain occurs in the joints of the fingers and what to do is useful for those who feel the first signs of the disease and those whose close relatives suffer from articular pathology.
Reasons
There are a number of diseases that are accompanied by pain and inflammation in the hand. These include:
Gouty arthritis
The disease manifests itself after the age of 20. The thumbs are the first to undergo the inflammatory process. Inflammation of the joints has a paroxysmal course. The attack mostly starts at night. Joint pain is acute. The area of skin over the affected joint turns purple. The finger becomes warm and difficult to bend. Inflammation lasts a maximum of 10 days. The attack may pass suddenly without treatment, but it will soon appear again.
Polyosteoarthrosis
People over 40 are affected: men - less often than women. A distinctive sign of the disease is Heberden's nodes, when the nodes begin to form, swelling and redness, burning, sharp pain are noted in the joints, in some patients, the nodes are formed asymptomatically. With polyosteoarthrosis, the formation of nodules in the joints in the middle of the finger is also observed. Bouchard's nodes 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 fingers. Along with the metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swollen and painful. Pain in the joint above the finger is especially painful in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis is accompanied by weakness, painful joints and fever.
Psoriatic arthritis
Pathology develops in patients with psoriasis. Joint pain and swelling are noted in the pathology. The pathology has another name - "sausage-shaped" finger. At the same time, all joints and joints of the finger are inflamed. In rare cases, the joints of both hands are inflamed, but in different fingers.
De Quervain's tenosynovitis
Inflammation affects only the thumb. Pain is caused by loads when trying to straighten the elbow to the elbow. Sometimes your finger hurts for no reason.
Rizarthrosis
A rare pathology. Rizarthrosis is a chronic form of arthrosis. Localization is marked under the thumb. The disease leads to deformation of cartilage tissue. The thumb bone is deformed, limiting the movement of the inflamed joint.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Manifests itself with pathological symptoms:
- Pain is felt in the inner part of the thumb.
- My index finger hurts.
- There is a feeling of numbness in the skin of the palm.
- The mobility of the hands decreases.
If left untreated, the nerve loses its ability to function, leading to disability.
Raynaud's disease
The cause of the disease is a decrease in capillary tone. It manifests itself with symptoms: numbness, pallor of the skin of the hand, vasodilatation, resulting in redness of the fingers. Sometimes there is a bluish color, sharp pain and swelling. It is characterized by permanent freezing of the hands, which turns blue or black in the last stage of pathological development. Trophic ulcers are often observed.
Injuries
Pain in the hand most often occurs with bruises and sprains. Bruises on the hand are manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, blueness or redness of the bruised area, severe pain when trying to move the finger, hematoma formation and pathological mobility of the injured finger.
Tendinitis
The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous actions (sewing, typing, playing the piano). "Writing" cramp occurs during the daily stress of writing. 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 crunching sound.
A person who makes small movements with his hands has tingling and numbness in his fingers. Repeated overuse of the hand contributes to trigger finger syndrome. A bent finger is difficult to straighten, if force is applied to straighten it, a clicking sound is heard.
Pain due to internal pathologies
Often there is pain in the hands and fingers for reasons not related to joint diseases. People suffering from pathology are at risk:
Cardiac ischemia . With myocardial infarction, the onset of the attack often coincides with pain and tingling in the left arm.Diabetes . It leads to a more sensitive condition of the hands due to poor blood circulation.
Pain and numbness are often observed in pregnant women. The following changes cause swelling and pain in the finger joints during pregnancy: an increase in the amount of relaxin hormone, calcium deficiency, compression of the median nerve, 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 are in the ring and little fingers, and a third in the index and thumb. If the pain is felt in all the fingers of the right hand, the problem is related to blood vessels. Pain in the index finger and thumb indicates pathologies of the spine. If the index finger, ring finger and thumb hurt at the same time, this indicates a disease of the radial nerve. Simultaneous pain in the little finger and ring finger indicates the presence of a foraminal hernia.
My fingers on my left hand hurt
If the pain occurs only in all the fingers of the left hand, the problem is sought in the blood vessels. Thumb, index and ring fingers hurt - radial or median nerve is affected, index and thumb - spinal pathology. Pain in the little finger and ring finger occurs with a C5-C6 foraminal hernia. Middle finger joint pain due to C4-C5 foraminal hernia.
Which specialist to choose?
If your hands hurt for any reason, a visit to the doctor is mandatory. If you have post-traumatic pain, you should make an appointment with a traumatologist. If the joints become inflamed or 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 identify pathologies using the following hardware tests:
Radiography . Painless procedure allows to study the bone tissue. The results of the research are recorded on film in 3 projections.CT . The study is carried out using X-rays. The results obtained after computer processing are a series of images with cuts.Electrospondylography . It reveals the presence of abnormalities in the part of the spine responsible for the activity of the arms. It is detected at the initial stage of pathological development.MRI . Diagnosis is carried out using electromagnetic radiation. As a result of the study, images of longitudinal and transverse sections are obtained.
Laboratory methods
Studies are conducted to diagnose joint pathology:
General urinalysis . It allows to identify advanced forms of bone inflammation.General blood analysis . The study determines the presence of leukocytosis and anemia.Biochemical blood test . It determines the increased presence of fibrinogen and sialic acids.Puncture . After puncturing the affected joint, the fluid inside it is taken for examination. The study is prescribed to accurately determine the cause of the development of pathology; rarely done.Biopsy . A piece of skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. Using the method, lupus erythematosus and scleroderma are detected.
Treatment
Pain in the hands is treated according to the causes that cause it. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for exacerbation of arthritis. The use of vasodilator drugs is necessary for normal nutrition from blood to the joints. Anti-inflammatory ointments are used for local therapy. Good results are obtained during the treatment of arthritis with ultrasound, electrophoresis and acupuncture.
For osteoarthritis, centrally acting analgesics are prescribed to relieve the patient from acute pain. In addition to pain relief, such drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect. Chondroprotectors: chondroitin sulfate, in some cases hyaluronic acid is taken constantly. Laser treatment is successfully used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Significant relief is achieved using physiotherapeutic procedures: massage, mud therapy.
For gout, it is indicated to take medicine to normalize the metabolism of purines in the body. Analgesics are prescribed to relieve pain. Of particular importance is a diet with limited consumption 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 surgery. Acupuncture and massage have also proven themselves well.
To treat carpal tunnel syndrome, comfortable working conditions should be created, taking into account the correct position of the hand. Prepare compresses from chamomile decoction for painful sensations.
Surgical methods
If conservative treatment is ineffective, the joint is surgically replaced. Indications for surgical intervention are as follows:
- Injuries with the separation of the tendon from the point of attachment to the nail phalanx.
- Hand arthritis.
- Cracks and cracks.
- Deep cuts.
- Malignant neoplasms of the hands.
How to treat according to traditional recipes
Effective folk recipes for combating pain in the hands:
Recipe No. 1 . Aloe ointment. Take 20 g of crushed fresh aloe leaves, add 5 g of dry mustard. Mix and cook for 8-10 minutes until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Transfer to a container away from light. The joints of the hands are lubricated in the morning and evening until there is visible improvement.Recipe No. 2 . Bird cherry tincture. 50 g of bird cherry peel is poured with 200 ml of vodka. Insist for 10 days without going out into the light. Oil the brushes 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 3 weeks.Recipe No. 3 . Bath with calendula. A spoonful of dried calendula flowers is poured into 200 ml of boiling water. Prepare the solution for 15 minutes. at low heat. Treatment procedures last 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 10 procedures.Recipe No. 4 . Drink from dandelion roots. So, 1 tablespoon of ginger root is poured into 200 ml of boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes. Drink 1 tablespoon 15 minutes before meals for 14 days.Recipe No. 5 . Heat three tablespoons of sea salt in the microwave. Wrap it in a gauze bandage, apply it to the joint and leave it for 30 minutes.
Procedures are carried out daily for 20 days.
Helpful tips
By following the recommendations of doctors, you can significantly help alleviate joint diseases of the body. If swelling of the hands occurs, jewelry should be removed. In case of injury, it is necessary to keep the hand still and apply a cold compress. If there is pain from tension, it should be eliminated or significantly reduced. Jobs that require repetitive actions need to be changed.
If the following symptoms occur, you should immediately consult a doctor:
- Post-traumatic pain does not decrease, stiffness of movements is noted, it is difficult to bend the finger.
- The hand is red and there is heat in the skin area.
- There is a tingling sensation in the hand.
- The phalanges of the fingers hurt.
- Hand or finger goes numb.
Prevention
To prevent pain in the hand, you should:
- Include exercises to strengthen your hand muscles in your morning workout.
- If repetitive movements are necessary, you should take a break.
- Staying in a position that requires a stable position of the hands for a long time should be avoided.
- Avoid getting your hands too cold.
Pain in the hands occurs for various reasons. Drug treatment, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk recipes are used to relieve pain. It is important to follow your doctor's recommendations to improve your quality of life.