In older age groups, finger pain is very common in both men and women. They are often accompanied by swelling, stiffness and chewing during bending or elongation of the joints. Such symptoms are not only a sign of natural aging of the body, but also clinical manifestations of various pathologies. Therefore, the cause of pain in the finger joints should be determined and treatment should be performed immediately.
Causes of pain in the joints of the fingers
If the pain occurs every week, then they can no longer be attributed to muscle tension after long hands work. In the initial stage of development, inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic pathologies are manifested in this way. Finger pain is associated with gradual destruction of bone and cartilage tissue, which can cause joint deformity, complete or partial immobilization (ankylosis).
Arthritis
The joints of the fingers on the hands can be affected by rheumatoid arthritis, reactive, psoriatic - inflammatory pathology, with rapid progression. In addition to severe pain, inflammation is observed - redness and swelling of the skin, restriction of movement space. And the course of infectious arthritis is often accompanied by signs of general intoxication of the body - an increase in body temperature, chills, fever.
The disease still
This is a severe autoimmune pathology, apparently developing due to an inadequate response of the immune system to the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms. Still disease affects not only small and large joints. The skin, organs of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and the 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 recovery period, and in the remission phase - only mild discomfort.
Stenotic ligamentitis
The pathology develops due to often monotonous movements. The stenotic ligament affects the ligament-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 manifests itself with soreness, pressure, or clicks when you bend the joints.
gout
With gout, crystals of uric acid salts begin to be deposited in the joints of the fingers, provoking irritation of soft, cartilaginous, bone tissues. An inflammatory process develops, in which gradually the ligaments, muscles, tendons are involved. During a gout attack, sharp, burning, throbbing pains occur. The skin over the joints swells, turns red, heats up to the touch.
Poliosteoarthritis
Polyosteoarthritis is a form of osteoarthritis that affects several joints at the same time. Cartilage tissues become thinner, thicken and lose their cushioning properties. To stabilize the joints, bone structures begin to deform, growing with the formation of osteophytes. These growths damage the soft tissues, which often leads to the development of an inflammatory process.
Injury
Pain in the knuckles can be a consequence of fracture, dislocation, subluxation, rupture of muscles, ligaments, tendons. A person gets such injuries when he falls on a straight arm, a strong steering kick or a bruise. If the victim does not seek medical help, then the articular structures join in the wrong anatomical position, so the pain in the hands becomes constant, increases after hypothermia or a sharp change of weather.
Vibration disease
This pathology develops in mechanized manual workers associated with the use of shocks or rotating instruments. Clinically, tremor disease is manifested not only by unpleasant sensations in the joints of the fingers, but also by vascular disorders, angiospasm, circulatory disorders and hypertension.
Tunnel syndrome
The cause of the occurrence of tunnel syndrome is any pathology that provokes a decrease in the volume of the carpal tunnel (osteoarthritis, arthritis, lipoma). The result is a compression-ischemic lesion of the median nerve. Pain occurs, sensitivity decreases, patients complain to the doctor about numbness, tingling, crawling. Every hand movement is associated with weakness, especially if you need to grasp an object with your thumb.
Symptoms
Trembling, throbbing, sharp pain in the knuckle joint is the main symptom of gout, infectious, rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile. Accompanying 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 appears, which disappears after a short rest. But their severity is constantly increasing. The pain is accompanied by stiffness, clicks when bending and / or extending the fingers.
effects
In the absence of medical intervention, the intensity of pain increases against the background of deformity of the interphalangeal joints. In the final stage of any pathology, partial or complete union of the joint space occurs. A person is unable to bend or unlock the fingers, which causes loss of ability to work, disability.
Inflammatory and destructive processes gradually spread to healthy soft, cartilaginous and bone tissues. Therefore, bitterness may soon be felt in some joints or fingers.
Diagnosing
Primary diagnosis is made on the basis of an external examination, patient complaints, anamnesis data, and the results of a number of functional tests. To confirm it, X-rays, MRI, CT, arthroscopy are performed. If an infectious origin of pathology is suspected, a biological sample is inoculated into nutrient media to determine 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, joints, or semi-rigid, rigid orthoses.
medicaments
In the treatment of pathologies manifested by pain in the joints of the fingers, drugs of different clinical and pharmacological groups are used. These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, chondroprotectors. Medications are also used to improve blood circulation, B vitamins, warming oils. To relieve acute pain, intramuscular and sometimes intra-articular administration of drugs is practiced. Using tablets or oils will allow you to get rid of less pronounced discomfort.
Massage
After relieving acute pain and inflammation, patients are assigned classic sessions, acupressure, vacuum, including equipment massage. Rejuvenation procedures help improve blood circulation, eliminate muscle spasms, and speed up the recovery of damaged tissue.
Physiotherapy
Electrophoresis, ultraphonophysis procedures help relieve pain or remove them completely. During their application, hormonal agents, chondroprotectors, anesthetics, analgesics, group B vitamins are used. For the treatment of joint pathologies, patients can also be prescribed up to 10 sessions of magnetotherapy, laser therapy, UHF therapy.
Physical exercises
Regular exercise therapy can quickly strengthen the muscles of the hand, prevent the progression of osteoarthritis or arthritis. The set of exercises is done by the exercise therapy doctor, taking into account the type of disease. It usually involves twisting the hands, flexing the fingers, grasping and holding small objects.
diets
In the diet of a patient with arthritis or osteoarthritis, there should be plenty of fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits. It is necessary to completely exclude semi-finished products, smoked meats, fast food, fatty meats, any alcohol from the daily menu. Instead, it is beneficial to eat rabbit meat, beef, fatty seafood, clean soups, cereals, dairy products.
Folk remedies
After the main treatment, elimination of pain and inflammation, doctors can allow the use of traditional medicines. During the rehabilitation period, the use of certain decoctions, hand baths, homemade oils is allowed.
Use of herbal infusions and decoctions
The course of pathologies that provoke finger soreness is often exacerbated by a worsening of a person’s psycho-emotional state. The use of herbal teas will help improve it. St. John's wort, valerian, thyme, thyme, lemon balm, oregano have a tonic, calming and normalizing sleep effect. To prepare a drink, a teaspoon of dried herbal ingredients (without a slip) is prepared with a glass of boiling water. Allow to infuse for a few hours, then filter and take 100 ml at bedtime.
Roasted onions and wax oil
Two medium-sized peeled onions are roasted until softened, ground in a mortar until softened, adding in portions 20 g of melted wax in a water bath. 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 mustard oil with herbs
Pour a tablespoon of dried flowers with calendula and chamomile in a bowl, pour 0, 5 cups boiling water, leave for 5 hours. Mix a teaspoon of dry mustard and sour cream with fat in a mortar, add 2 tablespoons of honey. The resulting infusion is injected dropwise until a homogeneous mass is formed. Before using the oil, the skin is lubricated with vegetable oil.
Herbal baths
Put in a thermos 5 berries of rose hips, juniper, barberry, pour into a tablespoon elecampane, St. John's wort, birch buds. Pour in a liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Cool slightly, filter, pour into a cup, add more warm water if necessary. Soak the brushes in the resulting infusion for 30 minutes.
Oil bath
Fill a small container with warm water (1. 5-2 liters), add 1-2 drops of essential oils of rosemary, eucalyptus, pine. Pour a tablespoon 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.
Straw tray
Pour 0. 5 liters of chopped oat straw into a small saucepan, pour 2 liters of hot water. Let simmer, simmer for 30-40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, filter. Pour the warm liquid into a cup, keep the brushes in it for about half an hour.
Preventive actions
To avoid pain in the knuckles, you should undergo a thorough physical examination every 6-12 months. Pathology detected in the early stages of development usually responds well to conservative treatment. You should also avoid traumatic situations, avoid smoking, limit alcohol consumption, exclude high-fat foods and simple carbohydrates from your diet.