The brush is considered the most mobile part of the human body. Thanks to the large variation in the range of motion, it is able to do the best job with the smallest details. This is why it is important to keep your hands healthy. Nowadays, many people, including the younger generation, complain of joint pain in their fingers. In some cases, it becomes so strong that a person actually loses the ability to perform normal movements.
general information
The human hand can be clearly divided into three parts: wrist, wrist and fingers. Metacarpus is made up of eight small, irregularly shaped bones. They are all lined up in two rows. Metacarpus is represented by five tubular bones, each with a base, body, and head. The bases connect to the wrist and head forming joints with the phalanges of the fingers. The second one, in turn, consists of three phalanges. The exception in this case is the thumb. It has only two phalanges.
The human hand is considered an extremely delicate tool, as well as a precision tool. The fingers are precisely the vehicle that allows for coordinated movements. Without them, normal life is impossible. All of these movements are due to joint mobility. However, due to a lot of daily activity, this area is at risk of developing completely different diseases, mechanical damage and trauma. Joint pain in the fingers, as a rule, is accompanied by this type of pathological change. Treatment in this case depends solely on what is causing the discomfort.
Main reason
According to experts, finger joint pain can have many causes. Here are the most common violations:
- Arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis.
- Bursitis.
- Mechanical damage and trauma.
- Bone marrow inflammation.
Arthritis
Arthritis refers to acute or chronic inflammation of the joints. Isolated lesions of the fingers are very rare. As a rule, in such patients, the pathological process also affects other joints. Joint pain in the affected area is marked by intensity. They arise not only with movement of the fingers, but also at rest. In addition, in the areas affected by arthritis, there is the appearance of severe edema, a change in normal skin color.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. This is a connective tissue disease of an infectious and allergic nature, mainly of a systemic nature. The driving force for the onset of this disease is severe colds, frequent stress and hypothermia. Rheumatoid arthritis begins with pain in the index finger joint. Affected areas swell, the patient complains of fever, feeling of weakness, chills.
- Psoriatic arthritis. As a rule, this type of pathology develops in patients who already have psoriasis on the skin. These are dry scaly patches that are reddish in color. With the development of the disease, the fingers take on a purple color and a sausage-like shape.
- Gout arthritis. Gout is understood as a fairly common disease characterized by a metabolic disorder, specifically purine nucleus. According to experts, such a disease can be triggered by an increase in uric acid levels and then the deposition of its salts directly in the joint tissues. Usually, a gout attack begins with severe discomfort in the big toe joint. If not treated in time, the disease will spread to other joints. Gout attacks often occur at night. They are characterized by an increase in temperature around the affected area and severe pain. The disease progresses very quickly. After a while, the patient may experience pain in the joints of the fingers of both hands. Usually, the duration of a typical attack of the disease ranges from two to about 14 days.
Osteoarthritis
This disease is formed by the sequential destruction of cartilage tissue in the joint surface area. In the case of this pathology, the initial painful discomfort occurs only after prolonged physical exertion. After that, the disease is more and more advanced, the intensity of pain increases gradually, can appear even at night.
Finger joints are a fairly common problem. Even insignificant damage can become the impetus for its development. During the development of the disease, the fingers can change their usual shape, and at the same time bend to the side.
Rhizarthrosis. With the development of this disease, the joint located at the base of the thumb is affected, which also connects the bones of the wrist to the bones of the wrist. This disease occurs due to the overload of this area. Pain in the thumb joint, visual deformity of the bones are common symptoms of this pathology.
Bursitis
Inflammation of the so-called joint pockets of the fingers, accompanied by an accumulation of fluid in their cavity, is called bursitis. This pathology is characterized by painful sensations in the affected area, the appearance of edema, redness. The main symptom of bursitis is the formation of a round swelling in the joint that is characterized by tenderness. It is easily recognizable by the eye.
With a prolonged course, bursitis often turns into a chronic stage. In this type of situation, the deposition of salts in the affected area participates in the inflammatory process. All this, as a rule, causes pain in the joints of the fingers.
If the cause of the problem is an injury to the hand, then the pathological microflora is often involved in the inflammatory process. In this case, we are talking about the development of purulent bursitis. It is accompanied by an increase in temperature, headaches and weakness throughout the body.
Injury and mechanical damage
The displacement of bones in a joint is called a dislocation. Most athletes often have to deal with this problem. It is accompanied by the following symptoms: severe swelling of the affected area, joint deformity and severe pain syndrome.
The most common injury is a dislocated thumb. Such a separate arrangement makes him always have any wrong movement. However, the thumb is characterized by a powerful ligamentous apparatus, and it is distinguished by a certain load threshold, after which stretching occurs. All this entails displacement of the joint surfaces.
The most common cause of thumb dislocation is an accidental fall into an open palm. It is very easy to determine the presence of this problem, as the affected area externally looks distorted. Severe thumb joint pain can interfere with normal activities, work, and sports. The skin in this part, as a rule, has a reddish tint.
Osteomyelitis
A pyogenic process that affects joints and nearby soft tissues is called osteomyelitis. This pathology develops due to the penetration of bacteria into the body, which does not stop secreting pus.
Acute osteomyelitis usually begins with a temperature rise of up to 40 degrees. The patient's condition deteriorated very quickly, which was caused by severe poisoning of the body. In addition, the patient may experience the following symptoms: pain in the joints of the fingers, chills, loss of consciousness, vomiting.
The first two days of hand pain increased gradually. Active finger movements are often not possible. The disease progresses rapidly, manifesting as swelling in the muscles of the hand, even the forearm. The skin in the affected area becomes purple.
Diagnose
Timely seeking advice from a specialist, competent diagnosis, as well as treatment - all these factors make it possible to identify the disease and prevent its further progression, the development ofserious complications. You should not ignore the pain of the joints of the fingers, because even a small disease can make the patient completely lose movement and make the patient disabled. The following diagnostic measures may be required to identify the problem:
- X-ray of the hand.
- Blood tests (clinical/biochemical) and urinalysis.
- Determination of purines.
What to eat to treat finger joint pain?
Regardless of the actual cause of the pathology, therapy should comprehensively and simultaneously address three issues: treat the main disease, restore basic hand function, and relieve pain.
Of course, the fight against one disease or another depends on its nature. For each case, the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment method. However, the alleviation of hand discomfort and its functional development are subject to general rules.
To relieve discomfort, modern medicine offers a variety of drugs. Usually, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed.
To eliminate pain caused by autoimmune diseases (for example, rheumatoid arthritis), glucocorticosteroids are used. They have excellent anti-inflammatory effects and provide relatively quick pain relief.
Special ointments that contain anesthetic ingredients can somewhat enhance the effect of the drug.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that you should not ignore pain in the joints of your fingers. Treatments offered by modern medicine are often the most effective in combating this problem. The main thing is to seek medical help in a timely manner and undergo the necessary diagnostic examination. Be healthy!