Worried about finger pain and don't know what's going on? Perhaps this is a consequence of trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, polyosteoarthrosis or rhizarthrosis. There are other causes of arthralgia that can be identified only with the help of instrumental diagnostics.
Contact the clinic, and the specialists will establish the clinical picture and conduct complex therapy. With the help of drugs, physiotherapy, rehabilitation methods, inflammation is eliminated, destructive processes are stopped, and the working capacity of the limbs is restored.
Why the joints of the fingers hurt: causes and treatment
Arthralgia often occurs as a harbinger or symptom of an underlying condition. Acute sensations arise as a result of inflammatory arthropathies, degenerative-dystrophic pathologies, mostly of traumatic origin. Pain syndrome causes irritation of nerve endings, provoked by:
- toxins;
- sodium or potassium urates;
- bone growths;
- allergens;
- autoimmune processes.
The cause of pain in the finger joints can be a neurological condition or a problem not directly related to the limbs. Referring pain to the left extremity is a common occurrence in a heart attack. This also happens with problems in the upper part of the cervical spine. With an intervertebral hernia, there are hands on the shoulder and forearm.
However, there are a number of direct reasons due to which the phalanges become numb, and small joints of the limbs suffer. Fingers hurt after infections, hypothermia, inflammation of soft tissues and bone structures.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The disease affects people over 30+ in 7% of cases. It all starts with swelling of the metacarpal bones of the leading fingers. Then the catarrhal process spreads to the wrist, covering all structures. It affects one hand and then spreads to the second. A symmetrical lesion of the proximal joints with a change in shape is typical for this pathology. For the company, the bones of the pelvis, ankle and hock suffer. Arthritis is characterized by undulating pain. During the day and in the first half of the night they are tolerable, in the second they intensify and do not allow sleep.
psoriatic arthritis
It accounts for 5% of cases. The disease affects men and women equally after 20 years. For the most part, it develops in people with skin manifestations - psoriatic plaques and characteristic spots on the body. The pathology is characterized by "vertical" inflammation with simultaneous thickening of all joints. At the same time, the phalanx of the finger on the arm hurts, the skin turns red, it becomes like a sausage. Unlike rheumatoid inflammation, the process affects both hands but different bones.
gout
Less than 5% of patients turn to doctors with this problem. It affects men aged 25-55 more. Inflammation begins with the big toes, gradually rising through the joints and affecting the phalanges of the hands. The pain develops suddenly. It penetrates the entire limb, does not go away for a long time. The affected area turns purple and feels hot. In women, the process is milder and lasts 3-10 days. However, after a while everything repeats itself. A wavy course is a sign of the development of gout inflammation.
arthritis
Under the collective definition is understood joint anomalies of different types. They occur as a result of previous infections with systemic diseases. Signs of acute inflammation - swelling, redness, temperature, pain in the joints of the fingers. More often suffer metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal. In chronic arthritis, episodic sharp sensations are annoying. Muscles lose strength and function over time. Arthritis of the fingers leads to loss of physiological ability and disability.
Polyosteoarthrosis
The joint of the finger on the hand is very sore with degenerative changes in the bones. It all starts with a thinning of the cartilage tissue, damage to the interphalangeal ball joints. The reasons lie in the compaction and sclerosis of the synovial membrane, endocrine abnormalities. Doctors consider primary polyosteoarthritis to be an independent disease provoked by physical overload, hypothermia. Secondary - as a complication after infections and mechanical injuries. In both cases, there is a sharp pain, flexion contracture occurs.
Rhizarthrosis or osteoarthritis
This is another cause of finger pain that causes arthralgia and creates problems at the junction of the thumb and wrist. The process affects the entire joint. That leads to:
- to reduce depreciation;
- Friction and layered destruction of bone tissue;
- thickening in the interphalangeal zone;
- the appearance of nodules and stiffness.
- Crunch.
An orthopedist comments:
Symptoms vary by stage. In people who put long and monotonous loads on the thumb, rhizarthrosis develops as an independent disease in 30% of cases. Since the symptoms are 90% consistent with de Quervain's tenosynovitis, the problem is differentiated using an X-ray. The image clearly shows bone deformities and no soft tissue as in tendinitis.
trigger finger disease
In the medical reference book, trigger finger syndrome is referred to as stenosing ligamentitis. Symptoms: stabbing pain in the finger: swelling, lump formation, numbness. The peculiarity is the inflammation of the tendon and the formation of knots that prevent the phalanges from bending. Without therapy at stage 3, the finger takes a fixed position, at stage 4, secondary deformation occurs, the process becomes irreversible. Among the many provoking causes, anatomical anomalies of the ligamentous tendon apparatus are more often named.
De Quervain's tenosynovitis
Due to de Quervain's disease, the bones in the fingers hurt in 4% due to muscle inflammation. Sharp sensations appear suddenly at the junction with the wrist and are intensified by bending. The pathology leads to damage to the synovial membranes of the finger extensors. The problem is reduced by monotonous movements due to the constant pressure on the hand and palm, causing scarring changes in the ligament. That:
- playing keyboard instruments;
- To press;
- Working on the conveyor belt.
Raynaud's Syndrome
Fingers hurt due to severe vasoconstriction due to systemic diseases - vasculitis, scleroderma, lupus erythematosus, blood diseases, compression of blood vessels and nerve fibers. Vasospastic pathology is accompanied by paroxysmal circulatory disorders under the influence of cold temperatures. The clinical syndrome has not occurred for years. Over time, attacks appear, leading to blanching or reddening of the skin, cyanosis. As a result, the symptoms lead to trophic changes in the soft tissues.
carpal tunnel syndrome
The joints of the fingers also hurt due to injuries and the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. An unsuccessful fall, impact provoke damage to the integrity of tissues, blood vessels, lead to the formation of a hematoma or fracture of the hand. The development of the syndrome is facilitated by compression of the median nerve under the ligament that holds the tendons. Clinical manifestations: numbness of the palm, reduced motor skills, decreased muscle volume at the large tubercle. Diseases associated with inflammation of the tendon fibers are more common in women.
Bones on fingers hurt:
- Because of bursitis of various forms.
- Anomalies in childhood - Still's disease, Kawasaki syndrome.
- Systemic diseases - diffuse fasciitis, Lyme, Sjogren's, Crohn's, Bechterev's disease.
- Tumors - spinal cord disease, lymphoblastic leukemia.
diagnosis
It is impossible to determine why the fingers on the hands hurt without a differential examination. First, a visual inspection is carried out. A rheumatologist or arthrologist looks for symmetry of the lesion, symptoms, and other clinical signs. The patient is consulted by a traumatologist and an allergist, and then sent for laboratory tests.
Blood biochemistry determines rheumatoid factors, urinary and sialic acid levels and the sedimentation rate of erythrocytes in the blood. With infectious and immunopathologies, a reactive protein is detected, which indicates tissue destruction.
Why the fingers on the hands hurt, the cause and treatment will help determine the x-ray, ultrasound. The doctor examines problematic structures, conducts a symmetrical diagnosis of a healthy hand. It is necessary:
- to assess the degree of damage to structures;
- condition of cartilage and ligaments;
- Detection of primary signs of abnormalities, cysts and nodules.
MRI is prescribed for suspected degenerative and neoplastic diseases. Tomography helps to obtain 3D images of soft tissues in different projections to identify recent and chronic injuries. Informative methods show displacement, width of the joint space in arthritis, thinning of cartilage in arthrosis, bone displacement, growths. Densitometry is sometimes prescribed to determine bone density.
Based on what the phalanges of the fingers hurt, other methods of research are proposed - electrospondylography and electroneumyography. The first technology reveals the part of the spine responsible for limb movements. The second determines the state of the muscles and peripheral nerves. In the case of throbbing pain in the finger, a specialist may recommend a puncture. The percutaneous aspiration method allows you to take a secret and at the same time give an antibiotic or analgesic to relieve acute symptoms.
diagnosis
- ultrasound diagnostics.In the case of inflammation and damage to soft tissues, muscles, ligaments, tendons and joint capsules, a non-invasive examination using ultrasound waves is indicated.
- radiography.Assign for injuries: dislocations and fractures, diseases of the joints: arthrosis and arthritis of the joints.
- analyses.General blood and urine tests, blood biochemistry reveal signs of inflammation, the presence of infection, disorders in bone and cartilage tissue.
- magnetic resonance imaging.A highly precise method for diagnosing joints with an information content of up to 99%.
Fingers hurt: causes and treatment
Regardless of the etiology, NSAIDs are prescribed to relieve acute sensations, fever, and inflammation. Effective: Nimesil, Phenylbutazone, Indomethacin, Teraflex, Sodium Diflofenac. For very painful finger joints, ketarolac and tenoxicam are suitable for treatment. Using a drip or intramuscular infusion, they eliminate the symptoms for 3 days.
Corticosteroid drugs - dexamethasone, prednisolone also relieve the catarrhal process. At the same time, swelling is reduced, metabolic processes in the cartilage are improved, which contributes to the rapid restoration of mobility. Chondroprotectors thicken the structure of bone tissue and prevent the aggravation of degenerative processes.
Physiotherapy - ultrasound and electropulse therapy, acupuncture improve blood circulation. Remedial gymnastics helps to build muscles and restore joint mobility. Patients are advised to review their diet, adopt a diet high in protein and plant foods, and undergo spa treatments.
treatment methods
- Reception of a traumatologist-orthopedist
- Hand shock wave therapy
- Plasma lifting of the joints
- PRP therapy for the wrist
- wrist blockage
- Injections in the brush
- phonophoresis
- electrophoresis
- Ultrasound of the hand
- physical therapy
- drug therapy
- orthoses
- magnetotherapy