Pain in the hands and fingers

When the hands and fingers hurt, it means that the body is reporting joint disease or internal pathologies. Often the patient tries to solve the problem on his own, unaware of the danger of becoming disabled in a short time. Information on why pain in the joints of the fingers occurs and what to do is useful for those who have experienced the first symptoms of the disease, whose close relatives suffer from joint pathology.

causes

There are a number of diseases associated with pain and inflammation of the hands. These include:

Gouty arthritis

The disease manifests itself after the age of 20. The thumbs are the first to be exposed to the inflammatory process. There is a paroxysmal course of joint inflammation. The attack often begins at night. Joint pain is acute. The skin over the affected joint turns crimson. The finger becomes hot and difficult to bend. The inflammation lasts a maximum of 10 days. The attack may disappear suddenly, without treatment, but will reappear soon.

Polyosteoarthritis

People over 40 are sick: men - less often than women. A hallmark of the disease is Heberden's nodules, when nodules begin to form, swelling and redness of the joints, burning, sharp pain are noted, in some patients the nodules are formed asymptomatically. With polyosteroarthritis, the formation of nodules on the joints in the middle of the finger is also observed. Bouchard's nodules are spindle-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. Together with the metacarpophalangeal joints, the wrist joints become inflamed, swollen, hurt. The finger joint hurts especially painfully in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis accompanies weakness, joint pain, and fever.

The development of rheumatoid arthritis is noted after stress, hypothermia, infections.

Psoriatic arthritis

Pathology develops in patients with psoriasis. With pathology, joint pains, swelling are noted. Pathology has another name - "sausage" finger. At the same time, all the joints and joints of the finger become inflamed. In rare cases, the joints in both hands become inflamed, but on different fingers.

Tenosynovit de Quervain

The inflammation affects only the thumb. The pain is caused by the load when trying to extend it towards the elbow. Sometimes a finger hurts for no apparent reason.

rizartro

A rare pathology. Rhizarthrosis is a chronic form of osteoarthritis. The location is noted at the base of the thumb. The disease leads to deformation of the cartilage tissue. The thumb bone is deformed, restricting movement of the inflamed joint.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Pathology manifests itself with symptoms:

• Pain is felt on the inside of the thumb.
• The index finger hurts.
• There is numbness in the skin of the palm.
• Reduced motor skills of the hand.

Without treatment, the nerve loses its ability to function, which leads to disability.

Raynaud's disease

The causes of the disease are a decrease in capillary tone. It manifests itself with symptoms: numbness, paleness of the skin of the hand, vasodilation, as a result of which the fingers turn red. Sometimes there is a bluish color, sharp pain, edema. Pathology is characterized by constant frostbite of the hands, which in the last stage of development become bluish or black. Trophic ulcers are often observed.

Trauma

Hand pain most often occurs with bruises and sprains. A bruise of the hand is manifested by the following symptoms: swelling, blue discoloration or redness of the bruised site, severe pain when trying to move a finger, the formation of a hematoma, pathological mobility of the injured finger.

Sprains of the ligaments of the finger most often occur with a sharp movement of the joint, which is observed in athletes, excessively mobile people and children.

tendinitis

The disease affects a person who constantly performs monotonous movements (sewing, typing, playing the piano). "Writing" cramp appears with daily stress while typing. Painful syndrome is observed in people suffering from cervical osteochondrosis. Wrist pain is especially felt at night. Painful sensations are often accompanied by a crunching sound.

Tingling, numbness of the fingers occurs in a person making small movements with their hands. The appearance of snapping finger syndrome is facilitated by repeated overloading of the hand. A bent finger is difficult to straighten; if you apply force to extend it, you will hear a click.

Pain sensations with internal pathologies

Often, pain in the hand and fingers for reasons not related to joint disease. At risk are people suffering from pathologies. Cardiac ischemia. With myocardial infarction, the onset of an attack often coincides with a feeling of pain and tingling in the left hand. Diabetes. Pathology leads the hands to a more sensitive state due to circulatory disorders.

Painful sensations, numbness are often observed in pregnant women. The following changes lead to swelling and pain in the joints of the fingers during pregnancy: increased amount of the hormone relaxin, calcium deficiency, violation of the median nerve, depression.

Important!Heredity, frostbite 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 hurt at the same time. Half of the painful manifestations occur on the ring finger and little finger, and a third on the index and thumb. If pain is felt in all fingers of the right hand, the problem is vascular. Pain in the index and thumb signals a pathology of the spine. If the index finger, ring finger and thumb hurt at the same time, this indicates radial nerve disease. Simultaneous pain in the little and ring fingers indicates the presence of a foraminal hernia.

The fingers of the left hand hurt

If the pain occurs only in all the fingers of the left hand, the problem must be sought in the vessels. The thumb, index finger and ring finger hurt: the radial or middle nerve is affected, the index and thumb are pathology of the spine. Pain in the little finger and ring finger occurs with C5-C6 foraminal hernia. The middle finger joint hurts with C4-C5 foraminal hernia.

Which specialist to choose

For whatever reason the 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 unclear, you should consult a cardiologist and an endocrinologist.

Diagnostics

Pathologies can be diagnosed using the following hardware studies:

• X-ray. The painless procedure allows you to examine the bone tissue. The results of the research are recorded on the film in 3 projections.
• CT. The study is carried out with X-rays. The results obtained after computer processing are a series of images in cross section.
• Electrospondylography. It reveals the presence of abnormalities in the part of the spine responsible for the functioning of the hands. Pathology is detected at the initial stage of development.
• magnetic resonance. Diagnosis is made 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 pathologies of bone tissue.

Laboratory methods

To diagnose joint pathology, studies are carried out:

• General urine analysis. Allows you 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.
• sting. After a puncture of the affected joint, the fluid contained in it is withdrawn for examination. The study is assigned to accurately determine the cause of the development of pathology; performed in rare cases.
• Biopsy. A piece of skin tissue is taken for microscopic examination. Using the method, lupus erythematosus, scleroderma are detected.

Treatment

Hand pain is treated based on 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. For local therapy, ointments and gels are used. Good results are obtained in the treatment of arthritis with ultrasound, electrophoresis and acupuncture.

In osteoarthritis, central analgesics are prescribed to relieve the patient's acute pain. In addition to pain relief, drugs 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, drugs are shown to normalize the exchange of purines in the body. Analgesics are prescribed to relieve pain. Of particular importance is a diet that limits the use of meat, fish and alcohol products. Rheumatoid arthritis cannot 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 also worked well.

For the treatment of tunnel syndrome, a comfortable working environment should be created, taking into account the correct 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 by a surgical method. The indications for surgery are:

• Injuries with detachment of the tendon from the point of attachment to the nail phalanx.
• Arthritis of the hand.
• Fractures and cracks.
• Deep cuts.
• Malignant neoplasms of the hand.

How to heal according to folk recipes

Effective folk recipes for dealing with pain in the hands:

• Recipe number 1. Aloe ointment. Take 20 g of fresh chopped aloe leaf, 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. The brush joints are lubricated in the morning and in the evening until visible improvement.
• Recipe number 2. Bird cherry tincture. 50 g of bird cherry bark 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. Marigold bath. A tablespoon of dried calendula flowers is poured with 200 ml of boiling water. The broth 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 the roots of the dandelion. Then, 1 tablespoon of dandelion roots is poured into 200 ml of boiling water. Simmer 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. Wrapped in a gauze bandage, applied to the joint, held for 30 minutes.

The procedures are carried out daily for 20 days.

Useful tips

By following the recommendations of doctors, you can significantly help the body in relieving joint diseases. If you feel the brushes swell, remove the jewelry. In the event of an injury, it is necessary to ensure the immobility of the hand and apply a cold compress. In case of exertional pain, they must be excluded or significantly reduced. It is necessary to change jobs that require repetitive movements.

You should see a doctor immediately if you experience symptoms:

• Post-traumatic pain persists, stiffness of movement is noted, and it is difficult to bend the finger.
• The brush is reddened, there is a heat in the skin area.
• Tingling sensation in the hand.
• The phalanges of the fingers hurt.
• The brush or finger becomes 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 perform repetitive motions, you should take breaks.
• A prolonged position in a position requiring a fixed position of the hands should be excluded.
• Avoid hypothermia of the hands.

Hand pain is caused by a variety of reasons. To relieve pain, drugs, physiotherapy, surgical methods and folk recipes are used. To improve the quality of life, it is important to follow the doctor's recommendations.