What happens if the niches in your hands stop moving and can no longer function? This is hard to imagine. According to statistics, more and more people suffer from pain in the joints of the fingers. If these problems were exclusively related to age before, now the number of hand diseases has increased and the age of patients has expanded the limits.
There are more than a dozen common finger diseases. Consider why your finger joints hurt and the main methods of treatment.
The main factors for the occurrence of the disease:
- pathology of the immune system; chronic infection;
- hormonal imbalance;
- heredity;
- all types of injuries and microtrauma of the hands;
- exposure to harmful factors.
Common types of hand joint disease
Rheumatoid arthritisis a joint disease that affects even children. According to statistics, there are three women per sick man. Symptom characteristics:
- symmetry of the lesions - concerned with the same pain in the right and left arms;
- As the disease progresses, pain is selected from the fingers to the wrist, elbow and other joints;
- acute attacks of pain disturb you all night, and during the day the pain lessens;
- associated symptoms - increased body temperature, numbness of the fingers, chills.
Gouty arthritis- a disease rich people. It is believed to be due to the frequent use of fatty foods and alcohol. It turns out that the exact cause of the disease is a violation of the purine metabolism, which leads to the deposition of salts. Obesity, alcohol and leukemia are the main contributors to the disease. Most of the time, men over 40 are sick. In the case of this disease, the pain appears in the thumbs.
Gouty arthritis can sometimes be confused with rhizarthrosis. In this disease, the thumbs are also affected, but the reason is excessive stress. This includes working on a computer with a keyboard, knitting, sewing,
as well as frequent written work. An x-ray will help you understand which disease has affected your joints.
Psoriatic arthritis.This disease is a component of a disease called psoriasis, in which the skin is affected. Only about 15% of patients have pain in their finger joints, the reasons for this are different:
- the functioning of the nervous system is interrupted, the person is in constant tension, a difficult and stressful situation; joint damage, with psoriasis already occurring, can lead to inflammation;
- medications can cause the disease. Consult your doctor before using any pain reliever;
- Heredity plays a big role. If it is known that someone in the family has had psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, there is a high probability that the younger generation will be susceptible to these diseases.
The distal phalanges of the hand are the most affected. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, the disease is asymmetric. For example: if your thumb and forefinger hurt in your right hand, your little finger and ring finger hurt in your left hand. Or if one hand is affected, the other is in perfect order, with no signs of illness.
Osteoarthritis- dystrophic disorders of the cartilage tissue in the joints of the fingers. The reasons may be different: heredity, trauma, metabolic disorders, occupational stress on the hands, hormonal changes in women. Diseases are prone to the elderly. It often occurs without visible signs and without a feeling of pain, although you may sometimes feel that your joints ache in the morning. With the progression of the disease, pain in the joints of the hands appears. In order not to lose this disease, one must pay attention to the nail plates. In the initial stage, Heberden's nodules are noticeable on the nails.
Then comes the damage to the fingers. Most of the time, the pain is symmetrical. Not everyone has the same pain. Some patients experience burning pain during the formation of the nodules, but there is usually virtually no pain. Not everyone has swelling and redness on their fingers. When the thumb is affected, osteoarthritis is replaced by another form of the disease, rhizarthrosis.
Rizarthrosis.The main symptom is pain in the thumb. The main causes of the disease can be: joint load, trauma, previous infection.
Busharov nodules- a rare form of arthrosis of the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers. Deformation of the joints occurs due to bone changes.
Stenosing ligamentitis- inflammation of the periarticular tissues of the hands. The disease can be confused with arthrosis or arthritis; an x-ray is needed for clarification. The disease is also called finger snap disease. The sore finger bends and unfolds with a click. Also the main symptoms include pain when flexing, swelling of the joints, bumps of different sizes.
Infectious arthritis- the infection occurs in two ways: by damage to the skin or by blood.
Diagnosing the problem
The following doctors treat pain in the joints of the arms and legs: neurologist, rheumatologist, surgeon, hematologist, traumatologist. Before contacting a therapist, he will do an exam and refer you to the doctor you need.
A visit to the doctor is inevitable in these cases:
- the finger joints ache as a result of the injury, the presence of swelling and deformation of the joint;
- the pain in the hands does not go away after taking the painkiller;
- pain in the fingers of the right hand, as well as temperature above normal, rash.
- joint pain lasts more than ten days;
The complete diagnosis includes:
- general blood and urine tests, sometimes, in addition to biochemical blood tests;
- radiography of both hands;
- an additional exam is requested if other symptoms are present.
Based on the exam, test results and exam, the doctor makes a diagnosis.
Treatment for pain in the joints of the hands
After finding out why your joints hurt, proceed with the treatment. Complex anti-inflammatory therapy is often prescribed. This treatment complex includes: elimination of pain, elimination of inflammation, normalization of blood flow, improvement of motor function. In the case of infectious arthritis, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics. The correct treatment will also be fused to restore cartilage tissue in the joints. Drugs stabilize the level of glucosamine and chondroitin - components of articular cartilage, play an important role in the synthesis of connective tissues.
Physiotherapy occupies one of the main places in the treatment. The procedures are divided into two types of action, general and local. The general applies to Vermel electrophoresis with novocaine, microwave resonance therapy. Medical electrophoresis, diodynamic therapy, laser treatment, magnetotherapy - these are all topical procedures.
Dystrophic lesion of the joints of the hands requires preliminary restoration of the damaged cartilage using a chondroprotector and additional measures: therapeutic massage, manual therapy, physiotherapy.
In the period of return of the disease, doctors prescribe mud, therapeutic massages, manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. If the pain is tormenting, homemade ointments are prescribed, but only according to the prescription and prescription of the best doctor. Medications for the remission period are contraindicated.
Folk remedies
Please note that the treatment of hand joints with folk remedies should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor:
- First responder Maz.To prepare the ointment, combine 20 grams of dry white hellebore and the same amount of honey, 5 grams of powdered mustard and 10 grams of any vegetable oil.
In a small container, in a water bath, melt and stir until smooth. Allow the ointment to cool and pour into a dark jar. It is recommended to apply the ointment every day before bed. - An equally effective propolis ointment. It is necessary to mix a small piece of propolis with vegetable oil, until it becomes a thick sour cream. Use as an ointment, apply each fan in your hands.
- Fruit vinegar compresses can help relieve pain.
- Rubbing with a tincture of brown or lilac flowers is effective. The tincture, like any other, is prepared with alcohol, placed in a dark place and shaken from time to time.
- Lingonberry infusion will help to relieve pain. I recommend drinking a glass of tea twice a day.
- For the medicine, take the same amount of vodka and infusion of valerian. Add some pods of red pepper. Put in a dark place and let it ferment for at least a day.
- Almost no folk remedy can live without garlic. It is difficult to list how many diseases garlic may face; joint pain is no exception. It is recommended to eat garlic with warm milk in small portions after meals, it is also fashionable to make a compress with it. An equally effective garlic tincture.
- The ointment with bay leaves and juniper needles will deal with pain in the joints of the fingers in just one month. To prepare it, grind the bay leaf and the needles and add soft butter. For a month, every day massage your hands with this ointment and forget about the pain.
- Another ointment recipe: mix the leaves of St. John's wort with petroleum jelly.
- A proven remedy for olive oil, turpentine, alcohol and camphor. To prepare, mix all ingredients in equal amounts and shake the ointment bottle well before applying.
If you experience pain in your finger joints, consult your doctor and choose one or more of the folk remedies suggested above. It will only take a month and, after regular use, you will forget the pain.
Diet
Nutrition plays an important role in health. This can improve and worsen your condition.
Limit or eliminate the following foods:
- sweet and starchy foods;
- dairy products with a high fat content;
- salt;
- spicy dishes;
- smoked meats;
- mayonnaise.
Eat food as often as possible:
- cauliflower
- all types of lettuce;
- grenades;
- currant;
- foods containing flaxseed oil and fish oil;
- water is an irreplaceable source of life. Follow your intake regime, drinking at least 2 liters a day.
Therapeutic exercises for the hands
Repeat the exercises 10 times a day:
- Clench your fists gently in fists and open them, gradually increase the pace of the exercise;
- Open your fingers in all directions and press;
- Use your thumb to touch all fingers of the hand;
- Starting position - palms on a rigid surface, alternately raise and lower each finger without lifting the entire hand.
Prevention is better than cure
It is impossible to find a person that you said was good to be sick. Why think about why your finger joints hurt, look for causes and treatment, if you can just avoid the disease. In order not to get sick, it is necessary to strive for disease prevention, to eat well, to abandon bad habits, in short, to lead a healthy lifestyle.
So that you don't think about why your joints hurt and how to treat them, follow these basic tips:
- keep your hands warm:
- eliminate or minimize alcohol and tobacco in life;
- replace foods that contain a lot of fats and spices with vegetables and fruits;
- Give up coffee and black tea. Drink green and herbal teas;
- under no circumstances does not tolerate colds in the legs, but does all the treatment, otherwise complications may arise;
- for preventing joint disease, exercise and swimming - has a beneficial effect on joint work.
Follow the advice in this article and you will solve the problem of why your finger joints hurt.