In older age groups, finger pain is very common in men and women. They are often accompanied by swelling, stiffness and crushing when flexing or extending the joints. These symptoms are not only a sign of the body's natural aging, but also clinical manifestations of various pathologies. Therefore, the cause of the pain in the finger joints must be established and treatment must be carried out immediately.
Causes of pain in the joints of the fingers
If the pain occurs every week, it can no longer be attributed to increased muscle tension after long manual work. In the initial stage of development, inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic pathologies manifest themselves in this way. Finger pain is associated with the gradual destruction of bone and cartilage tissue, which can cause joint deformation, complete or partial immobilization (ankylosis).
Arthritis
The joints of the fingers can be affected by psoriatic reactive rheumatoid arthritis - inflammatory pathologies of rapid progression. In addition to severe pain, inflammation is observed - redness of the skin and swelling, limited range of motion. And the course of infectious arthritis is usually accompanied by signs of general intoxication of the body - increased body temperature, chills, fever.
Still's disease
This is a serious autoimmune pathology, probably developing due to an inadequate response of the immune system to the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms. Still's disease affects not only small and large joints. The skin, the 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 subsequent deformation of the joints. In osteoarthritis in the morning, your fingers swell and when you try to bend or stretch them, there is some resistance. Acute pains appear only during the period of relapse and in the remission phase - only mild discomfort.
Stenosing ligamentitis
The pathology develops due to monotonous movements that are often repetitive. Stenosing ligamentitis affects the tendon-ligament apparatus of the hand, in which the finger is blocked in an extended or flexed position. But this pronounced symptom occurs in the final stage of the pathology and, in the initial stage, it is manifested by pain, crushing or cracking when flexing the joints.
Drop
With gout, crystals of uric acid salts begin to settle in the joints of the fingers, causing irritation of the soft and cartilaginous bone tissues. An inflammatory process develops, in which ligaments, muscles, tendons are gradually involved. During a gouty attack, sharp, burning and throbbing pains occur. The skin over the joints swells, becomes red and warm to the touch.
Poliosteoarthritis
Poliosteoarthritis is a form of osteoarthritis that affects several joints at the same time. Cartilaginous tissues become thinner, thicker and lose their cushioning properties. To stabilize the joints, bone structures begin to deform, grow with the formation of osteophytes. These growths damage the soft tissues, which often leads to the development of an inflammatory process.
Prejudice
Pain in the joint of the fingers can be a consequence of fracture, dislocation, subluxation, rupture of muscles, ligaments, tendons. A person receives these injuries when he falls with an outstretched arm, a strong directional impact, or a bruise. If the victim does not seek medical help, then the joint structures are fused in the wrong anatomical position, so the pain in the hands becomes constant, increases after hypothermia or a sudden change in the climate.
Vibrating disease
This pathology develops in manual mechanized workers associated with the use of percussion or rotary instruments. Clinically, vibratory disease is manifested not only by uncomfortable sensations in the joints of the fingers, but also by vascular disorders, angiospasms, circulatory disorders and increased blood pressure.
Tunnel Syndrome
The cause of the appearance of the tunnel syndrome is any pathology that causes a decrease in the volume of the carpal tunnel (arthrosis, arthritis, lipoma). The result is an ischemic injury by compression of the median nerve. Pain occurs, sensitivity decreases, patients complain to the doctor about sensations of numbness, tingling, crawling chills. Any movement with your hand is accompanied by weakness, especially if you need to grab an object with your thumb.
Symptoms
Acute, throbbing and spasmodic pain in the finger joint is the main symptom of gouty, infectious rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile. Concomitant symptoms are an increase in local temperature, redness and swelling of the skin.
Arthrosis and other degenerative dystrophic pathologies in the early stage of development are asymptomatic. Occasionally, mild pain occurs, which subsides after a brief rest. But its severity is steadily increasing. Pain is accompanied by stiffness, clicking when flexing and / or extending the fingers.
Effects
In the absence of medical intervention, the intensity of pain increases in the context of deformation of the interphalangeal joints. In the final stage of any pathology, partial or complete fusion of the joint space occurs. A person is unable to bend or unfold his fingers, which causes loss of work ability, disability.
Inflammatory and destructive processes gradually spread to healthy soft, cartilage and bone tissues. Therefore, the pain can soon be felt in several joints or fingers.
Diagnosis
The primary diagnosis is made on the basis of an external examination, patient complaints, anamnesis data and the results of various functional tests. To confirm this, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and arthroscopy are performed. If the infectious origin of the pathology is suspected, a biological sample is inoculated in a nutrient medium to establish the type of bacteria, its resistance to antibiotics.
Treatment
When determining therapeutic tactics, the doctor (orthopedist, rheumatologist, traumatologist) takes into account the type of disease, the form of its evolution, the degree of tissue damage and the number of complications that have developed. Often, to reduce the intensity of the patient's pain, the use of soft bandages, splints or rigid semi-rigid orthoses is recommended.
Medication
In the treatment of pathologies manifested by pain in the joints of the fingers, medicines from different clinical and pharmacological groups are used. These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, chondroprotectors. Medicines are also used to improve blood circulation, B vitamins and warming ointments. To relieve acute pain, intramuscular and sometimes intra-articular administration of medications is practiced. The use of pills or ointments will allow you to get rid of less pronounced discomfort.
Massage
After relief from acute pain and inflammation, patients receive sessions of classic, acupressure, vacuum, including hardware massage. Revitalization procedures help to improve blood circulation, eliminate muscle spasms and accelerate the recovery of damaged tissues.
Physiotherapy
Electrophoresis, ultraphonophoresis procedures help to relieve pain or get rid of it completely. During its implantation, 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 physiotherapist, taking into account the type of disease. It generally includes hand rotations, flexion-extension of the fingers, grabbing and holding small objects.
Diet
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 helpful to eat rabbit meat, beef, fatty sea fish, clear soups, cereals, dairy products.
Folk remedies
After the main treatment, the elimination of pain and inflammation, doctors may allow the use of traditional medicine. During the rehabilitation period, the use of certain decoctions, hand baths, homemade ointments is allowed.
The use of herbal infusions and decoctions
The course of pathologies that cause pain in the fingers is often aggravated by the deterioration of a person's psycho-emotional state. The use of herbal teas will help to improve it. St. John's wort, valerian, mother herb, thyme, lemon balm and oregano have a tonic, calming and normalizing effect on sleep. To prepare a drink, a teaspoon of dried vegetables (without a blade) is prepared with a glass of boiling water. Leave to infuse for a few hours, then filter and take 100 ml at bedtime.
Roasted onion and wax ointment
Two peeled medium-sized onions are roasted until soft, ground in a mortar and pestle until homogeneous, adding 20 g of melted wax in portions in a water bath. The resulting mass is applied to the joints, fixed with gauze bandage. The duration of the treatment procedure is 1-2 hours.
Honey and mustard ointment with herbs
Pour a tablespoon of dried marigold and chamomile flowers into a container, pour 0, 5 cups of boiling water, leave for 5 hours. Mix a teaspoon of dry mustard and heavy cream in a pestle, add 2 tablespoons of honey. The resulting infusion is injected drop by drop until a homogeneous mass is formed. Before using the ointment, the skin is lubricated with vegetable oil.
Herb baths
Put in a thermos 5 berries of rosehips, juniper, barberry, pour a tablespoon of elecampane, St. John's wort, birch buds. Pour into a liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Allow to cool slightly, filter, pour into a glass, add more warm water if necessary. Soak the brushes in the resulting infusion for 30 minutes.
Oil baths
Fill a small container with warm water (1, 5-2 liters), add 1-2 drops of essential oils of rosemary, eucalyptus, pine. Pour into 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 applied to the skin.
Straw trays
Pour 0, 5 liters of chopped oat straw into a small saucepan, pour 2 liters of hot water. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, filter. Pour the hot broth into a glass, keep the brushes in it for about half an hour.
Preventive actions
To avoid pain in your finger joints, you should undergo a thorough physical exam every 6-12 months. The pathology detected in the early stage of development usually responds well to conservative treatment. You also need to avoid traumatic situations, do not smoke, limit alcohol consumption, exclude foods high in fat and simple carbohydrates from the diet.