What happens if the niches of the hands stop moving and can no longer do any work? This is hard to imagine. According to statistics, more and more people suffer from pain in the joints of the fingers. If before it was exclusively about age-related problems, now the number of hand diseases has increased and the age of patients has expanded the boundaries.
There are more than a dozen common finger diseases. Consider why the joints of the fingers hurt and the main methods of treatment.
The main factors of onset of the disease:
- pathology of the immune system;
- chronic infection;
- hormonal imbalance;
- inheritance;
- all types of injuries and microtraumas of the hands;
- exposure to harmful factors.
Common types of hand joint disease
Rheumatoid arthritisis a joint disease that also affects children. According to statistics, there are three women for each sick person. Characteristics of symptoms:
- symmetry of the lesions - worried about 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 pain attacks disturb all night and during the day the pain subsides;
- accompanying symptoms: increased body temperature, numbness of the fingers, cold.
Gouty arthritis- a disease of wealthy people. It was believed that it resulted from the frequent use of fatty foods and alcohol. As it turned out, the exact cause of the disease is a violation of purine metabolism, which leads to the deposition of salts. Obesity, alcohol and leukemia are the main contributors to the disease. Most often, men over the age of 40 are sick. In the case of this disease, pain appears in the thumbs.
Sometimes gouty arthritis can be confused with rhizarthrosis. In this disease, the thumbs are also affected, but the reason is excessive stress. This includes computer work with a keyboard, knitting, sewing,
as well as frequent written work. An x-ray will help to understand which disease affected the 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 the joints of the fingers, the reasons are different:
- the work of the nervous system is disrupted, the person is in constant tension, a difficult stressful situation; joint injury, with psoriasis already present, can lead to inflammation;
- drugs can cause disease. Consult your doctor before using any pain reliever;
- inheritance plays an important role. If someone in the family is known to have 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 most often affected. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, the disease is asymmetrical. For example: if the thumb and index finger hurt in the right hand, the little finger and ring finger hurt in the left. Or, if one hand is affected, the other is in perfect order, with no signs of disease.
Osteoarthritis- dystrophic disorders of the cartilage tissue of the joints of the fingers. The reasons may be different: heredity, trauma, metabolic disorders, professional stress on the hands, hormonal changes in women. Diseases are prone to older people. It often proceeds with no visible signs and pain sensation, although you may sometimes feel that the joints ache in the morning. With the progression of the disease, pain in the joints of the hands appears. In order not to miss this disease, you should pay attention to the nails. Early on, Heberden's nodules are noticeable on the nails.
Then comes the damage to the fingers. Most often, the pain is symmetrical. Not everyone has the same pain. Some patients experience burning pain during lump formation, but there is usually virtually no pain. Not everyone even has swelling and redness of the 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's 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 mistaken for osteoarthritis or arthritis; an x-ray is required for clarification. The disease is also called snapping finger disease. The sore finger bends and bends with a click. And also the main symptoms include pain when bending, swelling of the joints, bumps of different sizes.
Infectious arthritis- the infection manifests itself in two ways: through damage to the skin or through the blood.
Diagnosing the problem
The following doctors treat pain in the joints of the arms and legs: neurologist, rheumatologist, surgeon, hematologist, traumatologist. Pre-contact a therapist, he will carry out an examination and refer you to the doctor you need.
A visit to a doctor is inevitable in these cases:
- the joints of the fingers hurt due to the injury, the presence of swelling and deformation of the joint;
- hand pain does not go away after taking an analgesic;
- pain in the fingers of the right hand, as well as a higher than normal temperature, rash.
- joint pain lasts more than ten days;
Full diagnostics includes:
- general blood and urine tests, sometimes in addition to a biochemical blood test;
- radiography of both hands;
- is ordered an additional examination if other symptoms are present.
Based on the examination, test and examination results, the doctor makes a diagnosis.
Treatment for pain in the joints of the hands
After you find out why your joints hurt, proceed to treatment. Complex anti-inflammatory therapy is often prescribed. It includes such a treatment complex: elimination of pain, removal of inflammation, normalization of blood flow, improvement of motor function. In case of infectious arthritis, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Correct treatment will also be cast to restore cartilage tissue in the joints. Drugs stabilize the level of glucosamine and chondroitin - components of joint cartilage, play an important role in the synthesis of connective tissues.
Physiotherapy occupies one of the leading places in treatment. The procedures are divided into two types of general and local action. The general applies to Vermel electrophoresis with novocaine, microwave resonance therapy. Medicinal electrophoresis, diodynamic therapy, laser treatment, magnetotherapy - these are all topical procedures.
Dystrophic injury of the joints of the hands requires preliminary restoration of damaged cartilage using a chondroprotector and additional measures: therapeutic massage, manual therapy, physiotherapy.
In the period when the disease returns, doctors prescribe mud treatments, therapeutic massages, manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. If the pain torments, homemade ointments are prescribed, but only according to the prescription and prescription of the best doctor. Medicines for the period of remission are contraindicated.
Folk remedies
Please note that the treatment of the joints of the hand with folk remedies should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor:
- Maz-rescuer.To prepare the ointment, combine 20 grams of dried Caucasian hellebore herb and the same amount of honey, 5 grams of mustard powder and 10 grams of any vegetable oil.
In a small container, in a water bath, dissolve and mix until smooth. Let the ointment cool and pour it into a dark jar. It is recommended to apply the ointment every day before bedtime. - An equally effective propolis ointment. It is necessary to mix a small piece of propolis with vegetable oil, until it becomes thick sour cream. Use as an ointment, apply each fan to your hands.
- Fruit vinegar wraps can help relieve pain.
- Rubbing with a chestnut or lilac flower tincture is effective. Tincture, like all others, is prepared with alcohol, put in a dark place and stirred from time to time.
- Cranberry infusion will help relieve pain. I recommend drinking a glass as tea twice a day.
- For the medicine, take the same amount of vodka and valerian infusion. Add a couple of red pepper pods. Put in a dark place and let it brew for at least one day.
- Almost no folk remedy can do without garlic. It is difficult to list how many diseases garlic can face, pain in the joints is no exception. It is recommended to take garlic with warm milk in small portions after meals; it is also fashionable to make a wrap. An equally effective garlic tincture.
- Bay Leaf and Juniper Needle Ointment will cope with finger joint pain in just one month. To prepare it, grind the bay leaf and needles and add soft butter to them. 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 and with petroleum jelly.
- A well proven remedy for olive oil, turpentine, alcohol and camphor. To prepare, mix all ingredients in equal quantities and shake the jar of ointment well before applying.
If you have pain in the joints of the fingers, consult your doctor and choose for yourself one or more recipes of folk remedies that are suggested above. It will only take a month, and after regular use, you will forget about the pain.
Diet
Nutrition plays an important role in health. It can both improve and worsen your condition.
Limit or eliminate the following foods:
- sweet and starchy foods;
- high-fat dairy products;
- 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 diet, drinking at least 2 liters per day.
Therapeutic exercises for the hands
Repeat the exercises 10 times a day:
- Gently clench your hands into fists and open, gradually increase the pace of the exercise;
- Spread your fingers in all directions, then pinch;
- Use your thumb to touch all the fingers of the hand;
- Starting position: palms on a hard surface, raise and lower each finger alternately without lifting the whole hand.
Prevention is better than cure
It is impossible to find such a person that you said it was good to be sick. Why think about why finger joints hurt, look for causes and cures, if you can simply avoid the disease. In order not to get sick, it is necessary to engage in the prevention of diseases, eat right, give up bad habits, in a word, lead a healthy lifestyle.
In order not to 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 containing a lot of fats and spices with fruits and vegetables;
- Give up coffee and black tea. Drink herbal teas and herbal teas;
- in no case tolerates colds in the legs, but follows the entire course of treatment, otherwise complications may arise;
- for the prevention of joint diseases, exercise and swimming - this has a beneficial effect on the work of the joints.
Follow the advice in this article and you will solve the problem of why finger joints hurt.