Finger joint pain most often begins after the age of 40-45 (one in 10 people this is due to age-related physical changes).After 60 years, pain often occurs in the context of polyostosis (damage, destruction of articular cartilage in various joints).
Deformation and destruction of hand joints is diagnosed in 10% of older adults.
In addition, pain in the finger joints is a characteristic symptom of the following diseases:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (80% of cases begin with inflammation of the finger joints);
- Psoriatic arthritis (70% of people get it first on their fingers);
- Gout (arthritis affecting the fingers, occurring in 10-15% of people with gout);
- Osteomyelitis is an infectious inflammation of the bones (accounting for 6.5% of all diseases of the musculoskeletal system).
Most arthritis are systemic diseases (that is, they affect different systems of the body, not just the joints), with the finger joints being the first to become involved in the process.People of any age, including young adults, are diagnosed equally often; in men, it occurs 3-5 times less frequently.
Another cause of pain is mechanical injuries, that is, the consequences of a blow or abrasion to the hand (usually in athletes, the incidence is up to 40% of all traumatic injuries).
Some conditions that cause pain in your finger joints cannot be completely cured; over time, they can become a cause of disability (rheumatoid disease, psoriatic arthritis, polyosteoarthritis).For example, with prompt treatment, osteomyelitis can be permanently eliminated, but the process quickly becomes chronic and may lead to limb loss (30% of cases).
If you suspect a systemic disease (arthritis, polyarthrosis), you should consult a rheumatologist or arthrologist.Osteomyelitis is treated by an orthopedic traumatologist, a surgeon, and injuries are treated by an orthopedic traumatologist.
Why Finger Joints Pain: Causes and Symptoms
Why do my finger joints hurt?There are many reasons, as well as factors that can speed up or drive this process.Common predisposing factors for all diseases and injuries can be considered:
- Occupations (this category includes people who are forced to work with their hands and fingers, musicians, tailors, programmers).
- Stress (injuries and micro-injuries caused by prolonged athletic training and rehearsals).
- Hormonal changes, disorders (pregnancy, lack of estrogen in older women).
- Genetics (close relatives are more likely to develop systemic diseases).
- Immune system deficiency or disease.
- Metabolic disorders (gout, diabetes).
- Chronic infection (tuberculosis).
- Hypothermia (low body temperature).
- Some long-term negative factors (among them - taking drugs, poisoning with toxic substances in dangerous companies, smoking, alcoholism, etc.).
The following article describes the pathologies and conditions that cause finger joint pain.
Injuried
The pain that occurs after an injury is difficult to confuse with other pains:
- All symptoms appear immediately after a blow, scrape, crush, or other damage;
- Severe pain with swelling, bruising at the impact site, and impaired joint mobility;
- With moderate and severe injuries, the symptoms do not subside for a long time, but become more pronounced - pain, stiffness, swelling;
- This discomfort increases when you try to bend or straighten your fingers.
Severe upper limb finger injuries associated with:
- Rupture of muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, bleeding in joint capsules (hemarthrosis) and soft tissues (hematoma);
- bone fractures and cracks;
- Nerve damage (loss of sensitivity in fingers and skin).
Prognosis: Minor injuries will heal without leaving traces in 90-95% of cases.Severe and moderate injuries can be left with a variety of complications—from impaired finger sensitivity to traumatic arthritis (70 percent).
Polyarthrosis
Polyarthrosis is a chronic pathology, the result of which is the gradual deformation and destruction of the joints of the fingers (there is a disease affecting the thumb joint - rhizomearthrosis).
At first, soreness occurs after hard work (sewing, embroidery, rehearsing an instrument for hours).As the disease progresses:
- Persistent pain in the finger joints that does not go away after rest;
- Pain accompanied by clicking and crunching sounds (during movement);
- Stiffness occurs (mild at first).
The main symptoms during an attack are swelling, swelling, increased local temperature, and sometimes redness of the joints.
Over time, fingers can deform:
- Hebden's nodes (boney growths, pea-sized lumps) form in the joints near the nails.
- Bouchard's nodes (articular surface overgrowth, bone spurs) form in the middle joints.
The joints of the fingers lose their original shape (become knobby), and over time, they lose mobility due to ossification of the soft tissue (ankylosis).
Prognosis: The pathology cannot be cured, but in its early stages (until deformation occurs) it can be stopped in the long term.Later it becomes a cause of disability (tissues grow together, ossify, and the mobility of the fingers can only be restored with surgery).
rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic inflammatory disease of the joints, involving other organs and systems (heart, lungs, blood vessel walls, skin) in the pathological process.
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by:
- Gradual increase and intensification of symptoms (initially, exacerbations are replaced by rather long periods of symptom-free progression, but over time they become shorter and shorter);
- Morning stiffness, reminiscent of tight gloves (disappears in 30-60 minutes);
- Sharp, sharp, boring pain in the finger joints (hands) that worsens to unbearable when bending;
- Redness, swelling, swelling, and joint stiffness.
The pain syndrome usually occurs at night or in the morning and is slightly relieved in the afternoon.
When acute symptoms subside (during remission), the pain becomes less noticeable and worsens with movement and working in cold water.The joints of the fingers will be painful when flexed and extended, will still be painful when touched, and may be slightly swollen.
Gradually, the disease leads to the development of stable deformations and dysfunction of the fingers - they turn outwards or upwards, bend (the middle, index and ring fingers are most often affected, rarely - the little finger and thumb), other joints are also involved in the process (wrists, ankles, knees, shoulders).
Prognosis: The pathology is incurable and progresses rapidly, leading to incapacity and disability - 40% of cases occur in the first 5 years of development.
psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a form of a serious systemic disease (psoriasis).
The most typical signs of finger joint injury:
- Sudden, violent onset of arthritis;
- Injuries to the interphalangeal and distal (near the nail) joints;
- Persistent, uniform, severe pain, accompanied by widespread swelling, redness of the skin, and limited movement (the fingers are shaped like radishes or sausages, and the finger joints cannot be bent or straightened due to pain and swelling);
- Overall temperature increases.
In the long term, it can lead to damage to the nail plates (they crumble and lose their shape), deformation of the fingers (they "turn" outward or upward), and incapacity.
Prognosis: Psoriatic arthritis is incurable, severe, rapidly progressive, and causes disability in 90-95% of patients.
gouty arthritis
Gouty arthritis occurs against the background of a metabolic disorder that causes excess uric acid to accumulate in the body.It settles into the joint tissue, causing inflammation.
Typical symptoms of gouty arthritis:
- Severe, sudden, throbbing, or burning pain in one or more joints of the fingers.
- Any attempt to move or touch your fingers will increase unpleasant symptoms.
- It is accompanied by severe swelling that often spreads throughout the hand, a change in skin color (the fingers on the hand turn bluish-purple), and an increase in body temperature (the patient has a fever, chills).
- Finger joint pain usually occurs at night.
- Attacks can last from 2 days to 2 weeks.
Progressive gouty arthritis causes new joints to become involved in the process and their deformation (destruction of the joint surfaces).Tophi - tissue deposits of uric acid - appear on the fingers.
Prognosis: There is no cure for gout, but normal uric acid levels can be maintained with medication and diet.The disease rarely causes total disability (5-8%), but over time it can destroy the joints of the fingers (secondary arthropathy).
Why do your finger joints hurt?
Other causes of pain may include the following diseases and conditions:
osteomyelitis
Infectious lesions of this bone (periosteal, spongy and dense material) usually begin violently - osteomyelitis joint pain is severe, sharp, convulsing, bursting or tearing.It can intensify to unbearable levels when bent or stretched, and is accompanied by severe swelling, redness and hardening of the tissues over the joint, fever and general symptoms of intoxication (weakness, sweating).In 30% of cases, osteomyelitis becomes chronic (may recur) and finger pain becomes sore.This process can lead to septic arthritis, bone tissue malignancies, bone and joint deformations.
Vasospasm
Vasospasm is a sharp narrowing of the peripheral blood vessels that supply blood to the upper limbs, hands, and finger joints.It is characterized by tingling, numbness and pale skin.At the end of the attack (which can be short-term - 2 minutes, or long-term - up to 60 minutes), the fingers begin to ache, "ache", and the skin on the hands turns red.Over time, this phenomenon (vasospasm) can lead to the development of trophic ulcers (tissue death due to nutritional imbalance), bone melting, and fingertip necrosis.
Pregnant
Pregnancy is not a pathological condition, but it is accompanied by drastic hormonal changes in the body and an acceleration of metabolism.Finger joint pain, or rather pain, can be caused by a lack of calcium and vitamin D3, as well as an excess of hormones that prepare the body for birth by relaxing ligaments.
Diagnosis: Methods, Research
What should you do when your finger joints hurt?First, it is necessary to diagnose the pathology causing this symptom.In most cases, the treating doctor will prescribe a few tests:
| method name | What can give you a diagnosis |
|---|---|
radiography |
With it, pathological changes in bones, joint deformations, crystal deposition, and tissue ossification can be detected. |
MRI, CT or ultrasound |
These diagnostic methods can identify any pathological changes in periarticular tissues and joints that are not visible on radiographs |
Electrocardiogram, visceral ultrasonography |
Helps identify extra-articular manifestations of certain diseases (pericarditis, pneumonia) |
Angiography |
Vascular studies can provide information on the pathology that occurs when vessel walls are damaged and can lead to vasospasm (rheumatoid arthritis) |
clinical laboratory testing |
Through testing, it is possible to determine the cause of the disease, identify the infections and pathogens of the pathological process. |
Therapeutic and diagnostic aspiration of joints (a procedure to remove fluid from the joint capsule) |
A puncture is performed if blood (hemarthrosis), pus (infectious process) or large amounts of fluid have accumulated in it, impeding movement and threatening its destruction |
Treatment: Principles, Drugs, Characteristics
Some diseases or conditions that cause pain in finger joints cannot be cured (vasospasm, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, gouty arthritis).Some are completely cured without any consequences (prompt treatment - osteomyelitis, mild and moderate injuries).
General principles of treatment, methods of pain relief
When treating all conditions that cause finger joint pain, it is common practice to prescribe medications that can help eliminate severe symptoms.
Usually this is:
- Anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs (NSAIDs), which can successfully relieve inflammation and pain;
- Glucocorticoids, prescribed if NSAIDs are ineffective;
- If joint pain cannot be relieved by other means, take painkillers.
Once symptoms subside, patients are prescribed: chondroprotectants to slow or prevent cartilage destruction, and physical therapy.
Physical therapy stimulates metabolic processes and accelerates tissue recovery.The most popular physical treatments for joint disorders are:
- drug electrophoresis;
- magnet therapy;
- UHF (Ultra High Frequency Therapy);
- Reflexology (acupuncture);
- massage;
- mud therapy;
- Balneotherapy (hydrotherapy);
- Heating program (paraffin, ozokerite application);
- Therapeutic exercises (exercises to strengthen finger joints).
If you need to eliminate finger joint pain and its causes, treatment in a health resort can give good results.Under the guidance of the attending physician, patients have the opportunity to change the climate once or twice a year, undergo a series of restorative physiotherapy procedures and drink natural mineral water.
Condition-specific treatment characteristics
In addition to general methods and means, there are subtle differences in the treatment of each pathology:
| pathology | Treatment characteristics |
|---|---|
Injuried |
Treatment of injuries is gradual.First, give the victim first aid (fix the bandage and apply ice for 24 hours). If necessary, a puncture is performed, tissue integrity is restored (if the damage is severe), and a cast is applied. On days 3-5, they begin to warm up and stimulate healing. |
Polyarthrosis |
When the disease flares up, chondroprotective agents and physical therapy are effective. Later, only surgery helped (a prosthetic leg solved the problem). |
rheumatoid arthritis |
Prescribe basic anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antibacterial drugs, anti-allergic drugs, drugs that affect the activity of the immune system. |
psoriatic arthritis |
|
gouty arthritis |
The underlying disease (gout) is treated by taking medications that regulate the formation of uric acid and accelerate its excretion, as well as medications that dissolve salt deposits in the tissue. A mandatory part of treatment is a strict diet during the episode (Table 6), and a less restrictive diet throughout life. |
osteomyelitis |
Surgical irrigation of purulent cavities in bone tissue and incision of ulcers. Treat with antibiotics and antibacterial drugs. |
Vasospasm |
How is vasospasm treated?In case of pathological conditions, vasodilators and antispasmodics (relax the muscles of the vessel walls) and blood thinners are prescribed. Eliminate triggering factors (such as smoking) or treat the underlying disease causing vasospasm (such as rheumatoid arthritis). |
Folk remedies (treating illnesses, relieving pain)
Pain in finger joints can also be treated with folk remedies:
- Eucalyptus leaf infusion.Take 40 grams of eucalyptus leaves, pour one liter of boiling water, cover and let sit for 60 minutes.When ready, strain, pour into dark glass containers and store in the refrigerator.Take 50ml 3 times daily for 2 weeks - 3 times daily, 30 minutes before meals.
- Use blackcurrant leaf infusion to treat pain in finger joints.Pour 10 grams of raw material into 0.5 liters of boiling water, cover and brew for 20 minutes.Have a drink 2 to 3 times during the day.Course duration is 2-3 months.
- Warming ointment for arthritis.Take 50 grams each of camphor and mustard powder, dilute them one by one with 100 ml of alcohol, and add the beaten egg white.Rub with a brush overnight.The knuckle treatment lasts for 21 days and the course can be repeated after a certain period of time.
- Rub oil.Dilute fir essential oil with vegetable oil (1:1) and apply to your knuckles before going to bed until completely absorbed.First you need to "preheat": put the washed potato skins into water and boil it, after the broth has cooled down (until it is warm), immerse the brush in it and keep it for 15-25 minutes, then rinse with clean water.Treatment is continued for 3 weeks or until signs of disease disappear.
prevention
How to prevent diseases that cause finger joint pain?To do this you need:
- Get rid of bad habits (quit smoking and drinking);
- Include foods that are good for joints and cartilage tissue (containing enough calcium, phosphorus, other minerals and vitamins, and protein) in your diet;
- Get regular checkups to eliminate chronic infections (such as tonsillitis);
- Do not overload (alternate loads with rest) and do not cool your hands too much.
It is important to strengthen the immune system (swimming, yoga, walking) and finger joints through therapeutic exercises.