In older age groups, finger pain is very common in both men and women. They are often accompanied by swelling, stiffness and crunch when bending or stretching the joints. Such symptoms are not only a sign of natural aging of the body, but also clinical manifestations of various pathologies. Therefore, the cause of the pain in the finger joints must be determined and treatment must be carried out immediately.
Causes of pain in the joints of the fingers
If the pain occurs every week, they can no longer indulge in increased muscle tension after prolonged work with the hands. In the initial stage of development, inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic pathologies appear in this way. Sore fingers are associated with the gradual destruction of bone and cartilage tissue, which can cause deformity of the joints, complete or partial immobilization (ankylosis).
Arthritis
The joints of the fingers can be affected by rheumatoid, reactive, psoriatic arthritis - inflammatory, rapidly progressing pathologies. In addition to severe pain, there is inflammation - redness of the skin and its swelling, limiting the range of motion. And the course of infectious arthritis is often accompanied by signs of general intoxication of the body - fever, chills, fever.
Style's disease
This is a severe 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 destruction of bone tissue with further deformation of the joints. With osteoarthritis, the fingers swell in the morning, and when you try to bend or straighten them, there is some resistance. Acute pain occurs only in the period of relapse, and in the stage of remission - only mild discomfort.
Stenotic ligamentitis
The pathology develops due to often repetitive monotonous movements. Stenotic ligamentitis affects the tendon-tendon apparatus of the hand, in which there is a blockage of the finger in an elongated or bent position. But such a pronounced symptom appears in the last stage of the pathology and in the initial stage is manifested by pain, crunch or clicks when bending the joints.
Gout
In gout, the crystals of uric acid salts begin to deposit in the joints of the fingers, provoking irritation of the soft, cartilage and bone tissues. An inflammatory process develops, in which ligaments, muscles and tendons are gradually involved. During a gout attack, sharp, burning, throbbing pains appear. The skin above the joints swells, reddens, becomes hot to the touch.
Polyosteoarthritis
Polyosteoarthritis is a form of osteoarthritis that affects several joints at once. Cartilage tissue thins, thickens and loses its cushioning properties. To stabilize the joints, the bone structures begin to deform, growing with the formation of osteophytes. These growths injure the soft tissues, which often leads to the development of an inflammatory process.
Injury
Pain in the joint of the fingers can be a consequence of a fracture, dislocation, subluxation, rupture of muscles, ligaments, tendons. A person gets such injuries when he falls on his right hand, a strong blow or a bruise. If the victim does not seek medical help, then the joint structures merge into an incorrect anatomical position, so that the pain in the hands becomes permanent, increases after hypothermia or a sharp change in time.
Vibration disease
This pathology develops in manual mechanized workers associated with the use of percussion or rotary tools. Clinically, vibration disease is manifested not only by discomfort in the joints of the fingers, but also by vascular disorders, angiospasms, circulatory disorders and jumps in blood pressure.
Tunnel syndrome
The cause of tunnel syndrome is any pathology that provokes a decrease in the volume of the carpal tunnel (arthrosis, arthritis, lipoma). The result is a compression-ischemic lesion of the median nerve. Pain occurs, sensitivity decreases, patients complain to the doctor about sensations of tingling, numbness, crawling. Every hand movement is accompanied by weakness, especially if you have to grasp an object with your thumb.
Symptoms
Tingling, throbbing, sharp pain in the joint of the finger is the leading symptom of gouty, infectious, rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile. Accompanying symptoms are fever, redness and swelling of the skin.
Osteoarthritis and other degenerative-dystrophic pathologies in the initial stage of development are asymptomatic. Sometimes there is a slight pain that disappears after a short rest. But their weight is constantly increasing. The pain is accompanied by stiffness, clicking when bending and / or stretching the fingers.
Effects
In the absence of medical intervention, the intensity of pain increases against the background of deformation of the interphalangeal joints. In the last stage of any pathology there is a partial or complete fusion of the joint space. A person is unable to bend or unfold the fingers, which causes disability, disability.
Inflammatory and destructive processes gradually spread to healthy soft, cartilage and bone tissues. Therefore, you may soon feel pain in several joints or fingers.
Diagnosis
The initial diagnosis is made on the basis of external examination, patient complaints, history and results of a number of functional tests. To confirm, X-rays, MRI, CT, arthroscopy are taken. If an infectious origin of the pathology is suspected, a biological sample is inoculated into the culture medium to determine the type of bacteria, their resistance to antibiotics.
Treatment
When determining the therapeutic tactics, the doctor (orthopedist, rheumatologist, traumatologist) takes into account the type of disease, the form of its course, the degree of tissue damage and the number of complications developed. Often, to reduce the severity of the patient's pain, it is recommended to wear soft bandages, splints or semi-rigid, hard orthoses.
Medicines
In the treatment of pathologies manifested by pain in the joints of the fingers, drugs from different clinical and pharmacological groups are used. These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, chondroprotectors. Also used drugs to improve blood circulation, B vitamins, warming ointments. Intramuscular and sometimes intra-articular administration of drugs is practiced to relieve acute pain. The use of tablets or ointments will allow you to get rid of less severe discomfort.
Massage
After relieving the acute pain and inflammation, the patients are prescribed sessions of classical, acupressure, vacuum, including hardware massage. Revitalizing 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 them completely. During their application, hormonal agents, chondroprotectors, anesthetics, analgesics, B vitamins are used. For the treatment of joint pathologies, patients can be prescribed up to 10 sessions of magnetic therapy, laser therapy, UHF therapy.
Exercise
Regular exercise can quickly strengthen the muscles of the arm, prevent the progression of osteoarthritis or arthritis. The complex of exercises is done by the doctor of exercise therapy, taking into account the type of disease. It usually involves rotating the arms, unfolding and unfolding the fingers, grasping and holding small objects.
Diet
In the diet of a patient with arthritis or osteoarthritis should be a lot 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 useful to eat rabbit meat, beef, oily sea fish, clear soups, cereals, dairy products.
Folk remedies
After the basic treatment, eliminating pain and inflammation, doctors may allow the use of traditional medicine. During the rehabilitation period it is allowed to use some decoctions, hand baths, homemade ointments.
The use of infusions and decoctions of herbs
The course of pathologies that provoke pain in the fingers is often exacerbated 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, thyme, thyme, balm, oregano have a tonic, soothing, normalizing sleep effect. To prepare a drink, a teaspoon of dry plant material (without a slide) is brewed with a glass of boiling water. Leave to infuse for a few hours, then filter and take 100 ml at bedtime.
Roasted onions and wax ointment
Two peeled medium-sized onions are baked until soft, grind in a mortar to a smooth mixture, adding in portions 20 g of wax melted 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 flowers and chamomile in a container, pour 0, 5 cups boiling water, leave for 5 hours. Mix a teaspoon of dry mustard and greasy sour cream in a mortar, add 2 tablespoons of honey. The resulting infusion is injected in drops until a homogeneous mass is formed. Before using the ointment, the skin is lubricated with vegetable oil.
Herbal baths
Put in a thermos 5 rose hips, juniper, barberry, pour a tablespoon of elecampane, St. John's wort, birch buds. Pour a liter of boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Cool slightly, filter, pour into a glass, add more warm water if necessary. Dip the brushes into the resulting infusion for 30 minutes.
Oil baths
Fill a small bowl with warm water (1, 5-2 liters), add 1-2 drops of essential oils of rosemary, eucalyptus, pine. Pour a tablespoon of cosmetic almond oil, shake. Put your hands in the water for 30-40 minutes. After the procedure, any nourishing or moisturizing cream is rubbed into the skin.
Straw trays
Pour 0, 5 liters of chopped oat straw in a small saucepan, pour 2 liters of hot water. Bring to a boil, simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, filter. Pour the warm broth into a glass, keep the brushes in it for about half an hour.
Preventive actions
To avoid pain in the joints of the fingers, you should undergo a full physical examination every 6-12 months. The pathology detected at an early stage of development usually responds well to conservative treatment. You should also avoid traumatic situations, do not smoke, limit alcohol consumption, exclude from the diet foods high in fat and simple carbohydrates.