Finger joints most often begin to hurt after 40-45 years (in 1 in 10 people this is due to age-related changes in the body). After 60 years, pain often occurs against the background of polyosteoarthritis (injuries, destruction of the articular cartilage of several joints).
Deformation and destruction of the joints of the hands are diagnosed in 10% of the elderly.
In addition, pain in the joints of the fingers is a characteristic symptom of such diseases as:
- rheumatoid arthritis (in 80% of cases it begins with inflammation of the joints of the fingers);
- psoriatic arthritis (in 70% the fingers are the first to suffer);
- gout (arthritis affecting the fingers, occurs in 10-15% of patients with gout);
- osteomyelitis is an infectious inflammation of the bones (accounts for 6. 5% of all diseases of the musculoskeletal system).
Most arthritis, in which the joints of the fingers are involved first in the process, are systemic diseases (that is, they affect different systems of the body, not just the joints).They are equally often diagnosed in people of any age, including young people; in men, they occur 3-5 times less often.
Another cause of pain are mechanical injuries, the consequences of blows or bruises of the hands (not uncommon in athletes, the prevalence is up to 40% of all traumatic injuries).
Some of the diseases that cause pain in the joints of the fingers cannot be completely cured, over time they become the cause of disability (rheumatoid, psoriatic arthritis, polyosteoarthritis). And, for example, from osteomyelitis with timely treatment, you can get rid of it forever, but the process quickly becomes chronic and can lead to the loss of a limb (in 30% of cases).
If you suspect a systemic disease (arthritis, polyosteoarthritis), you should consult a rheumatologist or arthrologist. Osteomyelitis is treated by an orthopedic traumatologist, surgeon, injury - an orthopedic traumatologist.
Why finger joint pain occurs: causes and symptoms
Why do the joints of the fingers hurt? There are many reasons, as well as factors that can speed up or push the process. Common predisposing factors for all diseases and injuries can be considered:
- Profession (this category includes people who have to work with brushes and fingers, musicians, seamstresses, programmers).
- Loads (injuries and microtraumas resulting from hours of sports training, tests).
- Hormonal changes, disorders (pregnancy, lack of estrogen in older women).
- Heredity (close relatives are more susceptible to systemic diseases).
- Deficiencies or diseases of the immune system.
- Metabolic disorders (gout, diabetes mellitus).
- Chronic infections (tuberculosis).
- Hypothermia (hypothermia).
- Some long-term negative factors (among them: taking drugs, poisoning with toxic substances in a dangerous enterprise, smoking, alcoholism, etc. ).
Pathologies and conditions that cause pain in the joints of the fingers are described below in the article.
Trauma
The pain that occurs after an injury is difficult to confuse with anything else:
- all symptoms occur immediately after a blow, bruise, squeeze and other injuries;
- swelling, bruising at the site of impact, reduced mobility of the joints join acute pain;
- with moderate and severe damage, the symptoms do not subside for a long time, but become more pronounced: pain, stiffness, swelling;
- discomfort increases when trying to bend or straighten the fingers.
Severe finger injuries of the upper limb are combined with:
- ruptures of muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, haemorrhage in the capsule (haemarthrosis) and soft tissues (hematomas);
- fractures and cracks of bones;
- nerve damage (loss of sensation in the fingers and skin).
Prognosis: Minor injuries heal without a trace in 90-95% of cases. Severe and moderate injuries can leave behind various complications, from reduced finger sensitivity to traumatic arthritis in 70%.
Polyosteoarthritis
Polyosteoarthritis is a chronic pathology, as a result of which the joints of the fingers are gradually deformed and destroyed (there is a form of the disease that affects the joints of the thumbs - rizarthrosis).
At first, aching pain appears after hard work (sewing, embroidery, many hours of rehearsing on a musical instrument). As the disease progresses:
- pain in the joints of the fingers becomes constant, does not go away at rest;
- clicks and crunches (during movements) join painful sensations;
- stiffness appears (initially insignificant).
During periods of exacerbation, edema, swelling, local temperature rise, and sometimes redness in the area of the joints join the main symptoms.
Over time, the fingers deform:
- On the joints located closest to the nails, Heberden's nodules (bone growths, pea-sized seals) are formed.
- Bouchard's nodules (proliferation of joint surfaces, bone spines) are formed on the central joints.
Finger joints lose their original shape (become nodular) and over time lose their mobility due to soft tissue ossification (ankylosis).
Prognosis: the pathology is incurable, but in the initial stages (until the deformation appears) it can be suspended for a long time. Subsequently, it becomes the cause of disability (the tissues grow together, ossify, the mobility of the fingers can only be restored surgically).
Rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic inflammatory disease of the joints, which occurs with the involvement of other organs and systems in the pathological process (outer shell of the heart, lungs, vascular walls, skin).
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by:
- a gradual increase and increase in symptoms (at first the exacerbation is replaced by rather long periods of asymptomatic course, but they shorten over time);
- morning stiffness, reminiscent of tight gloves (disappears in 30-60 minutes);
- sharp, sharp, dull pain in the joints of the fingers (on both hands), which, when bent, increases to become unbearable;
- redness, swelling, swelling, joint stiffness.
The pain syndrome usually occurs at night or in the morning and subsides slightly in the afternoon.
When acute symptoms subside (during remission), the pain becomes less pronounced, aching, increases in movement, when working in cold water. The joints of the fingers ache during flexion and extension, remain sore to the touch and slightly swollen.
Gradually, the disease leads to the formation of a stable deformity and dysfunctions of the fingers - they turn outward or upward, bend (the middle, index and nameless ones are most often affected, much rarely - the little finger and the big one), other joints are involved in the process (wrists, ankles, knees, shoulders). . .
Prognosis: the pathology is incurable, progresses rapidly and leads to disability, disability - 40% of cases during the first 5 years of development.
Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a form of severe systemic disease (psoriasis).
The most characteristic signs of damage to the joints of the fingers:
- sudden and sudden onset of arthritis;
- defeat of the interphalangeal and distal joints (closer to the nail);
- constant, uniform and severe pain combined with extensive swelling, redness of the skin, limited mobility (the shape of the fingers at this time resembles a radish or sausage, it is impossible to bend or stretch the joints of the fingers due to pain and swelling);
- increase in overall temperature.
In the long term, it leads to the destruction of the nail plates (they crumble, lose their shape), deformation of the fingers (they are "turned" outward or upward) and disability.
Prognosis: Psoriatic arthritis is incurable, difficult, progresses rapidly and leads to disability in 90-95% of patients.
Gouty arthritis
Gouty arthritis occurs against the background of metabolic disorders, due to which excess uric acid accumulates in the body. It falls into the tissue of the joints, causing inflammation.
Typical signs of gouty arthritis:
- Sharp, sudden, throbbing, or burning pain in one or more joints of the fingers.
- Any attempt to move the finger or touch it aggravates the unpleasant symptom.
- It is accompanied by severe edema, which often spreads to the whole hand, a change in the color of the skin (the finger of the hand becomes bluish-purple), an increase in the general temperature (the patient has a fever, chills).
- Pain in the joints of the fingers usually occurs at night.
- The attack can last from 2 days to 2 weeks.
Progressive gouty arthritis becomes the reason for the involvement of new joints in the process, their deformation (destruction of the joint surfaces). Tofusi, tissue deposits of uric acid appear on the fingers.
Prognosis: Gout is incurable, but uric acid levels can be maintained with medication and diet. The disease rarely causes complete disability of the patient (5-8%), but over time it can destroy the joints of the fingers (secondary osteoarthritis).
Why else can finger joints hurt?
Other causes of pain include the following diseases and conditions:
Osteomyelitis
This infectious lesion of the bones (periosteum, spongy and compact substance) usually begins acutely: joint pain in osteomyelitis is strong, sharp, twitching, bursting or tearing. When it flexes or stretches it becomes unbearable, accompanied by severe swelling, redness and thickening of the tissues above the joint, fever, and signs of general intoxication (weakness, sweating). In 30% of cases, osteomyelitis becomes chronic (it can recur) and the pain in the fingers becomes painful. The process can cause purulent arthritis, malignancy of the bone tissue, deformation of the bones and joints.
vasospasm
Vasospasm is a sharp narrowing of the peripheral vessels that supply blood to the upper limbs, hands and finger joints. It is characterized by sensations of tingling, numbness, pallor of the skin. At the end of the attack (which can be short-term - from 2 minutes or long - up to 60 minutes), the fingers begin to ache, "pain" and the skin on the hands turns red. Over time, a similar phenomenon (vasospasm) becomes the cause of the appearance of trophic ulcers (tissue necrosis due to malnutrition), dissolution of the bones and necrosis of the fingertips.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is not a pathological condition, however, it is accompanied by sharp and rapid hormonal changes in the body, accelerated metabolism. Pain in the joints of the fingers, or rather aches, can cause a lack of calcium and vitamin D3, as well as an excess of the hormone that prepares the body for childbirth by relaxing the ligaments.
Diagnostics: methods, research
When the finger joint hurts, what should be done? First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the pathologies that cause such a symptom. Most often, the attending physician prescribes a number of studies:
| Method name | What allows you to diagnose |
|---|---|
X-ray |
With the help of him, pathological changes in the bones, joint deformity, crystal deposition, ossification of tissues are detected |
MRI, CT, or ultrasound |
These diagnostic methods make it possible to establish any pathological changes in the periarticular tissues and the joint, which are not visible on radiographs. |
ECG, ultrasound of internal organs |
Helps to identify the extra-articular manifestations characteristic of certain diseases (pericarditis, pneumonia) |
angiography |
The study of blood vessels is informative for pathologies that occur with damage to their walls and can cause vasospasm (rheumatoid arthritis) |
Clinical laboratory research |
With the help of analyzes, the cause of the disease is determined, infections and pathogens of the pathological process are detected |
Therapeutic and diagnostic puncture of the joints (procedure for extracting fluid from the joint capsule) |
The puncture is performed if blood (hemarthrosis), pus (infectious processes) or a large amount of fluid has accumulated in it, which impedes mobility and threatens it with destruction |
Treatment: principles, drugs, characteristics
Some of the diseases or conditions that cause finger joint pain cannot be cured (vasospasm, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, gouty arthritis). Some have recovered completely and without consequences (with timely treatment - osteomyelitis, mild and moderate injuries).
General principles of treatment, methods of pain relief
Common in the treatment of all diseases that cause pain in the joints of the fingers is the appointment of drugs that help get rid of severe symptoms.
Usually this:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which successfully relieve inflammation and pain;
- glucocorticoids, which are prescribed if NSAIDs are ineffective;
- pain relievers if joint pain cannot be relieved by other means.
As soon as the symptoms subside, the patient is prescribed: chondroprotectors to slow down or prevent the destruction of cartilage and physical therapy.
Physiotherapy stimulates metabolic processes, accelerates tissue regeneration. Of the physiotherapeutic procedures for joint diseases, the most popular are:
- electrophoresis with drugs;
- magnetotherapy;
- UHF (ultra-high frequency therapy);
- reflexology (acupuncture);
- massage;
- mud therapy;
- balneotherapy (hydrotherapy);
- heating procedures (applications of paraffin, ozokerite);
- therapeutic gymnastics (exercises to strengthen the joints of the fingers).
If it is necessary to eliminate pain in the joints of the fingers and their causes, treatment in the sanatorium can give a good result. Under the direction of the attending physician, the patient has the opportunity to change the climate 1 or 2 times a year, take a course of restorative physiotherapeutic procedures, drink mineral water from natural sources.
Features of the treatment of specific pathologies
In addition to the methods and general means, there are nuances in the treatment of each pathology:
| Pathology | Characteristics of the treatment |
|---|---|
Trauma |
Trauma treatment is gradual. First, the victim is given first aid (fixing bandage, ice pack for 24 hours). If necessary, a puncture is performed, the integrity of the tissues is restored (in case of severe damage) and immobilized with plaster. On the 3-5th day, they begin to warm up, stimulating healing. |
Polyosteoarthritis |
At the onset of the disease, the use of chondroprotectors and physiotherapy exercises are effective. Subsequently, only the operation helps (the problem is solved with prostheses). |
Rheumatoid arthritis |
Prescribe basic anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antibacterials, antiallergic drugs, drugs that affect the activity of the immune system. |
Psoriatic arthritis |
|
Gouty arthritis |
They treat the underlying disease (gout) by prescribing agents that regulate the formation and accelerate the excretion of uric acid, drugs that dissolve tissue deposits of salts. An obligatory part of the treatment is a strict diet during an attack (table number 6), a less strict diet for life. |
Osteomyelitis |
Surgical washing of purulent cavities in the bone tissue is carried out, the opening of abscesses. For treatment, antibiotics, antibacterial drugs are used. |
vasospasm |
How to treat vasospasm? In pathology, vasodilatory and antispasmodic drugs (relaxing the muscles of the vascular walls), blood thinners, are prescribed. Eliminate provoking factors (for example, smoking) or treat the underlying disease, against which vasospasm has appeared (for example, rheumatoid arthritis). |
Folk remedies (treatment of pathologies, pain relief)
Pain in the joints of the fingers can also be treated with remedies according to folk recipes:
- Infusion on eucalyptus leaves. Take 40 g of eucalyptus leaves, pour a liter of boiling water, let stand for 60 minutes under the lid. Once ready, drain it, drain it in a dark glass container, keep it in the refrigerator. Take every day for 2 weeks - 3 times 50 ml, 30 minutes before meals.
- Treatment of pain in the joints of the fingers with an infusion of black currant leaves. Pour 10 g of raw materials with 0, 5 liters of boiling water, let it brew under the lid for 20 minutes. Drink a glass 2 or 3 times during the day. The duration of the course is 2-3 months.
- Warming ointment for arthritis. Take 50 g of camphor and mustard powder each, dilute them in 100 ml of alcohol in turn, add the whipped egg white. Rub on brushes overnight. Treatment of the joints of the fingers continues for 21 days, after a while the course can be repeated.
- Oil rubbing. Dilute the essential oil of fir with vegetable oil (1: 1), rub into the joints of the fingers until completely absorbed before going to bed. First, they must "warm up": boil the washed potato peel in water, when the broth cools (to warm up pleasantly), dip the brushes in and hold them for 15-25 minutes, then rinse them with clean water. They continue to be treated in this way for 3 weeks or until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Prophylaxis
How to prevent pathologies that cause pain in the joints of the fingers? For this you need:
- getting rid of bad habits (quitting smoking and alcohol);
- introduce into the diet foods useful for joints and cartilage tissue (with a sufficient content of calcium, phosphorus, other minerals and vitamins, proteins);
- undergo regular examinations, eliminating foci of chronic infection (for example, tonsillitis);
- do not overload (alternating load with rest) and do not overcool the hands.
It is very important to strengthen the immune system (swimming, yoga, walking) and the joints of the fingers with corrective gymnastics exercises.