The brush is considered the most flexible part of the human body. Due to the huge changes in the range of motion, the best work can be done with the smallest details. This is why it is important to keep your hands healthy at all times. Today, many people, including the younger generation, complain of pain in their finger joints. In some cases, it becomes so powerful that a person actually loses the ability to perform usual actions.
General information
The human hand can be divided into three different parts: wrist, wrist and fingers. The metacarpal bone is made up of eight tiny, irregularly shaped bones. They are all arranged in two rows. The metacarpal bones are represented by five tubular bones, each of which has a base, body, and head. The base is connected to the wrist, and the head forms a joint with the phalanx of the fingers. The latter consists of three phalanxes. The exception in this case is the thumb. It has only two finger bones.
The human hand is considered an extremely delicate but at the same time a very precise instrument. Fingers are the means to allow coordinated movement. Without them, a normal life is impossible. All these movements are due to joint mobility. However, due to frequent daily activities, completely different diseases, mechanical injuries and injuries are very likely to occur in this area. Finger joint pain is usually accompanied by this pathological change. The treatment in this situation depends entirely on the factors causing the discomfort.
main reason
According to experts, finger joint pain may be caused by many reasons. The following are the most common violations:
- arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis.
- Bursitis.
- Mechanical damage and injury.
- osteomyelitis.
arthritis
Arthritis refers to acute or chronic joint inflammation. Isolated lesions of the fingers are very rare. Usually, in such patients, the pathological process also affects other joints. Arthritis pain in the affected area is characterized by intensity. They not only appear with the movement of the fingers, but also appear when they are still. In addition, in areas affected by arthritis, severe edema, which is a change in the usual skin tone, can occur.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is a contagious and allergic connective tissue disease, which is mainly systemic in nature. The driving force for the onset of this disease is a severe cold, frequent stress and hypothermia. Rheumatoid arthritis begins with pain in the index finger joints. The affected area is swollen and the patient complains of fever, feeling weak, and chills.
- Psoriatic arthritis. Usually, this pathology develops in patients who have already developed psoriasis on the skin. These are dry, scaly patches with a red tint. As the disease progresses, the fingers appear purple and sausage-like.
- Gouty arthritis. Gout is understood as a fairly common disease characterized by metabolic disorders, namely purines. According to experts, this disease may be caused by elevated levels of uric acid and the direct deposition of its salts in joint tissues. Usually, gout attacks begin with severe discomfort in the big toe joint. Without timely treatment, the pathology can spread to other joints. Gout attacks most often occur at night. They are characterized by increased temperature and severe pain around the affected area. The disease progresses very quickly. After some time, the patient may notice pain in the joints of the fingers of both hands. Generally, the duration of a typical onset of the disease ranges from 2 days to about 14 days.
Osteoarthritis
This disease is caused by the continuous destruction of cartilage tissue in the articular area. In this pathological situation, painful discomfort initially only appears after prolonged physical exertion. Then, as the disease progresses, the intensity of the pain increases, even at night.
Finger joint disease is a fairly common problem. Even trivial damage may become the driving force for its development. As the disease progresses, the finger can change its usual shape while bending to the side.
Rhizome disease. As this disease progresses, the joint at the base of the thumb is affected, which also connects the wrist bone to the metacarpal bone. The occurrence of this disease is due to the overload of the area. Thumb joint pain and skeletal visual malformations are the most common symptoms of this pathology.
Bursitis
The so-called inflammation of the finger joint pockets, accompanied by fluid accumulation in the finger cavity, is called bursitis. This pathology is characterized by the appearance of pain, edema, and redness in the affected area. The main symptom of bursitis is the formation of round swelling in the joint area, which is characterized by a soft texture. It is easy to recognize visually.
As the course of the disease increases, bursitis usually becomes a chronic stage. In this case, the deposition of salt in the affected area adds to the inflammatory process. Usually, all of these cause pain in the joints of the fingers.
If the cause of the problem is an injury to the hand, then the pathological microflora usually joins the inflammatory process. In this case, we are talking about the development of purulent bursitis. It is accompanied by increased body temperature, headaches and weakness throughout the body.
Injury and mechanical damage
The displacement of the bones in the joint is called dislocation. In most cases, athletes must deal with this problem. It is accompanied by the following symptoms: severe swelling of the affected area, joint deformities and severe pain syndrome.
The most common injury is a dislocated thumb. Such a detached arrangement allows him to expose every wrong action every time. However, the thumb is characterized by a powerful ligament device, which is characterized by a certain load threshold, beyond which it will stretch. All of these require displacement of the articular surface.
The most common cause of a dislocated thumb is an unfortunate fall on an open palm. It is easy to determine the existence of this problem, because the externally affected area looks deformed. Severe thumb joint pain can interfere with normal activities, work, and sports. Usually, this part of the skin will appear reddish.
osteomyelitis
The purulent process that affects joints and nearby soft tissues is called osteomyelitis. This pathology will develop as bacteria penetrate into the body and continuously produce pus.
Acute osteomyelitis usually starts with a temperature rise of up to 40 degrees. The patient's condition deteriorated rapidly, which was caused by severe body poisoning. In addition, patients may experience the following symptoms: finger joint pain, chills, loss of consciousness, and vomiting.
In the first two days, the hand pain gradually increased. Active finger movement is usually impossible. The pathology progressed rapidly, manifested as edema in the hands and even the forearm muscles. The skin of the affected area turns purple.
diagnosis
Seek expert advice, diagnosis and effective treatment in time-all these factors can determine the disease and prevent its further development, the development of serious complications. You should not ignore the pain of the finger joints, because even minor lesions can lead to total loss of exercise and disability. The following diagnostic measures may need to be taken to determine the problem:
- X-ray of the hand.
- Blood tests (clinical/biochemical) and urine tests.
- Determination of purine content.
How should finger joint pain be treated?
No matter what the real cause of the pathology is, the treatment should be comprehensive, solving three problems at the same time: treating the main disease, restoring the main function of the hand, and relieving pain.
Of course, fighting one disease or another depends on its nature. In each case, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. However, the relief of hand discomfort and its functional development are governed by general rules.
In order to relieve discomfort, modern medicine provides a variety of drugs. In most cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed.
In order to eliminate the pain caused by autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), glucocorticoids are used. They have excellent anti-inflammatory effects and provide the needed relief relatively quickly.
Special ointments containing anesthetic ingredients can enhance the effect of drugs to a certain extent.
in conclusion
In short, what needs attention is not to ignore the pain of the finger joints. The treatments provided by modern medicine usually solve this problem most effectively. The most important thing is to seek medical help in time and perform necessary diagnostic tests. healthy!