The joints of the fingers 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 polyosteoarthrosis (damage, destruction of articular cartilage of various joints).
Deformation and destruction of the joints of the hands are diagnosed in 10% of elderly people.
Also, pain in the joints of the fingers is a characteristic sign of diseases such 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 the first to be involved in the process, are systemic diseases (that is, they affect different systems of the body, and 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 is mechanical injuries, the consequences of blows or bruises to the hands (often among 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 cured completely; over time, they become a cause of disability (rheumatoid, psoriatic arthritis, polyosteoarthritis).And, for example, with timely treatment, osteomyelitis can be eliminated 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, polyosteoarthrosis), you should consult a rheumatologist or arthrologist.Osteomyelitis is treated by an orthopedist-traumatologist, surgeon, injuries - by an orthopedist-traumatologist.
Why pain occurs in the joints of the fingers: causes and symptoms
Why do my finger joints 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 are forced to work with hands and fingers, musicians, seamstresses, programmers).
- Stress (injuries and microtraumas resulting from long hours of sports training and rehearsals).
- 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).
- Chronic infections (tuberculosis).
- Hypothermia (hypothermia).
- Some long-term negative factors (among them - taking medications, poisoning with toxic substances at a hazardous enterprise, smoking, alcoholism, etc.).
The article below describes the pathologies and conditions that cause pain in the finger joints.
Injuries
The pain that appears after an injury is difficult to confuse with anything else:
- all symptoms occur immediately after a blow, bruise, compression, or other damage;
- severe pain is accompanied by swelling, bruising at the site of impact, impaired joint mobility;
- with moderate and severe damage, the symptoms do not subside for a long time, but become more pronounced - pain, stiffness, swelling;
- the discomfort intensifies when trying to bend or straighten the fingers.
Severe injuries to the fingers of the upper limb are combined with:
- ruptures of muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, hemorrhage into the capsule (hemarthrosis) and soft tissues (hematomas);
- fractures and cracks of bones;
- nerve damage (loss of sensitivity in 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 impaired sensitivity of the fingers to traumatic arthritis in 70%.
Polyosteoarthrosis
Polyosteoarthrosis 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 - rhizarthrosis).
At first, aching pain appears after hard work (sewing, embroidery, many hours of rehearsing a musical instrument).As the disease progresses:
- pain in the joints of the fingers becomes constant and does not go away with rest;
- pain is accompanied by clicking and crunching (during movements);
- stiffness appears (minor at first).
During periods of exacerbation, the main symptoms include swelling, swelling, increased local temperature, and sometimes redness in the joint area.
Over time, fingers become deformed:
- Heberden's nodes (bone growths, pea-sized lumps) form on the joints located closer to the nails.
- Bouchard's nodes (overgrowth of articular surfaces, bone spines) form on the middle joints.
The joints of the fingers lose their original shape (become knotty), and over time they lose mobility due to ossification of soft tissues (ankylosis).
Prognosis: the pathology is incurable, but in the early stages (until deformation appears) it can be stopped for a long time.Later it becomes a cause of disability (the tissues grow together, ossify, mobility of the fingers can only be restored through surgery).
Rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic inflammatory disease of the joints, which occurs with the involvement of other organs and systems in the pathological process (outer lining of the heart, lungs, vascular walls, skin).
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by:
- gradual increase and intensification of symptoms (initially, exacerbation is replaced by fairly long periods of asymptomatic progression, but they become shorter and shorter over time);
- morning stiffness, reminiscent of tight gloves (goes away in 30–60 minutes);
- sharp, acute, boring pain in the joints of the fingers (on both hands), which intensifies to unbearable when bending;
- redness, swelling, swelling, joint stiffness.
Pain syndrome usually occurs at night or in the morning and decreases slightly in the afternoon.
When acute symptoms subside (during remission), the pain becomes less pronounced, aching, and intensifies with movement and when working in cold water.The joints on the fingers hurt when bending and extending, remain painful to the touch and slightly swollen.
Gradually, the disease leads to the formation of a stable deformation and dysfunction of the fingers - they turn outward or upward, bend (the middle, index and ring fingers are most often affected, extremely rarely - the little and thumb), other joints are involved in the process (wrists, ankles, knees, shoulders).
Prognosis: the pathology is incurable, rapidly progresses and leads to loss of ability to work, disability - 40% of cases during the first 5 years of development.
Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is one of the forms of a severe systemic disease (psoriasis).
The most characteristic signs of damage to the joints of the fingers:
- sudden, sharp onset of arthritis;
- damage to the interphalangeal and distal (closer to the nail) joints;
- constant, even, severe pain combined with extensive swelling, redness of the skin, limited mobility (the shape of the fingers at this moment resembles a radish or a sausage, it is impossible to bend or straighten the joints of the fingers due to pain and swelling);
- increase in general temperature.
In the long term, it leads to the destruction of the nail plates (they crumble and lose their shape), deformation of the fingers (they “turn” outward or upward), and loss of ability to work.
Prognosis: psoriatic arthritis is incurable, is severe, progresses rapidly, and leads to disability in 90–95% of patients.
Gouty arthritis
Gouty arthritis occurs against the background of metabolic disorders, which causes excess uric acid to accumulate in the body.It falls into the tissues of the joints, causing inflammation.
Typical signs of gouty arthritis:
- Sharp, sudden, throbbing or burning pain in one or several joints of the fingers.
- Any attempt to move a finger or touch it increases the unpleasant symptom.
- It is accompanied by severe swelling, which often spreads to the entire hand, a change in the color of the skin (the finger on the hand becomes bluish-purple), and 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 causes the involvement of new joints in the process and their deformation (destruction of articular surfaces).Tophi appear on the fingers - tissue deposits of uric acid.
Prognosis: There is no cure for gout, but normal uric acid levels can be maintained with medication and diet.The disease rarely causes complete disability for the patient (5–8%), but over time it can destroy the joints of the fingers (secondary arthrosis).
Why else can your finger joints hurt?
Other causes of pain may include the following diseases and conditions:
Osteomyelitis
This infectious lesion of the bones (periosteum, spongy and compact substance) usually begins acutely - pain in the joints with osteomyelitis is strong, sharp, jerking, bursting or tearing.When flexed or extended, it intensifies to the point of unbearable, accompanied by severe swelling, redness and hardening of the tissues over the joint, fever and signs of general intoxication (weakness, sweating).In 30% of cases, osteomyelitis becomes chronic (may recur), and the pain in the fingers becomes aching.The process can cause purulent arthritis, malignancy of bone tissue, deformation of bones and joints.
Vasospasm
Vasospasm is a sharp narrowing of peripheral vessels supplying blood to the upper limbs, hands and finger joints.It is characterized by tingling sensations, numbness, and pale skin.At the end of the attack (which can be short-term - from 2 minutes, or long-term - up to 60 minutes), the fingers begin to hurt, “ache”, and the skin on the hands turns red.Over time, this phenomenon (vasospasm) causes the appearance of trophic ulcers (tissue death due to nutritional disorders), melting of bones and necrosis of the fingertips.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is not a pathological condition, but it is accompanied by sharp and rapid hormonal changes in the body and accelerated metabolism.Pain in the joints of the fingers, or rather aching, can be caused by 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 joint on your fingers hurts, what should you do?First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the pathologies that cause such a symptom.Most often, the attending physician prescribes a number of tests:
| Method name | What allows you to diagnose |
|---|---|
Radiography |
With its help, pathological changes in bones, joint deformation, crystal deposition, tissue ossification are detected. |
MRI, CT or ultrasound |
These diagnostic methods make it possible to identify any pathological changes in the periarticular tissues and joints that are not visible on radiographs |
ECG, ultrasound of internal organs |
Help to identify extra-articular manifestations characteristic of certain diseases (pericarditis, pneumonitis) |
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 tests |
Using tests, the cause of the disease is determined, infections and pathogens of the pathological process are identified. |
Therapeutic and diagnostic puncture of joints (a procedure for extracting fluid from the joint capsule) |
A puncture is performed if blood has accumulated in it (hemarthrosis), pus (infectious processes) or a large amount of fluid, which impedes mobility and threatens its destruction |
Treatment: principles, drugs, features
Some diseases or conditions that cause pain in the joints of the fingers cannot be cured (vasospasm, osteoarthritis, psoriatic, gouty arthritis).Some are cured completely and without consequences (with timely treatment - osteomyelitis, mild and moderate injuries).
General principles of treatment, methods of pain relief
What is common in the treatment of all diseases that cause pain in the joints of the fingers is the prescription of drugs that help get rid of severe symptoms.
Usually this is:
- anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs (NSAIDs), which successfully relieve inflammation and pain;
- glucocorticoids, which are prescribed if NSAIDs are ineffective;
- painkillers 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 and accelerates tissue restoration.The most popular physiotherapeutic procedures for joint diseases are:
- electrophoresis with medications;
- magnetic therapy;
- UHF (ultra high frequency therapy);
- reflexology (acupuncture);
- massage;
- mud therapy;
- balneotherapy (hydrotherapy);
- warming procedures (paraffin, ozokerite applications);
- therapeutic exercises (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 a sanatorium-resort setting can give a good result.With 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, and drink mineral water from natural sources.
Features of the treatment of specific pathologies
In addition to general methods and means, there are nuances in the treatment of each pathology:
| Pathology | Features of treatment |
|---|---|
Injuries |
Treatment of injury is gradual.First, the victim is given first aid (fixing bandage, ice compress for 24 hours). If necessary, a puncture is performed, tissue integrity is restored (in case of serious damage), and immobilized with plaster. On days 3–5 they begin to warm up, stimulating healing. |
Polyosteoarthrosis |
At the onset of the disease, taking chondroprotectors and physical therapy are effective. Later, only surgery helps (the problem is solved with prosthetics). |
Rheumatoid arthritis |
Prescribe basic anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antibacterial, antiallergic medications, drugs that affect the activity of the immune system. |
Psoriatic arthritis |
|
Gouty arthritis |
The underlying disease (gout) is treated by prescribing drugs that regulate the formation and accelerate the excretion of uric acid, drugs that dissolve tissue salt deposits. An obligatory part of treatment is a strict diet during an attack (table No. 6), a less strict diet throughout life. |
Osteomyelitis |
Surgical washing of purulent cavities in bone tissue and opening of ulcers are performed. Antibiotics and antibacterial drugs are used for treatment. |
Vasospasm |
How to treat vasospasm?In case of pathology, vasodilators and antispasmodics (relaxing the muscles of the vascular walls), blood thinners are prescribed. Eliminate provoking factors (for example, smoking) or treat the underlying disease that caused vasospasm (for example, rheumatoid arthritis). |
Folk remedies (treatment of pathologies, pain relief)
Pain in the joints of the fingers can also be treated with folk remedies:
- Infusion of eucalyptus leaves.Take 40 g of eucalyptus leaves, pour a liter of boiling water, let stand for 60 minutes under the lid.When ready, strain, pour into a dark glass container, and store 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 infusion of black currant leaves.Pour 10 g of raw material into 0.5 liters of boiling water, let it brew under the lid for 20 minutes.Drink a glass 2 to 3 times during the day.Course duration is 2-3 months.
- Warming ointment for arthritis.Take 50 g of camphor and mustard powder, dilute them one by one in 100 ml of alcohol, add whipped egg white.Rub into brushes overnight.Treatment of finger joints continues for 21 days, after some time the course can be repeated.
- Oil rubbing.Dilute fir essential oil with vegetable oil (1:1), rub into your finger joints until completely absorbed before bed.You need to “warm them up” first: boil the washed potato peelings in water, when the broth has cooled (until pleasantly warm), immerse your brushes in it and hold for 15–25 minutes, then rinse them with clean water.Treatment continues for 3 weeks or until signs of the disease disappear.
Prevention
How to prevent pathologies that cause pain in the joints of the fingers?To do this you need:
- get rid of bad habits (stop smoking and alcohol);
- introduce into the diet foods that are beneficial for joints and cartilage tissue (with sufficient calcium, phosphorus, other minerals and vitamins, protein);
- undergo regular examinations to get rid of foci of chronic infection (for example, tonsillitis);
- do not overload (alternate load with rest) and do not overcool your hands.
It is very important to strengthen the immune system (swimming, yoga, walking) and finger joints with therapeutic exercises.