Why hurt the joints of the fingers

Pain in the joints of the hands is one of the most common reasons why people go to a doctor. If the discomfort is too strong and persists for a long time, even simple household chores become painful. This gives a person a lot of inconvenience and violates his professional activities.

The soreness of the joints can be different, as well as its causes. It is important in the event of discomfort and pain, albeit minor, consult a doctor. Launched disease can lead to deformities of the hands, which is very dangerous. Often they significantly disrupt movement in the joints.

What makes joints ache on hands?

Rheumatologists subdivide all joint pains into 2 broad categories: mechanical and inflammatory. Painful sensations of a mechanical nature develop due to degenerative changes in the joints. They do not manifest a feeling of stiffness in the morning. Only in rare cases is it present. But, as a rule, very insignificant and weakly expressed, passes already 30 minutes after awakening. Mechanical pains subside in calm.

Painful inflammatory nature of the symptoms of manifestations of prolonged stiffness in the morning, which can persist for an hour or more. Pains are reduced when performing movements. In addition, with inflammatory pain, patients note other symptoms: redness in the joints, swelling, a decrease in the volume of movements performed, and a violation of flexibility. Mechanical pain may be accompanied by signs of local inflammation. But the latter, as a rule, are insignificant and mild. Often, patients do not even notice them.

Pain in the joints of the hands: causes and diagnoses

• Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common cause of pain in the joints of the hands. This disease is systemic and affects not only the joints, but the whole human body. The disease can develop at any age. Often it is diagnosed in children and young people. A characteristic feature is a symmetrical lesion of the joints. That is, with rheumatoid arthritis, the joints of both hands hurt. If pains are only disturbing from the first side, then the reason most likely lies in another disease. Also, with arthritis, periods of exacerbation are replaced by periods of recovery and reduction of pain and stiffness.
• Osteoarthrosis manifested by deformation of the joints - they thicken and lose their former mobility. Osteoarthritis mainly affects elderly women. The development of pathology is associated with the hormones estrogen: when there are few of them, deformation of the joints occurs. Also on the development of the disease affects genetic disposition and professional loads on the hands. A characteristic feature is nodules and edema of the periarticular region.
• Rhizarthrosis affects only the thumbs, the other joints are not involved in the process. Illness occurs when overloading thumbs during work.
• Stenosing ligamentitischaracterized by inflammation in the ligaments of the joints. The pain is felt during extension and flexion. The fingers are wedged in a bent position, and in order to straighten them, you have to apply force. When moving, you can hear the characteristic clicks.
• Gout - quite common disease, which mainly affects people over 50 years old. The cause of gout is a violation of the metabolism of uric acid - the latter is poorly excreted from the body and deposited in the joints and cartilage, interfering with their normal function. A characteristic symptom of gout is intense burning pain.
• Psoriatic arthritis occurs with psoriasis. In addition to the joints, the disease covers the skin and internal organs. At the same time, the fingers become swollen and increase in volume. Characteristic signs - pain and impaired movement.
• Infectious arthritis occurs when the joints are damaged by bacteria or viruses. Can hurt 1 or more joints. Often this inflammation is accompanied by additional symptoms (for example, fever).
• Pregnancy. Damage to the joints during pregnancy is associated with a lack of calcium.

Factors affecting the appearance of joint pain:

1. Diseases of the immune system
2. Hormonal imbalance
3. Chronic Infectious Diseases
4. Exchange violations
5. Genetic location
6. Injuries
7. The influence of physical and chemical environmental factors.

What to do?

The first thing you need to understand: no self-treatment! Firstly, it will not bring proper results. And secondly, it can significantly harm. When the initial manifestations of pain in the joints should consult a rheumatologist. Only a specialist can correctly determine the cause of their occurrence and, based on it, prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Treatment methods depend on the cause of the pain and their intensity:

• If the pain is not strong, there is no swelling and deformities, it is enough to ensure the affected joint to rest. To do this, impose on him an elastic bandage or a usual bandage.
• In case of injury, in order to prevent the development of edema, compresses are put on the joint: cold - on the day of injury, and warm - on the 2nd and subsequent days. This helps to improve blood circulation, and joint tissue is restored faster.
• If the cause of pain was an inflammatory process, the patient is prescribed treatment with antibacterial agents and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Sometimes shown treatment with hormonal drugs.
• If there is a dystrophic lesion of the joints, chondroprotectors, physiotherapy, manual therapy and massage are prescribed.
• When the pain is very severe and painful, painkillers can be prescribed to the patient in the form of injections, tablets or ointments.

There is a standard treatment for joint pain, which is used by doctors. In various diseases, it is corrected and supplemented. This scheme includes 3 stages:

Purpose of chondroprotectors. Chondroprotectors are drugs that consist of natural components that make up the tissues of the joints. Most often chondroprotectors recommend taking in combination with vitamins and minerals. They give a good anti-inflammatory effect, accelerate the processes of regeneration and metabolism in the affected tissues.

The appointment of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. These groups of drugs relieve pain well and alleviate the human condition. Medicines are taken orally and externally. For local use prescribe ointment, which include menthol and anesthetics.

Appointment of therapeutic massage and gymnastics for the hands. This stage is also necessary for successful treatment, so you should not ignore it. Massage in combination with special exercises will help restore movement in the joints, normalize blood circulation, prevent stagnant processes.

The best folk remedies

Traditional medicine is also very successfully struggling with joint pain. However, before experiencing its effect on yourself, do not forget to consult your doctor.

Daily recommended to make compresses on the joints of apple or table vinegar.

Melt a small piece of bee propolis and mix it with an equal amount of sunflower oil. The resulting ointment should be applied to the painful joints.

Well relieves the pain of essential oil of fir. It needs to be rubbed into the skin of the affected hand, and then apply a warming compress with sea salt. To make a compress, heat the salt and wrap it in a piece of cloth.

Healing mixture with turpentine also has a beneficial effect on the affected joints. For its preparation, mix chicken egg yolk with 1 tsp. turpentine and 1 tbsp. l apple cider vinegar. Rub the mixture in the affected joints several times a day.

If you feel pain in the joints, do not postpone the visit to the doctor! Timely diagnosis and treatment will relieve you from pain and prevent complications. In parallel with traditional medicine, you can use traditional methods of treatment. In the complex, they give an excellent effect.