The structure of human hands distinguishes him from representatives of other biological species. Thanks to them, we can not only serve ourselves, but also perform a wide variety of work. The fingers of the human hand are parts of the upper limbs, which in the process of development received a very important functional load. That's why, when your fingers hurt, it becomes difficult to hold a fork or spoon, type text on a PC, cook food, or even just lace up your shoes.
The reasons why your fingers hurt can be different. In addition to being susceptible to injury, there are a number of medical conditions that can affect their mobility. In addition, pain in the joints of the fingers can be caused by inflammatory processes (arthritis).
At CELT you can get advice from a specialist algologist.
- Initial consultation – 4,000
- Initial consultation with the head of the Pain Clinic - 4,500
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Causes of pain in fingers
If you want to find out why your fingers hurt, contact the CELT Pain Clinic. We employ experienced specialists of various profiles who will conduct a diagnostic study and prescribe the optimal course of treatment, thanks to which you can again live a full life.
Finger injuries
An injury such as a bruised finger can occur if you fall from a small height or hit your hand with a blunt object. Depending on the force of the impact, the skin and blood vessels may be damaged, which will lead to the formation of a hematoma; A bone fracture is also possible.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
The development of carpal tunnel syndrome is provoked by compression of the median nerve located in it. Clinical manifestations of this disease include:
- pain that is localized on the inner surface of the thumb;
- index finger pain;
- feeling of numbness in the skin of the palm;
- decrease in muscle volume in the area of the eminence of the first finger;
- decreased precision of fine motor skills of the hand.
Without timely treatment, the nerve will no longer be able to perform its functions, which will lead to the inability to perform small movements of the fingers and even disability.
Raynaud's syndrome
Raynaud's syndrome is a frequent companion to pathologies such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and other connective tissue diseases. It occurs due to a violation of the tone of the capillaries and small arteries of the fingers and is characterized by the following symptoms:
- a sharp narrowing of blood vessels, leading to pallor of the skin of the fingers and numbness, which is often felt as pain;
- a sharp dilation of blood vessels, leading to redness of the skin of the fingers (even cyanosis) and a feeling of burning pain, swelling.
Polyosteoarthrosis
The joints of the fingers hurt with a pathology such as polyosteoarthrosis. Most often it occurs in women after 45 years of age. In addition to pain in small joints, it is characterized by the following:
- the presence of nodular formations that appear symmetrically on both hands;
- deformation of the hands;
- periodic inflammation, redness and swelling of the affected joints, which begins after overexertion.
Rhizarthrosis
Another disease that causes pain in the joints of the thumbs is rhizarthrosis. It affects the joint of the thumb and is accompanied by pain that becomes more intense during movements, crunching of the joint, deformation of the thumb bone, and limited movement in the affected joint.
Rheumatoid arthritis
A pathology such as rheumatoid arthritis is expressed in inflammatory processes of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the index and middle fingers. It can occur due to stress, hypothermia or acute respiratory disease and is characterized by the following clinical manifestations:
- intense painful sensations, often symmetrical on both arms and which are especially evident in the morning and in the second half of the night;
- swelling and redness of the joints and a local increase in skin temperature over them;
- inability to clench your hand into a fist;
- limited movements in the hands.
More about rheumatoid arthritis
If the patient has not completed the course of treatment, the hand may become deformed and its functionality will be completely lost.
Gouty arthritis
One answer to the question “Why do my toes hurt?” the answer may be: “Because of gouty arthritis.” In most cases, the joint of the 1st toe suffers from salt deposits, but often this disease also affects the joints of the hands. Symptoms include:
- sharp pain in the toes and hands;
- inflammations that occur in attacks, lasting from 3 to 10 days;
- redness and swelling of the joint;
- bluish discoloration of the skin over the affected joint.
If left to chance, the disease can cause joint destruction and hand deformation.
Read more about gouty arthritis
Physiotherapy
Pain in the joints of the fingers indicates a malfunction or some kind of malfunction. First of all, you need to distance yourself from performing any physical activity.
Physiotherapeutic methods are important and effective in the fight against pathogens of finger joints. These methods include: electrophoresis with novocaine (exposure to electric current), resonance therapy and electrosleep.
During remission, a therapeutic effect is carried out on the fingers through a massage session, smearing with mud, manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. It is also recommended to visit hydrogen sulfide, radon, and mud springs in sanatorium-resort conditions. Treatment in the sanatorium is carried out without exacerbation of arthrosis disease and is prescribed only after a thorough examination by a specialist.
Foods that help with joint pain:
- Fish and other seafood. The calcium, iron and phosphorus they contain help normalize mineral metabolism;
- Flaxseed oil or fish oil. The omega-3 fatty acids contained in these products improve the condition of blood vessels and help restore fat metabolism;
- Apple cider vinegar promotes the process of alkalizing the blood and removing salts.
In addition, add to your diet:
- salad;
- radish;
- egg yolks;
- currant;
- nuts;
- pomegranate fruits and juice;
- figs;
- cauliflower;
- olive oil;
- ginger;
- natural low fat cheeses.
You should limit or eliminate completely: high-fat dairy products, sweets, baked goods, spicy or salty foods, mayonnaise, smoked foods, strong tea and coffee, as well as products that contain oxalic acid (spinach, sorrel, rhubarb).
Diagnosis of finger pain
CELT specialists recommend seeking medical help if you experience even a slight feeling of numbness in your fingers. Along with pain, this is a reason to visit a rheumatologist or neurologist in our Pain Clinic, conduct diagnostic tests and treatment.
In order to correctly make a diagnosis, in addition to a clinical examination and history taking, other diagnostic tests are carried out:
- radiography;
- manual muscle testing;
- ultrasonography;
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
Prevention
In addition to treatment in hospitals and outpatient clinics, it is necessary to strengthen the body so that it can independently fight diseases and recover. It is important to maintain immunity and lead a healthy lifestyle:
- Physiotherapy;
- Diet for joints;
- Quitting bad habits: smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating.
- Daily regime.
For a successful treatment result, it is important to follow all the doctor’s recommendations.
Be attentive to the needs of the body. You cannot attribute pain to age or other reasons. It is impossible to make a diagnosis without an examination by a doctor who specializes in the treatment of such diseases and diagnostic measures. Timely consultation with a doctor will help maintain healthy joints for many years.
Treatment for finger pain
Treatment for pain in the fingers directly depends on the cause that caused them. Our specialists direct all their efforts to eliminating it, since this is the only way to achieve a long-term positive result and save the patient from suffering forever.
Systemic therapy with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics can relieve inflammation and painful symptoms. In addition, for diseases such as osteoarthritis, drugs are used that improve the protective characteristics of cartilage. Massage, physiotherapy and manual therapy have a good effect.
Treatment at the CELT Pain Clinic allows you not only to eliminate pain, swelling and stop inflammatory processes, but also to strengthen your finger joints, normalize metabolism and blood circulation!
We will give you back the opportunity to live a normal life!
Make an appointment through the application or by calling +7 +7 We work every day:
- Monday—Friday: 8.00—20.00
- Saturday: 8.00–18.00
- Sunday is a day off
The nearest metro and MCC stations to the clinic:
- Highway of Enthusiasts or Perovo
- Partisan
- Enthusiast Highway
Driving directions
Diagnosis
Most often, when visiting a rheumatologist or traumatologist, the patient is prescribed several types of examinations. Only in this way can you understand the exact cause and eliminate it in time with virtually no consequences. Otherwise, the patient will face only torment and complications of the condition.
Read also: Stitching pain in the knee
The events will definitely include:
- Laboratory blood test - biochemistry analysis, general blood test, and urine test. A test may also be ordered to look for rheumatoid factor, abnormal purine levels, or streptococcal infections.
- A visit to the X-ray room to take an image of the sore arm.
- If the quality is poor or for other reasons, the doctor may prescribe a computed tomography scan.
- MRI is prescribed in case of unclear causes of articular deviations.
You need to know that ordinary discomfort when flexing the phalanges can lead to a complete loss of activity, as well as other terrible consequences that threaten disability.
Primitive numbness of the fingers or pain when bending are the first signs of a progressive disease. Don’t hesitate – visit a hospital or clinic immediately.
If you don’t know why the phalanges of your fingers hurt, immediately go to a specialist.
In what cases is this absolutely necessary?
- Analgesics and other painkillers do not help - if you took the drugs and they did not relieve the discomfort.
- If there are other factors dangerous to health, along with pain come a rash, fever, the appearance of conjunctivitis, and so on.
- The pain does not go away under any circumstances - especially if it appears after an injury, which causes swelling and deformation.
- It doesn't get any easier after a week.
It should be repeated and noted that only a qualified specialist can treat any possible deviation. And the prescription of drugs should be carried out only after finding out the main cause of the problem. In case of an inflammatory process, the doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormones.
If the lesion is dystrophic in nature, you should first provide assistance to the damaged cartilage. Chondoprotectors, manual therapy, specialized massage, and physiotherapy help with this perfectly.
You should never ignore your body’s signals, even if you think they are insignificant. At the first alarm bells, you should contact a medical facility.
Psoriatic arthritis
A feature of arthritis, which occurs against the background of psoriasis, is damage to the distal parts of the upper and lower extremities - fingers and toes. As with gout, symptoms such as pain and fever appear unexpectedly, but the time of their onset is during the day. The finger on the right hand or on the left hurts from morning to evening, without giving a break.
Patients complain that the finger is swollen and almost blue: a blue-burgundy tint is a characteristic sign of psoriatic arthritis. Intense and persistent pain causes stiffness in the joints, impairing the mobility of the fingers. Damage to the nails is also observed, which become thicker, lose their original shape, and turn yellow.
It is worth noting that the joints are not affected in all patients with psoriasis, but only in 5-7% of cases. In 70% of patients, a skin rash first appears, and only then articular syndrome may appear.
Synovitis
Inflammation of the synovial membrane of the joints and the accumulation of pathological fluid in the joint cavity occurs as a result of systemic pathologies or injuries. The metacarpophalangeal joints, that is, those located at the base of the fingers, are predominantly affected. In interphalangeal joints, synovitis also occurs, but much less frequently.
With synovitis, multiple joint damage is excluded; only one or two joints on one limb can hurt. Due to the accumulation of intra-articular fluid, the joint swells and hurts. When bending the hand in the hand, the fingers do not clench into a fist, since the swelling forms on the side of the palm.
In addition to pain and swelling, patients feel heaviness and fullness in the joint, as if something is pressing from above. Synovitis is often accompanied by a deterioration in general health and fever.
Gout
Deposition of uric acid salts during gout occurs mainly in the thumb, but the interphalangeal joints of other fingers can also be affected. The disease can be unilateral or bilateral - if the index finger of the left hand hurts, then inflammation can also be observed on the joints of the fingers of the right hand.
Uric acid is the end product of the breakdown of purine and pyrimidine compounds necessary for the formation of DNA molecules, vitamins and other useful substances. However, under the influence of negative factors, the level of uric acid in the blood increases, and it begins to move from the blood vessels into the joint tissues.
The concentration of acid in the tissues of the joint is explained by their reduced blood supply. Since the sodium salt is poorly soluble, favorable conditions are created for its crystallization, which is what happens with gout. An additional factor provoking salt deposition is the lower temperature in the joints than in other structures.
As the disease progresses, tophi appear under the skin - gouty nodes in which sodium urate accumulates. Next, an immune response occurs, since the salt deposits are perceived by the body’s defense system as a foreign body. Because of this, the joints will hurt during attacks, the duration and intensity of which vary.
Gout is characterized by a sudden onset of an attack - the affected area seems to be “burning”, a burning sensation is also observed in nearby structures. Body temperature can also rise to 40°. The pain syndrome increases over about an hour, disturbing a person at night or closer to the morning.
Osteoarthritis
If a finger joint hurts after physical activity, then we can assume a pathology such as osteoarthritis - dystrophic changes in cartilage tissue. The articular cartilage gradually becomes thinner, the joints increase in size, and mobility is limited.
The most common cause of osteoarthritis is trauma, the second most common cause is congenital joint dysplasia. Cartilage damage can be a consequence of systemic autoimmune diseases or an infectious process in the joint.
Flexion and extension of the fingers, grasping objects, bringing the thumbs to the little fingers causes pain, and at rest the pain gradually subsides. Due to severe deformities, osteoarthritis often becomes a cause of disability and loss of ability to work.
Reactive arthritis
Inflammatory joint damage occurs as a result of infectious diseases. Reactive arthritis can manifest itself as inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes, organs of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system. However, the first sign is almost always articular syndrome.
Most often, large joints are affected - knee, ankle, hip, but small joints of the phalanges of the fingers can also be involved in the pathological process. A characteristic feature of the disease is asymmetry, that is, if the index finger of the right hand hurts, then there are no signs of damage on the left limb.
The main symptoms of reactive arthritis are almost the same as with other types of this disease - pain, swelling and redness in the joints.
