Swelling of the fingers can occur not only due to damage to the joints, but also due to malfunctions of the internal organs. Very often, swelling and pain appear due to finger herbs. It is very important to consult a doctor in a timely manner, who will indicate the cause of the pathology and can prescribe treatment.
The reasons for everything are trouble
The most common cause of finger swelling is injury.
In this case, along with swelling, symptoms such as pain, hematoma, bleeding, and difficulty moving can be observed. A bruise, cut, sprain, dislocation, fracture or burn can cause the phalanges of the fingers to hurt and swell. In addition, an insect bite can also be the “culprit” of swelling. It seems that for no particular reason the finger is swollen and hurts, but such symptoms can be associated with various forms of arthritis (infectious, post-traumatic, rheumatoid, metabolic and post-operative). It should also be noted that joints may be susceptible to osteoarthritis or degenerative tissue damage. Symptoms of the above diseases are accompanied by the appearance of swelling of the entire hand, an increase in temperature (at the affected area, less often the entire body), as well as redness of the skin areas. There are cases when in young men, psoriasis (chronic skin inflammation), as well as ankylosing spondylitis (characterized by damage to the joints in the sacroiliac joints and spine) occur together with rheumatoid arthritis. In this case, either both hands or only one of them can be affected by the pathological factor.
Symptoms of reactive arthritis, which appears after suffering from infectious diseases (genitourinary, intestinal, nasopharyngeal), may include swollen and red fingers on the upper and lower extremities. Arthrosis, in which the cartilage lining between the joints is destroyed and osteophytes (bone growths) appear, is accompanied by swelling and pain in the thumb, and in particular the bone on it. Oncological processes in tissues can also cause a tumor, these include:
- melanoma,
- basilioma,
- nevus.
Meanwhile, as clinical practice shows, it is rare to see new bone formations on the upper extremities.
Accompanying the tumor with symptoms of intoxication (head pain, vomiting, chills, nausea, high fever, thirst) may indicate the presence of erysipelas. The disease appears when the immune system decreases and group B streptococcus develops. Redness of the skin in the affected area is observed, heat is felt when touched and painful sensations appear.
With contact dermatitis, it swells in a specific place on the finger. This usually happens when the watch bracelet fits very close to the hand or the material of the accessory causes an allergic reaction. Swelling on the fingers can also be the result of a cold allergy, which is characterized by swelling, itching and rashes in the form of red spots.
Spasm in the blood vessels of the hands, which appears as a result of exposure to negative temperatures or an increased level of stress, is called Raynaud's syndrome. Reversible unpleasant sensations appear in the form of changes in skin color (at first it turns white, then turns blue and red), which are provoked by a decrease in blood circulation and its subsequent normalization. Because of this, swelling is observed, a burning sensation and pain are felt.
Symptoms
Symptoms of felon develop quickly. First, the deep layers of the skin become inflamed, and the surface of the skin turns red. If there is no treatment, a purulent process begins. A blister containing cloudy grayish-yellow pus forms. The area of the abscess is very painful and burns. At this stage, treatment cannot be delayed, the inflammation will worsen, the abscess will grow, penetrating even deeper into the tissue. Different types of panaritium exhibit their own specific symptoms. But there are general signs that indicate an acute purulent inflammatory process: - The finger or toe swells, swells, the surface of the skin becomes very red. If the suppuration worsens, the skin color becomes bluish. — The inflamed area hurts a lot, the pain is throbbing, constant, and intensifying. — The mobility of the finger is limited, the child cannot bend or straighten the affected finger, every movement brings pain. - Due to acute inflammation, the temperature rises.
...and the treatment is the essence
When the reasons why the fingers are swollen and painful have been established, the patient is prescribed symptomatic and pathogenetic (the purpose of which is to eliminate the cause itself) drugs, which include analgesics, NSAIDs, antihistamines, antibiotics, diuretics, and chondroprotectors. Medicines containing synthetic hormones are prescribed to people with hormonal imbalance.
When the fingers are swollen and the joints hurt, treatment may include complex therapy with physiotherapy (ultrahigh frequency, centimeter, ultraviolet therapy, electrophoresis).
How to find out why the bends of your fingers hurt
Depending on the symptoms, the doctor will refer you for x-rays of the hands, MRI or CT scan, urine and blood tests (general and biochemical).
You may have to visit a neurologist and cardiologist. Painful sensations can be triggered by gout, rhizarthrosis, osteoarthritis, tunnel syndrome, stenotic ligamentitis, rheumatism, arthritis (including rheumatoid, psoriatic, infectious). Unique methods and innovative equipment of the network of clinics for healthy spine and joints “Hello!” allow you to quickly and accurately make the correct diagnosis, and most importantly, correctly prescribe the necessary course of effective therapy.
Surgical methods - in case of emergency
Surgery will be necessary if there is an open fracture, ligament damage or severe injury. Panaritium can also serve as an indication for surgical intervention. To cope with this disease, it is imperative to eliminate the inflamed area with pus, thoroughly clean the cavity with the infection and apply stitches. After surgery, it is necessary to do dressings, take antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Surgery may be required if the cartilage and surfaces of the joints are severely damaged in the later stages of arthritis or arthrosis, and the fingers become swollen, stiff, and painful. In especially severe cases, endoprosthetics is prescribed, when a worn-out joint is replaced with an artificial one.
Surgery may be performed in the presence of a malignant tumor. The oncologist prepares an individual therapy program for each patient.
Diagnostics
Orthopedic traumatologists are often involved in determining the cause of hand swelling. If indicated, patients are referred to surgeons, rheumatologists, vascular surgeons, and other specialists. The diagnosis is made based on the results of the following procedures:
- Questioning, physical examination
. The specialist determines the circumstances and time of swelling, identifies other symptoms, and monitors the dynamics of the disease. Evaluates the localization, prevalence, severity of edema, range of motion in joints, color, density, tissue temperature. - Radiography
. Prescribed for injuries, joint diseases, and some purulent processes. Allows you to confirm the presence of fragments or displacement of the articular ends of the bone, inflammatory and degenerative changes. - Ultrasonography.
It is carried out to confirm thrombosis, determine the condition of venous and lymphatic vessels, and assess the prevalence of purulent processes. - Other imaging techniques
. In doubtful cases, MRI is performed for a detailed study of soft tissues, and for the study of hard structures. - Laboratory research
. Tests help detect signs of inflammation, markers of rheumatic diseases, and renal dysfunction.
Pressotherapy of hands
Unhealthy Lifestyle
Before going to the doctor, you should pay attention to the general condition of the body. If there is no cause for concern other than swollen fingers, the problem may be the patient's poor lifestyle. Drinking a large amount of water before bed, eating salty foods, as well as alcohol abuse can cause stagnation of fluid in the body and subsequent swelling of the upper extremities. Most often this phenomenon occurs in the morning.
Swelling of the fingers can be caused by excessive physical activity, prolonged hand washing, or monotonous rhythmic work at the computer keyboard, when the fingers are in an unnatural, almost curled position for a long time, while their muscles perform active work.
Premenstrual syndrome
Preparing the female body for menstruation provokes a large number of processes and reactions that negatively affect health. One of the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome is the formation of painless, uneven swelling of the fingers and toes , accompanied by pinkness of the skin. Such swelling is temporary and disappears immediately after the onset of menstruation.
Swelling occurs due to a decrease in the level of the hormone progesterone, which controls the volume of fluid in the female body and regulates water metabolism through the organs of the excretory system.
Pancoast cancer
Some malignant tumors, such as Pancoast cancer, can be located in the respiratory system. They can not only destroy lung and pleural tissue, but also exert mechanical pressure on the brachiocephalic or subclavian veins. This is accompanied by stagnation in the bloodstream, a decrease in the outflow of venous blood from the upper extremities and the inability to remove interstitial fluid from the hands and fingers. The accumulation of a large, non-physiological amount of fluid leads to characteristic unilateral swelling of the fingers. The swelling occurs on the arm in which the desired vein is compressed by the Pancoast cancer tumor.
Gradually, swelling and swelling appear not only in the fingers, but also along the entire course of the vein, right up to the face and cervical region.
Preeclampsia
Doctors call gestosis the period of late toxicosis in pregnant women, when the kidneys begin to remove excess amounts of protein from the blood, which leads to impaired binding of blood fluid, a decrease in oncotic pressure and the formation of swelling of the fingers of the expectant mother.
Usually in case of gestosis, only the fingers and hands of both hands swell evenly ; rarely the swelling affects the entire upper limb. The swelling itself is loose, shiftable, and very soft when pressed. Often this condition is accompanied not only by swelling, but also by weight gain, headaches, and nausea.
Allergic reaction
Swelling of the fingers may occur in response to a substance entering the body that causes increased immune activity. Swelling due to this reaction can occur not only on the fingers, but also on the neck, armpits, face, etc. They develop due to an increase in the permeability of blood and lymphatic vessels so much that local extravasation (output) of intravascular contents into the tissue of the fingers occurs.
With allergies, the fingers swell asymmetrically and unevenly. Swelling is accompanied by severe itching and sometimes a rash .
note
Very often there is a direct connection with swelling of the fingers and an allergic reaction. Perhaps the reason is the contact of the upper layer of the skin with a substance that provokes protective mechanisms to act.
Less commonly, allergies occur when an irritating component comes into contact with food or is inhaled.
Physiotherapy
When paying attention to the question of how to remove swelling from a bruised finger, it is important to include physical procedures in the treatment regimen. Physiotherapeutic procedures begin to be used a couple of days after the suspension is removed. Timely prescribed physical therapy will help eliminate pain and swelling.
Such sessions stimulate tissue regeneration. Widely used:
- Analgesic methods of treating soft tissue bruises: cryotherapy, electrophoresis of anesthetics, diadynamic therapy, interference therapy, amplipulse therapy.
- Vasoconstrictor method: cooling compress.
- Fibromodulating methods on how to relieve swelling from a finger after a bruise. These are methods such as electrophoresis, ultrasound therapy, peloid therapy.
- Vasodilating methods: electrophoresis, ultraphonophoresis, infrared irradiation, fresh baths, warming compress, water heating pad.
- Lymphatic drainage methods: therapeutic massage, alcohol compress.
- Antiphlogistic methods on how to remove a tumor from a finger if a finger is bruised: UHF and microwave therapy, ultraphonophoresis, magnetic therapy.
Only a specialist can prescribe one or another method of physical therapy to relieve swelling of a bruised finger.
Superior vena cava syndrome
If the patency of the superior vena cava is impaired, the first symptom is the characteristic formation of swelling of the hands and fingers. Superior vena cava syndrome is a consequence of a more serious pathological condition and is not a separate disease. This reaction of the body can be caused by lung cancer, aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, cystic growths in the respiratory organs and other diseases.
Edema is accompanied by bluish discoloration of the skin due to filling with venous blood. In addition, superior vena cava syndrome is accompanied by headache, cough, nosebleeds, shortness of breath and hoarseness.
