Pain in the fingers is a very common ailment that may indicate the presence of rheumatoid arthritis, damage to the cervical spine or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Only a doctor can find out why the middle finger on the right or left hand hurts. There are several characteristic symptoms that help to understand that the pain is pathological. It is important to find out the causes of pain in the middle finger of the right hand.
Finger pain has a variety of origins. The most common cause of discomfort in people over 45 years of age is carpal tunnel syndrome. It is necessary to analyze the accompanying symptoms of the pathology.
This disease is characterized by burning pain and tingling, all of which becomes stronger with physical activity. As a rule, four fingers of the left or right hand are affected at once, and only the little finger hurts much less frequently. Among other things, a person experiences swelling and numbness, which is localized on the palmar surface.
In this case, pain appears in most cases at night. There are practically no external signs of the disease. There is only slight swelling in the area of the hand and some cyanosis.
Such sensations can only be eliminated by comprehensive anti-inflammatory treatment. Sometimes the doctor decides to undergo surgery. For conservative treatment, the following is used:
Both men and women are susceptible to this problem. When the cervical spine is damaged, all fingers of the hand hurt, and sometimes numbness occurs because one or more nerve fibers are pinched.
A distinctive sign of the disease is that a person feels pain only in the left or only in the right hand, this depends on the location of the affected nerve endings.
Another common cause of pain in this area is dislocation. The main accompanying symptom is that the finger begins to protrude from the joint.
With this injury, the pain is usually sharp. The person has difficulty moving the affected finger. More often than others, it is not the middle or ring finger that hurts, but the thumb.
To relieve unpleasant phenomena, a dislocated finger involves the following actions:
A disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, in addition to painful sensations, is characterized by redness, swelling and inflammation in the joints. This type of arthritis occurs simultaneously in both the right and left hands. The skin in the affected area is usually dry and lifeless.
In many cases, rheumatoid arthritis begins its pathological process with symmetrical damage to the joints. For example, the middle fingers of both hands are simultaneously affected. Discomfort appears, expressed in pain and stiffness, especially in the morning.
Rheumatoid arthritis develops in a short time, so it is important to begin treatment without delay when minor symptoms appear. Such arthritis has visual consequences - curvature of fingers and even hands.
Properly selected therapy in the early stages can lead to a full recovery. Antimetabolic and hormonal drugs are used: methotrexate, prednisolone and others.
This type of arthritis affects not only the legs, but also the bones of the fingers. Gouty arthritis can be diagnosed in women, but the disease is mostly characteristic of men. Women tolerate gouty arthritis much easier.
The disease develops acute pain syndrome, which is very difficult to relieve. In addition to pain, gouty arthritis causes an increase in local temperature, inflammation, and sometimes numbness of the skin can be observed. Patients often complain of a burning sensation.
Gouty arthritis is exacerbated by consumption of animal foods and medications for hypertension. To identify the disease, you should undergo diagnostic testing to determine the amount of uric acid.
Quite a rare disease. Approximately 5% of the total number of people who consult a doctor with finger pain are diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. The disease is characterized by damage to all joints on one finger at the same time.
The middle and thumb are affected, and the pain is aching and accompanied by inflammation.
In therapy, powerful antipsoriatic and hormonal agents are most often used, for example, evetrex or methotrexate.
When the articular cartilage wears out, numbness and pain appear in the fingers. First of all, the middle and thumb of the left or right hand are affected. When bending the fingers, a spasm begins. It is known that women suffer from osteoarthritis much more often than men.
Many people do not feel pseudoburns or pain when osteoarthritis nodules form. But a certain number of patients report exactly these symptoms.
Removing pain from osteoarthritis does not mean completely eliminating the disease - it is important to cope with all the symptoms. As a rule, pain is relieved by paracetamol-based drugs and therapeutic exercises.
The permeability of blood vessels and the speed of blood moving through them decreases. There is also pain in the fingers. Poor circulation causes:
The cause of such phenomena is excessive physical activity performed by the fingers. Often the thumb, ring and middle fingers experience such stress.
This disease is provoked by an infection that is caused by improper removal of the cuticle, as well as by splinters or injuries. With panaritium, the fingertips are affected.
The characteristic symptoms of panaritium of the finger are:
This disease can affect the ring, middle, and less commonly the other finger. When these signs appear, a person should immediately see a doctor to prevent sepsis from occurring. In a medical facility, the abscess is immediately opened and drained. Antibiotics such as ciprolet and amoxilav are used in treatment.
With the disease, the number of platelets, leukocytes and red blood cells in the blood increases, and soreness in the fingers appears. A constant sign of such a disorder is numb tips of the middle or ring finger. This symptom is associated with an increase in blood viscosity and volume. Manifestations of polycythemia can be observed in both the left and right hands.
If the pain in the fingers and hands is paroxysmal, and the pads turn white, then there is reason to talk about Raynaud's syndrome. This phenomenon manifests itself against the background of stress, hypothermia or injury.
To make a diagnosis of Raynaud's syndrome, there must be at least three clear cases associated with changes in skin color when exposed to cold. These manifestations must be present for two years.
This symptom is characterized by symmetrical manifestations. Patency of the radial artery should be maintained. There are certain clinical diagnostic criteria that confirm the diagnosis:
Raynaud's syndrome is a condition that is difficult to recognize. Only a specialized doctor can make a final conclusion about the appearance of the syndrome, which is confirmed by the video in this article.
Pain in the fingers can indicate both hand diseases themselves and disorders in other organs.
Diseases that may cause pain in the fingers:
• carpal tunnel syndrome;
• diseases of blood vessels;
• ulnar nerve neuropathy;
• problems in the cervical spine;
• coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction.
Inflammation of the finger joint.
• movements in the affected finger are difficult;
• pain when moving a finger.
A common and one of the most severe autoimmune diseases. Not related to rheumatism. The cause of the disease is in the human immune system. She begins to perceive the cells of her body as foreign and exposes them to attack. This leads to inflammation, dysfunction of the organ and its pathologies.
It occurs most often in middle age (25-35 years) and more often in women. Teenagers are also susceptible to the disease. In children, the onset of the disease is often acute, and both the joints of the limbs and the joints of the cervical spine are involved in the inflammatory chronic process.
Signs of rheumatoid arthritis (in addition to those listed above):
• simultaneous damage to three small joints of the hand or more;
• inflammation lasts longer than three months;
• often symmetrical joints of two hands are involved in the pathological process (for example, both first joints of the 2nd finger of both the right and left hands);
• pain can be constant or intermittent;
• pain intensity – average;
• morning stiffness in the movements of diseased joints;
• stiffness goes away during the day;
• swelling of the affected area;
• limited mobility of the affected joints (difficulty in flexion, extension);
• joints take on the shape of a spindle;
• if the disease is not treated, then dislocation and subluxation occur in diseased joints.
Arthritis usually starts in one joint. If there is no treatment, the disease gradually affects other joints. Thus, more and more joints are involved in the process, and the patient is not able to make small movements with his fingers.
With this arthritis, not only the joints suffer, but also the cartilage tissue that is adjacent to them and the bone structures. Long-term, ongoing inflammation is the cause of gradual destruction of the tissues surrounding diseased joints.
In addition to disturbances in the functioning of the joint, rheumatoid arthritis sometimes causes serious disturbances in the internal organs (lungs, kidneys, blood vessels).
A similar process can often occur on the toes, as well as on the ankle joints. But large joints (shoulder, hip, knee) almost never suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
• laboratory tests (detection of rheumatoid factor in the blood);
If you suspect rheumatoid arthritis, you should quickly contact a rheumatologist. This disease cannot be completely cured , however, with the help of timely anti-inflammatory therapy or surgery, joint deformation can be stopped.
Osteoarthritis is caused by early aging and wear and tear of the cartilage covering the joint. The affected cartilage becomes thinner, cracks, dehydrates, and loses its shock-absorbing characteristics. This is where the pain comes from.
Over time, osteophytes—bone spines—form on the surface of the joint. They deform the joint and injure the surrounding tissue, causing even more pain.
Most often, the disease affects older people, but some may experience it in their youth. Osteoarthritis can affect the wrist joint area.
Some symptoms of osteoarthritis:
• pain increases during the day;
• pain increases with exercise;
• pain intensity decreases in the morning and after rest;
• crunching and clicking in the joints.
As the process progresses, the pain becomes stronger, it does not go away after rest, and may appear at night. The course of the disease comes in waves, and exacerbation can last for several months.
• relief of the inflammatory process (steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs);
• use of drugs to increase the protective properties of cartilage;
Another name for the pathology is carpal tunnel syndrome. Hand pain occurs due to compression of the nerve conductors in the narrow spaces of the wrist between the tendons and bone along the nerve.
Women between 40 and 60 years of age are more likely to suffer. Pathology often occurs against the background of endocrine and hormonal disruptions in the body (during pregnancy, menopause, diabetes).
Carpal tunnel syndrome is also observed due to certain working conditions. Previously, the disease was common among typists, but in the modern world it affects people who sit at the computer for a long time. Static constant load on the same muscles, awkward hand position when working with a mouse or keyboard lead to pinched nerves.
Characteristic signs of the disease:
• pain in all fingers of the hand, with the exception of the little finger. The pain is less pronounced in the ring finger;
• nature of pain – burning;
• unpleasant sensations are more pronounced in the palmar surface of the fingers;
• pain goes from the base of the palm to the tips of the fingers. Unpleasant sensations cover the entire length of the fingers, they are not concentrated in any joints;
• pain may spread up the arm;
• discomfort intensifies at night or towards morning. During the day, pain and numbness are less pronounced;
• the appearance of the joints is not changed;
• sometimes – slight swelling of the hand and fingers;
• sometimes – paleness of the fingers or their cyanosis (acrocyanosis).
Prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome:
• the use of special mouse pads that relieve stress (with bolsters and a wrist support);
• breaks during long-term work at the computer;
• warm-up, shaking hands.
There are three types of injuries:
• injuries of the articular-ligamentous apparatus and tendons;
• muscle tissue injuries.
Dislocation most often occurs in the first (thumb) finger.
• sharp pain in the affected finger;
• unnatural position of the finger – it protrudes from the joint;
• lack of movement in the affected finger.
• in mild forms – paresthesia (impaired sensitivity) in the fingers and toes;
• bluishness of the skin;
• in pronounced forms – paleness of the fingers;
• later cyanosis of the fingers appears;
• then redness of the fingers occurs (Raynaud's phenomenon).
• the attack lasts several minutes;
• such an attack can be repeated several times a day.
• fatigue of fingers during physical activity;
• numbness in the fingers (not constant);
• sometimes – the skin of the fingers is pale;
• sometimes – the skin of the fingers is cold to the touch. Working with cold water can be a provoking factor;
• heaviness in the hands;
• feeling of weakness of fingers;
• thinning of hair on fingers.
The lumen of the arteries of the arms gradually narrows more and more over time, and blood flow is more disrupted.
Signs of process progression:
• pain in fingers and hands becomes constant;
• pain appears even with minimal exertion;
• the skin of the fingers is cold;
• the pulse at the wrist, at the radial arteries becomes weaker, or it cannot be felt at all.
Occurs in people who work with power tools, which generate local vibration on the fingers.
There are several stages of vibration disease.
• pain in fingers (transient);
• impaired sensitivity (paresthesia) of the fingers;
• feeling of numbness in the fingers.
• pain and paresthesia become more stable;
• changes in vascular tone (capillaries, also larger vessels) appear;
• sensitivity disorders are expressed quite clearly. Sensitivity to vibration is especially reduced;
• symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia appear;
Signs of the 3rd stage of vibration disease:
• attacks of pain appear;
• vasomotor and trophic disorders are expressed;
• vasospasm syndrome is clearly expressed - the fingers turn white, there are mixed sensitivity disorders (peripheral, often segmental).
Occurs due to injury or compression of the nerve in the area of the elbow joint or wrist.
• pain in the ring finger and little finger;
• paresthesia in these fingers;
• pain upon palpation and percussion of the area of nerve compression.
• as the pathology progresses – motor disorders of the 4th and 5th fingers (weakness of abduction, adduction of fingers);
• atrophy of the interosseous and hypothenar muscles;
• formation of the so-called “clawed hand”.
Sometimes the syndrome occurs as an independent disease - not accompanied by other diseases. Sometimes Rayono's syndrome can be a symptom of other diseases (for example, scleroderma).
• paroxysmal pain in fingers;
• the pain is severe, burning in nature;
• the pain is accompanied by a sharp whitening of the fingertips.
With frequent attacks, tissue nutrition is disrupted and oxygen access to them becomes difficult. This can (rarely) lead to areas of the finger becoming necrotic.
Making a diagnosis can sometimes be difficult. In any case, Raynaud's syndrome must be treated so as not to cause complications.
Inflammation of finger tissue. The pathological process usually affects the tip of the finger.
Most often, panaritium occurs due to an infection that occurs during poor-quality manicure (removal of hangnails), infection of abrasions in the nail area, etc.
• nature of pain – jerking;
• pain gradually intensifies;
• pain increases at night;
• any touch to the finger is painful;
• often – increased body temperature.
This disease requires immediate attention to a surgeon, since felon can cause severe complications, namely blood poisoning (sepsis) and finger deformation.
This is the name given to an increase in the number of red blood cells in human blood. The disease occurs in people over 15 years of age, but the peak incidence is observed in people over 50. Men get sick more often.
There are three forms of the disease.
Primary polycythemia. Red, white blood cells and platelets are overproduced.
Reactive polycythemia (secondary). This is a complication of diseases that are not associated with blood problems.
Pseudopolycythemia (stress polycythemia). Occurs when the amount of plasma, the liquid part of the blood, decreases.
Polycythemia vera is caused by a large number of red blood cells, high erythrocytosis, greater than normal circulating blood volume, and increased blood viscosity.
The disease progresses gradually.
• heaviness in the head;
• skin itching, worsens after taking a bath;
• erythromelalgia – pain in the fingertips, paroxysmal;
• numbness of the fingertips.
These symptoms are associated with impaired microcirculation and increased blood supply to the vessels.
Degenerative process of tendon tissue. The primary reaction of the tendon to constant overload is swelling, microscopic breakdown of collagen, and changes in the surrounding mucous membrane. In more severe forms, mucous degeneration develops - the central part of the tendon is replaced by a jelly-like mucous sediment.
There may also be tenosynovitis - inflammation in the area of the tendons, which are covered with a synovial membrane. In this case, the membrane shows an inflammatory reaction - the release of transudate or exudate, which contains inflammatory cells. The reaction can occur due to overload on the membrane, joint injury or inflammation.
• increased motor activity;
During work, the place where the muscles attach to the skeleton endures a lot of stress. With excessive and regular stress, degenerative changes occur in tendon tissue and cartilage tissue. Small areas of tissue necrosis, areas of fatty tissue degeneration appear, and calcium salts are deposited.
Salt deposits often occur at the site of a former injury - a micro-tear of the tendon fiber.
Calcium salts can also damage surrounding tissues because they have a hard structure.
With prolonged physical activity, the cartilage tissue between the tendon fibers ossifies, and bone growths are formed - osteophytes, spines and spurs. These processes lead to tendinosis.
Tendinosis or tendinopathies indicate excessive load on the muscle.
Most often they occur in athletes, since they are the ones who have excessive loads on their muscles, sometimes such loads are completely prohibitive. Workers whose work involves significant physical labor also get sick.
Rheumatic diseases can also lead to tendinosis:
Some types of tendinitis that may cause finger pain
Tenosynovitis stenosing the extensor brevis and abductor longus muscles of the 1st finger. With this pathology, the first canal of the dorsal carpal ligament narrows.
• pain in the thumb during extension and abduction;
• pain on palpation of the radius (styloid process);
• positive Elkin test.
Elkin test: ask the patient to bring the tip of the 1st finger together with the tips of the 2nd and 5th fingers. If the patient feels pain, the test is considered positive.
Stenosing tenosynovitis of the extensor carpi ulnaris. With this pathology, the 6th channel of the dorsal carpal ligament narrows.
• pain in the ulna, in the area of the styloid process;
• swelling of the area.
Early stage therapy:
• physiotherapy (ultrasound, laser and magnetic therapy);
• taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• taking systemic enzyme therapy drugs.
Therapy for the second stage of tendinitis:
• use of special fixatives (including bandaging).
If conservative therapy does not improve the condition, surgical treatment is prescribed. The hypertrophic degenerative tissue of the tendinous area is excised and then repaired and treated as if it were an acute rupture.
If there are no local causes for pain in the hand (joint damage or injury), then you need to pay attention to the spine, in particular the cervical region.
Pain in the hand can occur with the following pathologies of the spine:
• osteochondrosis of the spine (cervical region);
• protrusion of the intervertebral disc;
• radiculitis of the cervical spine.
Pain in the hand in these pathologies is caused by the fact that inflammation or compression of the nerve pathways at the exit from the spinal cord leads to disruption of the transmission of nerve impulses that go to the hand. The pain can radiate to the entire arm, as well as to the wrist joint and individual fingers.
• unpleasant sensations (pain, numbness of fingers) in one hand;
• the process covers either all fingers of the hand, or only the little finger and ring finger.
The spread of pain from the elbow to the hand is very typical. Sometimes it is this symptom that provides the main information for diagnosis. It allows you to identify which vertebra is the cause of the pain.
The main symptom of nerve root compression is pain.
• pain can be sharp, cutting;
• feeling of electric current passing;
• pain spreads from top to bottom: from the area of the shoulder girdle to the shoulder, forearm and fingers;
• pain often radiates to the ring and little fingers;
• often – numbness of the fingers;
• feeling of “crawling goosebumps”;
• sensitivity disorders (paresthesia);
• all symptoms become more pronounced during the load on the spine;
• paresthesia and pain become more intense when the head is tilted to the healthy side, as well as when sneezing, coughing, straining;
• pain is often worse at night;
• mobility in the affected part of the spine is severely limited.
Diagnosis of spinal lesions:
• collection of patient complaints;
• CT (computed tomography);
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
Therapy for spinal osteochondrosis is long-term. There is no complete cure.
In the first stages - conservative treatment:
• manual therapy – according to strict medical indications, cannot be used for disc herniation;
In later forms of osteochondrosis, surgical intervention is often indicated.
Sometimes pain in the hands and fingers can be one of the signs of heart damage, especially if the pain is concentrated in the left arm and radiates to the upper parts of the arm. This symptom may be one of the signs of exacerbation of coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction.
In case of cardiac pathologies, pain in the fingers and hand is combined with the following symptoms:
• pressing pain behind the sternum, under the left shoulder blade, in the left arm;
• shortness of breath, difficulty breathing;
• difficulty breathing, shortness of breath;
• feeling of anxiety and inexplicable fear.
If there is a combination of all of the above signs, then you need to call an ambulance.
The therapy is long-term, using drugs that improve blood supply to the heart muscle.
In addition to the conditions already listed that can cause pain in the fingers, there are several other diseases that can cause pain in one or more fingers.
Pain in the index finger, as well as in the thumb and middle finger, often occurs when the median nerve of the forearm is damaged. The same localization of pain is possible with radiculitis of the cervical spine.
Due to damage to the branches of the nerves of the hands (for example, after an injury), tumors of the nervous tissue (benign) can form on the fingers.
These tumors are painful, sometimes spreading up the arm.
Disturbances of the dorsal digital nerve (it is very sensitive) can be caused by pressure that a tool (for example, scissors) puts on the thumb during prolonged work. These injuries cause burning pain in this area.
If the pain is point-like and localized only in the terminal phalanx of one finger, and more often in the area of the nail bed, then the presence of a benign skin tumor, which is rich in nerve fibers, can be assumed.
Sometimes the neoplasm appears as a blue spot under the skin of the finger or under the nail.
With this disease, local pain first appears only with pressure, then it occurs spontaneously even with the usual lowering of the arms.