Arthritis is a disease that can affect any joint. When the weather changes, during the seasonal transition from summer to autumn, people increasingly begin to complain of sharp and sudden pain in the joints. This pain attacks mainly at night, when a person is at rest, and does not allow the body to fully rest. Throughout the night my hands ache, twist and burn. Pain often occurs in rainy weather, and attacks can be so severe that they cause the patient to cry. Let's take a closer look at the main symptoms, as well as treatment methods for arthritis of the fingers, especially since inflammation of their joints leads to difficulties in self-care and loss of professional skills.
Arthritis of the hand and ankle joints can disfigure the arms and legs, and the fingers become deformed. Most often this happens in older people, but not in everyone, there are many reasons for this.
Fact! In women, joint arthritis occurs 2-3 times more often than in men.
The disease initially affects small joints. If you do not provide the patient with the necessary assistance, deforming arthritis will spread to other joints, thereby immobilizing them and complicating the patient’s life. As a result of progression, thinning of articular cartilage and pathological changes in ligaments and joint capsules occur. The sad result is deformation of the fingers, their curvature.
In order to recognize the signs of a disease, it is necessary to understand the stages of its development; arthritis has 4 of them:
Note! Pain and characteristic symptoms in the third stage do not go away until you take painkillers.
Arthritis often develops not on one finger, but on the entire hand or foot at once, so if you have the first suspicion that the joints are inflamed, you need to see a rheumatologist or orthopedist. Excessive precautions in this case will not hurt.
If, some time after the onset of joint ailments, puffiness and swelling of the hands, redness of the skin in the area of the inflamed joint, as well as increased temperature of the skin in the area of the inflamed joint become visible; pain in the hands, such heaviness that even light objects are difficult to hold, not a single day goes by without suffering - the symptoms of arthritis in the joints of the fingers are obvious, and that means it’s time to visit a doctor.
When you consult a doctor, you should be prepared for the fact that he will, first of all, prescribe a series of tests (x-rays, biochemistry, puncture of joint fluid, and others), which can be used to determine the type of arthritis of the finger joints, as well as identify the source of inflammation, which is important information. Depending on the causative agent of the disease, the nature of subsequent treatment is selected.
When wondering what arthritis is, it is worth understanding that it combines several types of disease; There are 10 varieties in total, but the following ones amaze the fingers:
Note! There is a division of arthritis into proximal, middle and distal. It depends on the type how to treat.
It is often difficult to immediately understand where and why the disease begins. The range of causes of arthritis of the finger joints is very wide, and just by the types it is clear that even injuries can trigger the process of inflammation. But, knowing the reasons, it is possible to carry out prevention. Some people look for advice on forums, but it is better to get it from a specialist. Main reasons:
Each stage has its own characteristic symptoms, but there is a standard set, upon identification of which you need to act immediately:
Note! How symptoms manifest depends on the patient's age and the form of the disease. In children and young people, symptoms are more severe.
The result of treatment directly depends on the stage at which the patient sought help. The rule here is: the sooner, the better. An important aspect of restoring physiological functions is strictly following the doctor’s recommendations. It is not always possible to be completely cured, but the person will have the opportunity to live a normal life.
There will be no disability, and he will be able to feel like a full-fledged member of society - take care of himself, do housework and work. Medications can alleviate the condition and prolong remission for a long time. Whether treatment will help depends entirely on the patient.
Traditional medicine uses certain medications and physiotherapeutic agents to treat arthritis of the finger joints. In this case, medications are intended to treat the disease that caused arthritis. In addition, hormonal drugs, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and others are used.
The most common physical treatments are:
Before you start considering drug treatment, it is worth learning about the rules that need to be followed:
The treatment method depends on the type and stage of the disease. For infectious and bacterial forms, a course of antibiotics and corticosteroids is certainly prescribed. To relieve pain, analgesics that have an antispasmodic effect are prescribed; they can be administered in the form of injections. To restore cartilage, you will need to take a course of chondroprotectors.
Medicines are prescribed that help dilate blood vessels. Taking them is necessary for proper blood supply. If vascular stenosis is observed, it is difficult to restore the joints.
In order to provide the body with all the necessary vitamins, they are prescribed together with preparations containing calcium.
Note! The use of creams and ointments has its advantages, since they do not irritate the walls of the stomach and have a local effect on the sore joint. Non-steroidal drugs, such as Fastum-gel, Voltaren, are prescribed only after the acute condition has resolved.
When the exacerbation has been relieved, physiotherapeutic procedures are prescribed. They are an integral component of complex treatment. Their influence:
Among the methods: ultrasound treatment, electrophoresis, quartz treatment, massage, acupuncture. The joints of the fingers are close to the surface of the skin, so any such treatment will be effective and efficient.
Alternative (traditional) medicine offers its own treatment methods, which depend on the type of disease. The following treatment methods can be used: ointments based on bee and snake venom, manure, cabbage leaves, nettle leaves and many others. Heat treatments for the hands can also be effective.
In addition to the above methods, traditional medicine offers the following procedures for inflammation of the joints of the fingers:
Don't neglect folk remedies. There are many different recipes for treatment. For example, to prevent and dull pain in the hands and fingers, when going to bed, it is recommended to straighten and relax the fingers, place them under the pillow, stomach or chest.
The inflammatory process affects not only the fingers, but also spreads to the joints of the toes. Arthritis of the toe joints can affect one joint, such as arthritis of the big toe, or several joints.
Inflammation of the thumb occurs with gout, which affects mainly middle-aged men, psoriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis, which manifests itself after suffering an infectious disease.
Symptoms of arthritis of the toe joints are severe pain that occurs at night and subsides by morning, swelling and redness of the inflamed joint. With this type of arthritis, doctors prescribe analgesics and a strict diet that excludes alcohol, meat, fish and fatty foods.
When the joints of the toes are affected, pain occurs when moving, and the mobility of the joints is limited. After sleeping for a long time, patients are bothered by a feeling of stiffness in the foot, and the skin in the area of the inflamed joint is swollen and red. An increase in temperature may also be observed.
Medical treatment for arthritis of the finger joints is quite extensive, but it is prescribed exclusively by a doctor. Indeed, if the diagnosis is incorrect, the condition may worsen, the inflammatory process may intensify, after which the disease will no longer respond to any treatment.
Treating arthritis of the fingers is not easy, and the symptoms are not immediately recognized, which leads to the disease progressing to more complex stages. Careful monitoring of your health and timely consultation with a specialist will be the key to a normal, fulfilling life.