Today, there are many diseases that affect the hands. All of them are caused by completely different reasons. Today we’ll talk about the most popular diseases of the hands, the names of which are presented below.
Injuries
Often injuries to the hands and hands are associated with bumps or falls. If you experience pain, you need to consult a specialist to determine the exact cause of the pain and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Before you know what the diseases of the hands are called, you should familiarize yourself with the types of injury:
- Sprains and tears of ligaments. Several degrees of damage are distinguished, all of which are manifested by severe pain. Partial damage is characteristic of the first degree, pain occurs when moving and moving. In the second degree, the pain manifests itself much more strongly than in the first; the ligaments in this case are torn partially or completely. In addition, edema and hematomas appear. The third degree is a complete rupture of ligaments. Stirring becomes very painful, the site of damage is very swollen, hematomas appear. Symptoms may include fever, headache, and even fainting.
- Injury. It occurs very often, people are used to not giving it special attention. A hematoma forms at the site of the lesion, and the hand becomes swollen. Painful sensations appear.
- Dislocation. When a dislocation occurs, the joint is deformed, edema forms and pain appears, and sensitivity in the part of the hand is lost.
- Fracture of the bones of the brush. The first symptoms appear as with a sprain or bruise. When the fracture form is open, another tissue of the hand is damaged, an open wound is formed due to bone fragments that appear after the fracture.
Tendinitis
Tendonitis is an inflammatory disease of the ligamentous apparatus. This violation occurs due to excessive physical activity, which leads to constant overload of the musculoskeletal system; due to frequent microdamage to the ligaments; as a result of power loads.
Symptoms of tendonitis:
- Pain with active sports, with increased physical activity, with a long stay in a static position - standing.
- Swelling of the affected area, which occurs at the end of the day.
- An increase in the temperature of the affected joint.
- A characteristic crunch when moving.
- Lumbago after intense training.
- Cramps.
Diagnosis of the disease is carried out by an orthopedic surgeon who conducts an initial examination and identifies the affected area by palpation. Normally, the muscle fibers around the joints and tendon should be elastic and smooth. With tendonitis, they become excessively tense, large to the touch due to inflammation, warm. In addition, with pressure, a pain syndrome appears, which does not fade for quite a long time - from 2–5 seconds.
Tunnel syndrome
One of the most common diseases of the hands is carpal tunnel syndrome, or tunnel syndrome. First of all, people who often use a computer mouse are affected. This disease appears due to compression of the median nerve, and is manifested first in the weakness of the hand, numbness and tingling in the fingers. Then there are painful sensations while working at the computer and with any other brush movements. There is a narrow area in the wrist through which the tendons and median nerve pass. This place is called the carpal tunnel, or tunnel.
The median nerve is responsible for the sensitivity of the fingers and for the contraction of the muscles responsible for the movement of three fingers: thumb, index and middle. Pinching of the median nerve can cause swelling, inflammation of nearby tendons, sprains. The nerve begins to lose its conductive properties, blood circulation and metabolism in the tissues of the hand are also disturbed, which further aggravates the situation. These are the main symptoms of the disease of the hands (photo below).
In short, a computer mouse is one of the main culprits of tunnel syndrome. When working at a computer, many identical actions are performed by the same muscles, while excessive bending of the hand occurs.
Deforming osteoarthrosis of the joints of the hand
If there are pains in the joints of the hands or dystrophic deformation of the cartilage, experts make a diagnosis: deforming osteoarthritis of the joints. The main factor in the manifestation of this disease is the mismatch of the load on the joints with their strength. The main causes of the disease are:
- overweight;
- advanced age;
- injuries
- psoriasis;
- hormonal imbalance;
- impaired metabolism;
- occupation by professional sports.
All types of this disease are characterized by pain of varying degrees, as well as the following symptoms:
- pronounced crunch, manifested during body movements;
- a strong decrease in mobility;
- muscle cramps that are near the affected area;
- gradual deformation of the joint.
When this diagnosis is confirmed, a complex therapy is prescribed to eliminate it, following which it is necessary to reduce physical activity, prevent strong physical exertion, and avoid fixing the position of the body. In a severe form of the disease, doctors prescribe surgery with further endoprosthetics of the affected joints.
Aseptic Necrosis
Aseptic necrosis of the joints is a disease that progresses with constant work associated with injuries of certain bones and overstrain of certain groups of muscle tissue. The most common manifestation is hand disease in the hands and pre-elbow areas. There are a number of reasons for the occurrence of this process, the main of which are:
- bruises, dislocations, fractures;
- drug intoxication;
- minor injuries sustained during operation;
- various diseases (diabetes, pancreatitis, etc.);
- rough medical manipulations;
- strong radioactive effects;
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV);
- congenital structural features of the joints.
In some cases, it is impossible to find out the cause of the disease. This type of disease is called idiopathic and requires further diagnosis.
The main symptoms of the manifestation of the disease are: atrophy of muscle tissue, constrained mobility of the affected hands, severe pain, rapid development of the disease. Aseptic necrosis is first treated with conservative methods - this is therapeutic exercise, taking medications, massages, paraffin therapy, hydrogen sulfide baths. If this treatment does not help, surgery is prescribed, which also does not always bring a positive effect. After surgery, unfortunately, it is often only possible to partially restore joint function.
De Kerven's disease
Among all diseases of the hands, de Querven's disease most often occurs , which develops gradually due to the uniform repetitive movements that take a long time. In addition, such a disease is often observed in those who received a wrist injury. People of some professions constantly perform the same movements mainly with the thumb. This leads to a gradual and strong increase in pressure on the walls of the canal where the tendon passes. After a certain period of time, the channel narrows, and with monotonous movements of the thumb there is constant friction against the channel walls. This leads to the appearance of an inflammatory process in the tendon passing through the canal. As soon as the friction stops, or the pressure normalizes, tissues will gradually begin to recover, on which stenosis will develop after a certain period of time. The most common such pathology is in those people who during work have to perform the same brush movements. These include pianists, masons, milkmaids, laundresses, cashiers.
Quite often, with a disease of the de Querven’s hand, young mothers also come to the doctors who raise their child’s armpits, since their thumb is laid to the side and is under a lot of tension for some time. You can find out about the onset of the development of this disease of the hand by some characteristic symptoms. For example, it can be a pulling pain at the very base of the thumb closer to the end of the working day, and with light pressure on the affected area, pain can be more pronounced.
There are both conservative and surgical methods for treating de Querven’s hand disease, but in any case, the doctor recommends that the patient completely eliminate the factor that caused this pathology. If the ligament is damaged, it is necessary to completely eliminate all the loads on it, in addition, doctors often put a gypsum splint on the damaged area, and the gypsum is applied to the forearm area.
Snapping finger syndrome
Snapping finger syndrome is scientifically called Nott's disease. This disease is manifested by inflammatory changes in the ligaments and tendons, because of this, in fact, a nasty clicking sound appears. The causes of Nott's disease include:
- Professional activity - it has long been known that musicians and other specialists who constantly use fine motor skills of the hands are more often affected by arthritis, arthrosis and, accordingly, Nott's disease.
- Injuries and microtraumas gradually destroy the natural barrier of the ligamentous apparatus, which leads to local inflammation of the joints and tendons.
- Infections - pathological agents affect the vascular walls, musculoskeletal system and internal organs. Therefore, the inflammatory process of flexor muscles in various parts of the body can trigger bacterial or viral infection. A vivid example is a history of tuberculosis of the skin and bones.
- Hereditary predisposition - genetic factors, tendencies are one of the most common causes of disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Gouty arthritis
Gouty arthritis, or simply gout, usually occurs in people over 50 years old, and with a lower probability - in young people. Disease of the joints of the hands appears due to the accumulation of uric acid salts. If this disease appeared, then it almost always indicates an unhealthy lifestyle of the patient. The disease can be immediately on two or, conversely, on just one arm. It can also appear on the legs.
Symptoms of gout are very difficult to miss: the fingers swell and become larger, sharp pain is felt, the temperature near the sore spot increases. Very often, the patient feels constant fatigue and weakness. In rare and more severe cases, the temperature rises. The pain intensifies at night, preventing sleep. To begin to fight the disease of the hands of a person, you should go on a diet. It is necessary to remove from the diet foods that contain many purines.
Chocolate products, alcohol, red meat, fast food, sorrel and offal should be removed. You can add to the list yourself. Mostly there are worth fruits, various vegetables, lean white meat, low-fat foods, dairy products. It is advisable to still eat low-calorie foods. Also, do not forget to drink a lot of water.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis affects bone and cartilage. When it progresses, the immune system rejects healthy tissues, perceiving them as strangers. When revealing a disease of the joints of the hands and fingers, it is urgent to start treatment, since in the early stages cure is possible, and if the disease is initially left to chance, the consequences are fatal, the joints begin to deform.
Basically, the recovery process is delayed for a long time, and sometimes for a lifetime. During treatment, you need to regularly take drugs, undergo physiotherapy and physiotherapy. In the event of complications, surgery may be recommended.
In treatment, immunosuppressive drugs, glucocorticosteroids, corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial drugs are used. They have enzymatic activity, and also improve blood properties. If there is an urgent need for surgery, then a synovectomy or complete joint replacement is performed.
Physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises involve specially designed exercises, as well as ultraphonophoresis, magnet and electrophoresis.
Timely treatment is the key to effective restoration of the joints, as well as eliminating the main cause of the disease.
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a complex autoimmune disease. The nature of the disease has not yet been studied. Most doctors believe that the disease develops due to a virus in which the immune system begins to produce antibodies that adversely affect healthy cells. Hands begin to hurt and numb. In small joints there is a process of inflammation. There are several causes of the disease:
- heredity, since there are genes predisposed to this pathology;
- excessive ultraviolet radiation;
- colds and infectious diseases;
- taking certain types of potent medicines;
- adverse environmental factors.
Patients suffer small joints of the hands and wrists. Finger phalanges swell and symmetrically deform. The disease can proceed in different ways: from minimal to severe pain.
The main symptoms of diseases of the hands: chronic fatigue, fever, swelling of the joints, aching pain, atrophy of the muscles of the hands, skin rashes, loss of appetite.
Treatment is carried out comprehensively, depending on the activity of the process:
- If the form of the disease is mild, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used.
- With weakness, lesions of the skin, antimalarial drugs are used.
- For patients with severe complications, program hemodialysis is used.
The main treatment for lupus is corticosteroid therapy, as it has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. An important point: constant monitoring by a doctor is required to adjust the treatment regimen.
Raynaud's Syndrome
Raynaud's syndrome is an integral component of Raynaud’s disease (by the name of the scientist who discovered this ailment). It manifests itself as a violation of blood circulation in the fingers and toes, a change in the color of the skin in the affected area with convulsive disorders due to a lack of oxygen. The classification of Raynaud's syndrome is represented by the primary and secondary form of the disorder:
- Primary arises as an acute phenomenon associated with the influence of pathological factors of the external or internal environment. After eliminating the cause of cerebrospinal fluid changes, the blood supply in the capillaries and blood vessels is restored completely.
- Secondary is a consequence of the disease, which leads to periodic malfunctions in the processes of natural blood supply. For example, diabetes.
The symptomatic complex of the disease of the hands and fingers is characteristic of this type of pathology and is manifested:
- A change in the color of the skin - from whitish to cyanotic.
- Swelling of the affected area.
- Neurological abnormalities - convulsions, tingling, tremors.
- Explicit intravascular changes (visible on CT).