If your fingertips hurt, then this may be a sign of the development of a disease. There are quite a few reasons that can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, or burning fingers. This article will help you understand the signs of possible diseases, and also you will learn about how to treat them.
Signs of disease
The following signs can signal the presence of a disease in the human body:
- burning;
- edema;
- tingling
- fingertips are numb and sore;
- redness of the skin;
- the nail plate is dark or too light;
- cramps
- aches.
Polyosteoarthrosis of the fingers
This disease is observed quite often. Such a disease catches up mainly people 50-55 years old. In rare cases, it can be in people 40-45 years old, but not younger. Doctors say that women are more likely to suffer from this disease than men.
With polyosteoarthrosis, the so-called Heberden nodules appear on the fingers of the hands. They are located on the side or back of the joints, which are close to the nail plate. Such nodules develop symmetrically and can appear on all fingers.
When such nodules begin to form, then joint pain appears. Also, pain can be accompanied by burning and swelling with redness. But such a disease can proceed and painlessly.
In addition to Heberden's nodules, Bouchard's nodules can be formed, which are located in the middle of the fingers. They develop quite slowly and practically do not cause pain.
Psoriatic arthritis
Such a disease is observed mainly in people aged 20-45 years. As a rule, psoriatic arthritis occurs in people who have or have psoriasis (dryness, flaky skin with red spots).
Psoriatic arthritis is manifested by axial inflammation, that is, all joints swell on the finger and outwardly begin to resemble a sausage, while the tips of the fingers on the hands hurt.
With this disease, joint inflammation can occur on any finger. This inflammation occurs asymmetrically.
Rheumatoid arthritis
People with any age can get rheumatoid arthritis, but they are more common in those over 30 years old. Women are especially often exposed to such a disease. Such arthritis occurs against a background of severe stress or after the flu. Also, the reason may be that a person very often has hypothermia or has any kind of infection.
Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can be inflammation and swelling, which appear only on the phalanges of the middle and index finger, but also at the very base. Swelling is also observed in the wrist joints. The person has the following symptoms: weakness, weight loss, fever and chills.
Such inflammations are symmetrical. If there is on the right hand, then it will be exactly the same on the left. People who suffer from this disease very often suffer from the fact that the disease spreads to the joints of the whole body (ankle, knee, elbow, etc.).
With rheumatoid arthritis, the fingertips on the hands hurt, especially at night and in the morning, and in the afternoon and evening the pain intensity decreases.
Gouty arthritis
Gouty arthritis, or, as it is also called, gout, is mistakenly considered to be a deformity of the big toe. But in fact, this process is called arthrosis of the thumb. Gout, oddly enough, is most often found in men and appears between the ages of 20 and 45 years. Signs of gout begin to appear with inflammation of the joints of the legs, and then the fingers. Often this type of arthritis affects the thumbs on the hands. Very rarely spreads to other fingers.
Gouty arthritis manifests itself in the form of seizures, due to which the tip of the thumb on the arm hurts. Attacks can overtake a person quite unexpectedly, even if he feels quite healthy. Pain attacks usually occur at night or early in the morning. Such pains are very acute, many people draw an analogy with toothache. When a pain attack occurs, the affected joint begins to redden and the skin becomes hot in this area.
In women, unlike men, such attacks are milder and without acute pain. This condition lasts 3-10 days, after which there is a lull. But after some time, the attack suddenly suddenly covers a person again.
Tenosynovit de Kervena
Such a disease is characterized by inflammation of the soft tissues of the joint (muscles and ligaments) on the thumb. Other fingers on the arm are not inflamed. This disease can occur at any age, equally in both women and men.
Symptoms of tenosynovitis de Kerven: pain at the base of the thumb and wrist joint. Pain can be sudden or appear after a large load on the finger.
Rhizarthrosis
With rhizarthrosis, inflammation of the joint of the thumb at the base and wrist joint occurs.
In its symptoms, rhizarthrosis resembles gout, but unlike it, it occurs as an independent disease due to overload or injuries of the thumb. Rhizarthrosis also resembles tenosynovitis de Querven, so determining the exact diagnosis can be difficult.
But nevertheless, these two diseases have differences, joint rhizarthrosis is clearly visible on the x-ray, and with de Kerven's tenosynovitis, only tissue changes are visible on the x-ray, and this is not always the case.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
This disease most often affects women aged 40-50 years. Symptoms: the tip of the finger on the hand hurts when pressed, and you also feel burning and numbness in all fingers, but except for the little finger. In this case, all the unpleasant sensations can spread throughout the palm of the hand, up to its very foundation.
Like some of the diseases described above, pain in carpal tunnel syndrome occurs at night or in the early morning. There are no external changes in the joints, but the skin color has a pale or bluish color, which is accompanied by slight edema.
This disease occurs as a result of prolonged and severe compression of the nerve in the carpal tunnel. The cause of the occurrence may be a profession, which involves flexion and extensor movements of the hands.
Felon
Panaritius (from lat.- nail). No matter how funny it may sound, the panaritium really “eats” the nails, because after inflammation the nail plate dies. This occurs as a result of the penetration of bacteria into an open, traumatic wound, which is located near the nail plate.
In addition, it does not matter at all whether it is a severe wound or just a scratch. Especially often this happens in women during manicure. It is because of frequent injuries that the panaritium affects the area of the nail on the side or in the center of the finger.
The main feature of this disease is that the inflammatory and purulent processes do not extend to other areas of the skin. But they go deeper into the finger, which causes damage to the joints, bones and tendon. That's why the fingertips in my hands hurt. In addition to the fact that the pain can be sharp and throbbing, the fingers themselves begin to darken and swell.
Other reasons
In addition to the above diseases, there are other reasons why fingertips hurt. The reasons are as follows:
- Vibration disease is a pathology that occurs as a result of working with a vibrating tool. Consequences: a person feels pain, numbness and tingling of the fingers.
- Cervical osteochondrosis - when there is such a disease, numbness of the hand and terrible pain in the fingers appear.
- Heart attack.
- Diabetic neuropathy is a disorder of the nervous system that is associated with damage to blood vessels.
- Ischemia.
- Vascular disease on the hands - is sclerotic in nature, in which not only the tips of the fingers of the right hand or left hurt, but also there are cramps and numbness.
- Injuries.
- Polycythemia - This disease occurs due to an increased number of red blood cells, which causes finger pain and itching.
ethnoscience
In order to relieve inflammation and get rid of pain, phytotherapists recommend a huge amount of traditional medicine. But in order for the treatment to be successful, you need to consult with your doctor in advance. Below is a list of the most effective folk remedies:
- decoction of bay leaf (to be taken orally);
- horse lotion tincture is perfect for lotions;
- make a compress with a decoction of wormwood;
- a compress of honey and alcohol;
- burdock compress;
- a compress of white and blue clay;
- compress from fir oil and sea salt;
- do rubbing with rubbing from the root of elecampane.
All means are perfect if you have sore fingertips on your left hand (and right). But we must not forget that self-medication and treatment with alternative methods can not always be effective and can provoke the development of complications.
Treatment
Many people ask themselves: "What should I do if my fingertips hurt?" The answer will be a little banal - you need to go to the doctor! And the first one you should turn to is, of course, a therapist. After the examination, he can send you to other doctors:
- neurologist;
- rheumatologist;
- to the surgeon;
- traumatologist;
- hematologist.
Treatment will depend on what causes the pain. The main groups of drugs that doctors can prescribe:
- anesthetics (local and general);
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- medicines that relieve muscle cramps;
- medicines with a resolving effect;
- decongestants;
Prevention
Many people do not monitor their health, and especially the health of their hands, which ultimately leads to terrifying consequences. In order not to experience such unpleasant sensations when the fingertips on the hands hurt, you need to do the following:
- do manicure only after preliminary cleaning and disinfection of devices;
- add fruits, vegetables, dairy products and fish to your diet;
- get rid of bad habits (smoking and alcohol);
- try to dress according to the weather, do not overcool or overheat;
- Do not overload the brush, take frequent breaks;
- do gymnastics or warm up for the hands;
- go for massage, do baths and compresses;
- prevent the development of the disease to a chronic type;
- take care of your hands and protect them from domestic influences.
If you find pain in your fingertips one fine morning, it means you should not hesitate, but consult a specialist as soon as possible. After all, it is better to treat the disease in the early stages than to fight a chronic pathology all your life.