In the article, we consider the treatment of rhizarthrosis (arthrosis of the thumb).
Rhysarthrosis is arthrosis of the thumb. Of the approximately 100 patients complaining of pain in the phalanges of the fingers, 5 people, according to statistical information, suffer from this pathological condition. The thumb on the arm usually hurts during active movements and causes significant discomfort. With rhizarthrosis, the lesion affects the carpal joint, which is located at the base of the thumb and connects the metacarpal bone of the thumb with the wrist joint. Degenerative transformations affect all articular elements. This often happens with bruises on the thumb.
As a result, there is a significant reduction in depreciation, the frictional force rises, the joint begins to collapse, becomes stiff, and subsequently immobile. The main symptom of the disease is patient complaints that the joint hurts, goes numb, and swelling and discomfort are observed in its area. Before talking about the treatment of rhizarthrosis and arthrosis of the thumb, we consider the causes of the development of pathology.
Causes of the development of the disease
The main cause of rhizarthrosis, as well as polyosteoarthrosis, has not been fully identified by science. Among the most likely causes of this pathology are systematic injuries in the area of this joint, therefore, symptoms of rhizarthrosis usually develop in people whose work activity is associated with a high static load on it. Such professions include: programmer, hairdresser, painter.
In about half the cases when the thumb on the hand hurts, this is the result of sports or domestic injuries. Sometimes this disease occurs as a result of incomplete rehabilitation after fractures of the wrist. To fully restore the joint of the thumb, it takes more time than a broken radial bone, and many people often do not know about this and put a finger on the load until recovery. In some cases, risortosis occurs completely suddenly, for example, several years after a wrist injury. This can also happen after a single, but very high load on the joint.
Experts identify some more significant reasons for the development of the pathological process:
- metabolic disorders;
- systematic microtrauma of the joint capsule in people who have a bad habit of clicking finger joints;
- unbalanced and irrational nutrition;
- some endocrine disorders;
- contusion of the thumb on the arm (including a history);
- joint dysplasia;
- changes in the structure of cartilage in the form of a side effect from the use of certain medications;
- hereditary predisposition.
The principle of the development of the disease
As a rule, rhizarthrosis is considered a manifestation of multiple arthrosis. However, sometimes it develops as an independent pathology. At the same time, the thumb on the arm is numb. The pathogenesis of development is divided into 3 stages:
- No morphological changes are observed in the joint, however, due to a number of reasons, the composition of the lubricating fluid changes, the cartilage ceases to receive proper nutrition, the patient feels discomfort at the base of the thumb.
- Layer-by-layer erasure of the cartilage, which is characterized by compression of the microscopic channels inside it, exposure of nerve endings, the appearance of bone growths, the progression of the destruction process.
- A pronounced deformation of the thumb, in which the edges of the articular surface thicken, the mobility of the phalanx is sharply limited up to absolute immobilization.
Symptoms of Rhizarthrosis
The main symptom of this disease is pain in the joint of the thumb. Crunching and progressive stiffness may appear. Further more intense and regular pain is characteristic. Seals in the joint become visible visually.
Treatment of rhizarthrosis (arthrosis of the thumb)
If you turn to specialists in a timely manner, you can achieve a full recovery. Therapy of this pathological process should be comprehensive: medication, rehabilitation, and in some cases surgical. The first step is to eliminate the risk factors, however, it is not always possible to identify the cause of the disease. This will help slow down the progression of the pathology. The main factor that affects the development of rhizarthrosis is considered an increased load on the finger. At the first stage, you can use the thumb lock for arthrosis. The use of such bandages helps to fix the sore finger in a natural position, which is extremely necessary to prevent subsequent deformation of the cartilage tissue.
Preparations
To eliminate the pain syndrome with rhizarthrosis, when the thumb is numb, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, usually from the category of non-steroidal drugs. These medicines have many side effects, so they are used only in short courses.
If the disease has just begun to develop and serious damage to the joint is not observed, medications are used that promote the activation of metabolic processes in the tissues, strengthen the structures of cartilage (chondroprotectors), as well as vitamin therapy.
In the absence of a positive effect at the second stage of the pathological process, anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs ("Movalis", "Celebrex", "Nimesulide"), intra-articular injections of glucocorticosteroid substances are connected.
What is the treatment of rhizarthrosis with folk remedies?
Traditional medicine recipes
In addition to the methods of traditional medicine for rhizarthrosis, alternative therapy can be carried out. It is useful to take herbal infusions that have an anti-inflammatory effect, make compresses, apply ointments. Traditional medicine also recommends warming the joints with sand (with an acute inflammatory process, any thermal procedures are contraindicated). Sacks filled with hot sand are applied to the thumb joint. Brushes can be immersed in the sand completely by pouring it into an appropriate container. It is also very useful to make local baths, for example, with a decoction of pine needles. If a warming ointment, a compress mass, grinding is applied to the joint, it is recommended to wear woolen or cotton gloves on your hands.
Alternative medicines for oral administration:
- Cinquefoil tincture (100 g of herb per liter of vodka, insist 3 weeks), take 3 times a day.
- 2 tbsp. l collecting herbs (5 g of buckthorn bark, marigold inflorescences, juniper berries, 10 g of elderberry and nettle, 15 g of horsetail, 20 g of willow bark and birch leaves) per 500 ml of water, cook for 10 minutes, take a glass a day.
Medicines for compresses:
- A leaf of cabbage, slightly beaten out with a hammer until juice is separated or chopped, add to the mixture of aloe leaves and liquid honey passed through a meat grinder. Pour the mixture into 100 g of vodka.
- Mix the components taken in equal proportions: honey from herbs, onions and laundry soap.
- A mixture of powdered chalk diluted with kefir.
- Infusion of St. John's wort, burdock root and yarrow.
- A mass obtained from honey and table vinegar (1: 1).
- Oatmeal.
Also, in folk medicine, rhizarthrosis is widely used in the form of a compress patch that removes puffiness well, draws toxins from tissues, and saturates cartilage and articular tissue with vitamins. To prepare such a medicine, it is necessary to dilute 2 tablespoons of salt in hot water (1/2 cup), add the same amount of yeast and gradually pour rice flour into the mixture (rice crushed in a coffee grinder). Mix the mass until a thick paste forms. It should be applied to gauze and applied to a sore joint for several hours. Compresses are done until the condition improves.
What to do after a fracture of the thumb on the hand?
Rubbing and ointment
For the preparation of such folk remedies, recipes based on the following components are most often used:
- white lilac, eucalyptus, saber (tincture of vodka);
- crushed flowers of calendula and chamomile, petroleum jelly and burdock root (ointment);
- badger fat (in pure form).
Physiotherapy
These methods of treatment of rhizarthrosis, especially with fractures of the thumb on the hand, play a large role. Effective phonophoresis, electrophoresis, paraffin baths, electrical stimulation, pulsed magnetic therapy, shock wave therapy. Mud wraps and compresses have also been successfully applied.
Massage and exercise therapy
Massage has a positive effect on the structure of the diseased joint. Sometimes with its help it is possible to start the processes of natural regeneration of cartilage. However, such a procedure must be performed by a qualified professional.
Some patients completely limit the load on the sore joint, but this is wrong. It must be able to dose. And specialists in physiotherapy exercises can offer quite effective exercises. Exercise therapy allows you to stop the progression of pathology, reduce the severity of pain. Gymnastics is performed outside the period of exacerbation, and its main methods are:
- finger flexion and extension;
- sorting out beads;
- clenching a fist.
We examined the main methods of treating rhizarthrosis (arthrosis of the thumb).