Common Causes of Joint Pain in Hands

Joints are the areas where bones meet. In our hands these link many small bones. They are composed of:

Knuckles between the fingers and palm known as Metacarpophalangeal Joints (MCP)

Middle joints of your fingers called Proximal Interphalangeal Joints (PIP)

Fingertip joints referred to as Distal Interphalangeal Joints (DIP)

Base joint of thumb, Carpal–Metacarpal Joint (CMC)

They allow for delicate active hold like writing and even pinching but also become affected by many painful conditions that can lead to stiffness among others.

Osteoarthritis

This is a degenerative joint disease resulting from cartilage wear & tear on bone ends thus it’s most common in people. Osteoarthritis hand predominantly involves CMC joint thumb DIPs PIPs regions.

Symptoms: Affected joints may be sore, less mobile or puffy; with chances of developing bony nodules such as Bouchard’s nodes at PIP joints and Heberden’s nodes at DIP joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

It leads to chronic inflamed joints because of autoimmune while osteoarthritis the immune system attacks synovial lining once more causing aching swollen hence deformities overtime.

Symptoms:Symmetric arthritis (the same body parts are affected on both sides), morning stiffness taking longer than 30 minutes inflammation warmth redness. Besides RA finally leads to deformation of the hand.

Gout

Inflammatory gouty arthritis occurs when uric acid crystals settle within a person’s bone leading to swelling or pain usually around big toe although these can also affect MCPs which is located on hand.

Symptoms: Severe sudden pain sometimes accompanied by heat redness & swelling around the affected area. Usual gout flares occur nocturnally and are often provoked by specific foods, alcohol or inadequate hydration.

Psoriatic Arthritis

An arthritis associated with inflammation that usually affects persons having existing red scaly patches of skin called psoriasis. Consequently, this kind of arthritis can happen in any joint of the body including hands.

Symptoms: Sausage-like fingers dactylitis at times causes pain while the finger becomes rigid as well increases in size; nails may also have small depressions or fall off at all.

Lupus

SLE is an autoimmune condition where swellings appear on different areas of one’s body involving joints too. In lupus patients, hand joint pain ranks among major symptoms more frequently than others.

Symptoms: Swollen inflamed joints combined with tenderness accompanied by a butterfly-shaped rash on face due to overexposure to sunlight even when you look into bulbs tiredness while staring straight at light fixtures such as bulbs.

When a tendon responsible for moving the finger becomes inflamed and thickened, this is known as trigger finger or stenosing tenosynovitis, causing difficulty in straightening fingers. Such a person will experience pain and stiffness in the hand joints.

– Signs: Painful movement of affected finger/thumb like it clicks or pops. In extreme cases, the finger becomes fixed/locked in bent position.

Joint Injuries

Pain following acute injuries in hands and joints occurs because of fractures /breaks, sprains /strains or dislocations . These damages can cause swelling immobility localized pain within ligaments tendons bones etcetera.

Preliminary Signs of Hand Joint Pain

Signs to look out for are:

• Initiation of pain, redness and swelling with any movement of the involved joints would have been impossible; dislocation or fracture could cause a visible change in shape.

Symptoms of Joint Pain in the Hands

The following are some symptoms and signs that indicate joint pain in hands:

· Throbbing, aching or sharp pains around finger joints- thumb– wrist.

· Also stiffness: Especially between fingers not being able to move them especially in the morning after waking up from sleep or when rested for long time

· Swelling: Puffy areas around these painful joints that may feel hot with heat radiating outwards accompanied by redness

· Range motion reduced: Difficulties bending thumbs/fingers all way back towards normal positions.

· Nodules/deformities: Bulges or other differences in shape of arthritic joints may indicate progression of disease.

· Weakness: Loss in strength while gripping things more so inability to carry out fine motor activities.

Diagnosis of Hand Joint Pain

Doctors often carry out physical examinations, take medical histories and perform diagnostic tests to identify what causes pain in the hand’s joint.

Physical Examination:: Assessing your ROM plus checking their swells & deformities if any. Consulting health practitioners will also include evaluating your grip level.

Medical History:: Have you experienced any injuries before? Do you have arthritis running through your lineage? Kindly tell me about the symptoms?

Imaging Studies:: E.g. X-rays.. MRI… Ultrasound which may be done sometimes to visualize appearance of joints and presence or absence of arthritic, fracture or other mechanical abnormalities.

Blood Tests:: There are several types thus those used in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, lupus ,gouty arthritis have markers for inflammation & autoimmunity that go beyond the normal levels expected….

Treatment Options for Joint Pain in Hands

The kind and severity of the pain will determine its treatment method; sometimes it may be necessary to do a surgery or employ combination therapies like self-care activities, medication and rehabilitation that can completely eliminate it depending on how severe it is.

####1. Medication

Analgesics: Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can relieve some minor pains but their long-term use is not generally recommended due to side effects they may cause.

Corticosteroids: When you have serious pain due to diseases such as gouty arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, corticosteroids injections might be used for reducing swelling and relieving severe pains.

Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs): These drugs suppress the immune system thus slowing down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders; DMARDs include methotrexate among others.

Biologic drugs: Rheumatologists who treat Rheumatoid arthritis & psoriatic arthriti. often prescribe biologics targeting specific components in your immune system….

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy

Exercises for the hands: Most importantly exercises that promote mobility within joints while reducing stiffness are very essential as they alleviate most of discomforting moments.

Splinting: In some cases, this can be counterproductive when applied to the wrong areas rather than relieving pain. Splints are commonly used in various occasions including post-injury scenarios and trigger finger.

Assistive Devices: Besides ergonomic tools, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS also recommend assistive devices for people with painful joints so that their daily lives are made easier for them.

Lifestyle changes

Shedding off extra kilos: Obesity has been associated with diseases like osteoarthritis since your weight will burden your own joint.

Alter your eating habits: For example, persons suffering from gouty or rheumatoid arthritis could be positively impacted by consuming a lot of Omega 3 oils, fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

Avoid repeated movements of the same kind: At regular intervals, taking breaks is necessary for hand intensive labor or activities that stress hands greatly.

Hot vs Cold Therapy

It is easy to move fingers if they are hot as it eases tension around affected joints;

This method can help alleviate acute pain through the reduction in inflammation and numbing the area using cold packs.

Surgical Options

In case all attempts to use non-surgical means fail, surgery should relieve pain and bring back normal performance of these parts. Joint Replacement Surgery is performed when an individual has severe OA where the damaged joint is replaced with artificial implant(s). Arthroscopy is accomplished using a small camera and instruments which remove damaged tissue or fix other structures inside a given joint (Minimally invasive). Thus Tendon Repair Surgery would be done if there were injured tendons occurring typically with trigger finger situations (mandatory).

Prevention of Hand Joint Pain

While you cannot stop every cause of hand pain, some steps may reduce risk factors linked to arthritis .

Keep moving – this means doing exercises for flexible and strong hand joints.

Protect your hands – whenever engaging in sports activities where the hands may be hurt or when carrying heavy items like furniture one should make sure he puts on protective gloves.

Maintain a healthy weight – arthritis and other related ailments are more likely to strike overweight individuals.

Chronic illness management adherence: In case you have any persistent health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or gout ensure that you regulate their levels so as to achieve optimal joint outcomes according to your physician’s guidance.

When Should I See A Doctor?

Different circumstances may signify medical emergencies:

The pain doesn’t go away after several days or worsens over time. There is redness, swelling or warmth around these joints. They start looking deformed. When activities become difficult due to pain or stiffness.

In Conclusion

Joint pain of the hands can be very debilitating but having an understanding of its causes, symptoms and treatment options may help in coping with it. In this way a combination of suitable drugs therapy and sometimes lifestyle changes including surgery can restore the lives of some patients suffering from joint pain in their hands back to normal hence improving their quality of life . Therefore if it continues to hurt you beyond this point seek medical assistance so that a program for treatment can be developed especially for your unique situation.