Thinking of the hands of old people, we almost inevitably imagine that the fingers are rough, the phalanges become thin, but the joints seem to be swollen. Few people think that this is not just a sign of natural aging of the body, but a symptom of a real disease-finger osteoarthritis. More importantly, not everyone knows that this disease will "age" the hands at the age of 25 or 30, which makes it painful and difficult even to write a simple note or twist the bottle cap. How to maintain the fine motor skills of the fingers, who is at risk and how to deal with finger joint disease (if already started)-please read below.
Deformation of finger joints
A person’s metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints bear a constant load, because for a normal quality of life, he must perform fine movements every minute-from simple grasping movements (hold an apple, open the door, holdTableware) to very small movements and complicated (they determine a person’s handwriting, his sewing and knitting ability, playing musical instruments, etc. ). The greater the load on the fingers, the more wear and tear on the cartilage tissue. The cartilage tissue covers the head of the phalanx and forms the articular surface. This layer of cartilage washed by synovial fluid prevents bones from rubbing against each other when they move, but can slide, and also acts as a natural shock absorber (for example, during vibrating motion, you cannot type on the keyboard without it).
For various reasons, as we will discuss below, the interdigital cartilage is subject to wear. In most cases, the process happens as follows:
- The porous cartilage tissue bears the load, and the joint lubricant is "squeezed out" from it to provide good joint mobility. Usually, after this, recovery occurs-the cartilage is filled with water again in a calm state. But if the load is too heavy or the nutrition of the cartilage is disturbed, it will begin to dry out and crack. This leads to a decrease in its elasticity and functionality.
- Unable to resist friction, the over-dried cartilage began to wear and thin, exposing the head of the bone. Because the articular surface cannot fully cope with the task at hand, bones, muscles and ligaments begin to bear the load provided for cartilage-almost the entire orthopedic device of the fingers or even the entire hand. In order to increase the area of the articular surface and prevent it from being erased further, the body begins to "complete" osteophytes in the affected area-bone growth can have a round or even spike-like shape. In layman's terms, this process is also called "salt deposition", which is not entirely correct because we are talking about the proliferation of bone tissue.
- The appearance of osteophytes leads to a decline in mobility-the fingers are more severely bent, and they can no longer cope with daily tasks as dexterously as before. At the same time, bone tissue has no friction protection mechanism, so osteophytes will periodically fall off and damage neighboring tissues, causing pain and inflammation. In addition, tiny cracks can form, which can reduce the strength of bones and make them fragile-therefore, for arthropathy and osteoarthritis, finger fractures are not uncommon, even for less intense blows. When the osteophyte that compensates for insufficient joint function falls off, another one grows in its place-over time, the process only intensifies with cartilage dysfunction.
- Severe wear and tear of the articular surfaces and changes in the shape of the bones lead to restructuring of the entire hand, chronic inflammation and pain. The brush is deformed to the point that it is completely impossible to hold the cup with your fingers.
Unlike arthritis, arthritis is also called osteoarthritis or osteoarthritis (all these are synonyms), the main difference lies in the destruction of the joints and the chronic course of the disease. Arthritis simply means that there is an acute inflammatory process that affects cartilage tissue. For arthropathy, joint pockets, synovium, subchondral bone, ligaments and muscles are all involved in the process of degenerative dystrophy. In addition, with arthritis, the pain is usually severe and severe, appearing at night. Although joint disease can be felt during the day, but in the early stages-not too obvious pain.
At present, the most common forms of arthropathy include: radiculopathy in which the thumb is affected and polyarthropathy in which multiple interphalangeal joints are affected at the same time.
Remember: in the early stages of the disease, bone destruction can still be prevented, and joint disease can be permanently relieved, while maintaining the high-quality biomechanics of the hand.
Causes of hand facet joint joint disease
The risk group usually includes people in the family who already have finger joint disease. The density of cartilage tissue and the speed of its metabolic processes are genetically predetermined, so the tendency to develop the disease may be genetic. In addition, this disease affects postmenopausal women about 10 times more frequently than men of the same age.
The possibility of joint disease is related to occupational and family burdens-typists, surgeons, masseurs, bakers, milkmaids, turners and millers, pianists, athletes, and other "hand-worked" professionals are generally moreOthers notice unpleasant symptoms earlier.
Promote the development of finger joint disease by:
- Cartilage tissue is rapidly worn and/or insufficiently regenerated;
- Metabolic disorders, endocrine system problems, systemic autoimmune diseases (diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, gout);
- Lack of normal rest and warm-up in the workplace, excessive exercise of dumbbells;
- Sleep disorders and chronic stress;
- Age-related hormonal changes;
- Congenital hand defects;
- Injuries to hands, fingers and wrist joints;
- Hypothermia, use of vibrating instruments and other unfavorable factors;
- Sepsis and certain (tuberculosis, chlamydia, syphilis) infectious diseases;
- Allergic reactions;
- Chronic dehydration (the habit of drinking less alcohol);
- An unbalanced diet lacking vitamin D, E, K and minerals.
Symptoms of finger joint disease
The symptoms and treatment of finger joint disease may vary greatly depending on the stage of the disease and the patient's perception. In general, mild joint discomfort and increased muscle fatigue are caused by fatigue, and are not ignored until there is persistent unbearable pain. But the sooner the treatment is started, the better the function of the fingers will be maintained in old age, and the better the quality of life will be in the following years.
The first stage.The disease starts with a painful, numb or tingling sensation in the hands, and sometimes-manifests as shooting pain. Performing daily tasks becomes more difficult-fingers fatigue faster, dry and rough creaks in joints (not to be confused with "healthy" clang! ), clicks when bent. I want to rest my hands. The pain is usually only felt during exercise. In a relaxed state, the fingers will ache for a period of time and cause discomfort. Stiff movements are being observed more and more, and you need to "warm up" and stretch your fingers before dexterous practice is required. The joints become swollen. In the presence of cardiovascular disease, the hands begin to respond to changing weather.
second stage.At this stage, the joint space shrinks strongly (up to 50%) and the inflammatory process increases. The skin on the joints often gets hot. The pain is often continuous and does not stop even at night. After get off work and in the morning, my fingers are swollen and stiff. The phalanx is obviously thickened, the ligaments are shortened, the movements are clumsy, and it is difficult to manipulate small objects (needles, threads, small coins, buttons). On both sides of the joint, there are characteristic thickening of connective tissue (so-called Heberden and Bouchard nodules), filled with synovial fluid-the cyst is particularly visible when viewed from the back of the palm. The touch and temperature sensitivity of the fingers are greatly reduced. It is almost impossible to relax your hands without taking a hot bath-the muscles are always in a state of tension. The amplitude of voluntary movements was significantly reduced, and convulsions appeared.
The third stage.In the final stage of the disease, the fingers hardly bend, and rigidity and persistent contractures may appear. Pain is constant, debilitating, and often leads to depression in patients. Due to malnutrition of the muscle tissue, the phalanx of the fingers between the joints becomes thinner. Even simple daily tasks-for example, holding a cup-are almost impossible for the patient to complete. He needs help from others. Deformation of the joints and changes in the shape of the hands are clearly visible. In advanced cases, necrotic changes may appear in the tissue.
If you want to take a quick test and find out if it is worth worrying about, then articles on the symptoms and treatment of osteoarthritis will be useful to you. However, the best solution is to contact a rheumatologist or orthopedist as soon as possible-only clinical diagnostic methods can help to confirm or refute the diagnosis.
Treatment of finger joint disease
Early control of finger joint disease allows you to completely eliminate the external symptoms of diseases that affect the quality of life. However, treatment is complex and multi-media-it includes not only the use of drugs, but also physical effects and even occupational therapy. Fighting chronic diseases sometimes requires rethinking your diet, daily life, working conditions, and workplace organization.
medical treatement
The treatment of osteoarthritis of the fingers usually starts with the elimination of the pain. For this purpose, the hand is immobilized with splints or orthopedic bandages and analgesic pills, creams and ointments. The rest mode helps to replenish water to the cartilage and restore its elasticity. If there is severe inflammation and edema, which will destroy the nutrition (nutrition) of the tissue, the doctor will prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) to restore blood circulation in the fingers. According to the indication, steroid hormones are prescribed. Osteoarthritis caused by infectious arthritis requires topical antibiotics.
Accepting chondroprotective agents has become one of the most effective measures at any stage of the disease. Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine must be taken in a course of treatment, approximately 6 months per year-the effect appears after a few months and is long-term.
If the recommended treatment does not relieve the pain, an analgesic can be injected directly into the joint. Usually, this procedure involves the use of a special drug mixture that also contains chondroprotectants, hyaluronic acid, platelet-rich plasma (PRP therapy) and other means to regenerate cartilage tissue and eliminate friction.
Surgical intervention of hand joint disease
In the final stage of the disease, depending on the indication, surgery can be performed. Usually, this is the irrigation of joints and the elimination of osteophytes, the reconstruction or formation of damaged joints, their stabilization (fusion) or endoprostheses (so far quite unpopular measures in hand facet joint surgery).
Physiotherapy treatment
In most cases, the disease responds well to conservative physiotherapy-however, it only proceeds in the remission phase after the inflammation subsides. The treatment of finger deformity joint disease includes electrophoresis, shock wave, ultra-high frequency, pulse, magnetic therapy, etc. Acupuncture is also effective.
Patients are recommended to perform therapeutic massage and self-massage, which help fight muscle tension and spasms, and are good for ligament conditions, hand and finger metabolism, and the range of voluntary movements. For self-massage, it is enough:
- Put your hands together until the skin becomes hot;
- Rub each finger from root to fingertip;
- Roll each finger with a slightly clenched fist, like sharpening a pencil;
- Quickly bend and straighten your fingers for 30 seconds, avoid making a fist;
- Put your hands together, put your fingertips together, and press for 1-2 minutes.
Including treatment of finger joint disease and gymnastics. Use rubber balls and special wrist expanders, special cubes and other equipment to develop fine motor skills during warm-ups. Modeling with clay or plasticine will not be superfluous. This will help maintain muscle tone and prevent the formation of large osteophytes.
You can also take a hot bath at home with water (worth adding sea salt, essential oils, herbal tea), paraffin wax or clean sand-the heating formula will speed up the elimination of decay products and provide quick access to nutrients.
Finger joint disease diet
It is recommended that patients follow a non-strict diet and exclude smokey, salty foods, alcohol, and foods containing artificial colors, steroids, and preservatives. Diet is particularly important in the treatment of metabolic joint disease-in this case, the diet is entirely determined by the attending doctor. Generally, patients are advised to eat foods rich in plant and animal collagen and other gelling substances. Food should contain the least "empty" calories, and can fully meet the body's daily needs for vitamins, macros and trace elements. You must drink enough water containing electrolytes, such as minerals or isotonic drinks.