What is the cause of pain in the second joint of the middle finger

Pain in the second joint of the middle finger is one of the most obvious manifestations of arthritis. Nowadays, as people work longer and longer, finger arthritis has become an increasingly common disease. Of course, there are many effective methods to treat arthritis, such as drug therapy, surgical treatment, bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, etc. Below we will introduce to you in detail the treatment methods for joint pain!

1. Medication

Choose appropriate treatment drugs based on the type of arthritis, characteristics of symptoms, and concomitant diseases. The principle of treatment is early diagnosis and early, reasonable, combined medication. Commonly used anti-rheumatic drugs are as follows:

(1) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins and rapidly produce anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. They are effective in relieving pain and can relieve headaches, muscle pain, and joint pain associated with osteoarthritis. These drugs take effect quickly and are metabolized quickly in the body. Once metabolism is completed, the pain starts again and lasts for a very short time.

(2) Chondroprotective agents such as glucosamine sulfate can promote the synthesis of cartilage, inhibit the decomposition of articular cartilage, and also have anti-inflammatory effects. The sulfate radicals rich in glucosamine sulfate are also one of the essential components for the synthesis of cartilage matrix.

(3) Slow-acting antirheumatic drugs are mostly used for rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthropathy. It has a certain control effect on the disease but the effect is slow. Commonly used ones include gold mixture (intramuscular injection or oral administration), penicillamine, sulfasalazine, chloroquine, etc.

(4) Cytotoxic drugs produce immunosuppressive effects through different pathways. Commonly used ones include cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and Jin Duchun. They are often second-line drugs for systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis. Although they have more and more serious side effects, they play a big role in improving the prognosis of these diseases.

(5) Adrenal cortical hormones are anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drugs that significantly improve the prognosis of connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, but they cannot cure these diseases. Its numerous side effects increase with increasing dosage and prolonged treatment course. Long-term use may aggravate damage to articular cartilage and symptoms of osteoarthritis. Therefore, when using it, we must weigh its efficacy and side effects and choose it carefully.

(6) Antibiotics, etc. Streptococcal infection can cause arthritis symptoms of rheumatic fever. Penicillin used in the acute phase is the most effective drug for controlling streptococcal infection. Patients with acute rheumatic fever should use long-acting antibiotics for a long time to prevent the occurrence of long-term rheumatic carditis. Prevention for adults should not be less than 5 years, and for children should be maintained until at least 18 years old. Tuberculous arthritis and fungal arthritis require active and effective treatment with anti-tuberculosis or antifungal drugs.

(7) Treatment of gouty arthritis includes drug treatment in the acute phase, including high-dose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or colchicine, and uric acid-lowering treatment in the remission phase. Uric acid-lowering drugs mainly include allopurinol, which inhibits uric acid production, and benzbromarone, which promotes uric acid excretion.

2. Surgical treatment

Surgical treatment mainly includes joint puncture, synovectomy, joint replacement, joint orthopedics, and joint fusion.

3. Bone marrow transplant

It does have significant therapeutic effects in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Autologous bone marrow transplantation, which restores the immune system to promote recovery, has achieved good results in treating childhood rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Immunotherapy and biological therapy

This type of treatment targets the main link in the onset of arthritis and the progression of the disease, such as targeted molecule therapy for cytokines, plasma exchange, immune purification, immune reconstitution, mesenchymal stem cell transplantation, etc. It is mainly used for patients with severe arthritis that is ineffective with other treatments, rapidly progressing and refractory, mainly rheumatoid arthritis.

5. Other treatments

Including physical, rehabilitation, vocational training, psychological and other treatments. The main types of physical therapy are as follows: direct current electrotherapy and drug ion introduction, low-frequency pulse electrotherapy, medium-frequency current therapy, high-frequency electrotherapy, magnetic field therapy, ultrasound therapy, acupuncture, light therapy, namely infrared, ultraviolet, and cold therapy. Rehabilitation and vocational training focus on functional training and lifestyle adjustments. Hospitals with the necessary conditions should conduct functional training under the guidance of rehabilitation specialists.