What causes pain in finger and toe joints

Pain in the finger and toe joints is a common phenomenon, especially in rheumatoid joints, osteoarthritis, and gouty arthritis, which can all cause this pain symptom. Therefore, we need to identify the causes and respond scientifically.

1. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the causes of hand joint pain. The proximal joints of the fingers are often affected, and there is morning stiffness, which is manifested as stiff fingers and difficulty in making a fist in the morning. The pain often lasts for more than an hour and can be relieved after activity. It is generally characterized by multiple joint pain, which is often symmetrical and migratory. Laboratory tests and X-ray examinations showed bone damage and positive rheumatoid factor, which was more common in women. If joint problems recur over a long period of time, it will lead to deformation of the hand joints.

2. Osteoarthritis is also a common cause of hand joint pain. Osteoarthritis is caused by tissue degeneration and cumulative strain and is the most common joint disease. Osteoarthritis is most likely to affect the distal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the hands, the knees, elbows, shoulders, and spinal joints, while the wrist and ankle joints are less likely to be affected. The disease is more common in obese and overweight middle-aged and elderly people. The most common sites of disease are the knees, fingers, neck, lumbar spine, etc. The main symptoms are joint pain and stiffness (the pain will be relieved after slight activities). In severe cases, joint swelling and muscle atrophy may occur.

3. Gouty arthritis accounts for a large part of the causes of hand joint pain. The onset of a typical attack is acute, and the patient is often awakened by foot pain at midnight. The big toe joint is most likely to be affected, followed by the dorsum of the foot (tarsal) ankle, knee, finger, wrist, elbow and other joints. 90% of the joints are single, and occasionally bilateral or multiple joints are affected. The joints and surrounding soft tissues become obviously red, swollen, hot and painful, and the local area cannot tolerate being covered by a sheet or being vibrated around. Most patients have no systemic symptoms, while a few may have headaches, mild fever, elevated white blood cell count, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The attacks are often self-limited and resolve naturally within a few hours or weeks. During the remission, the local area may have desquamation and itching manifestations unique to this disease, and the remission may last for months, years, or even a lifetime. Tophi and chronic gouty arthritis. Tophi are characteristic lesions of gout, which often occur in the auricle, and can also be seen in the first thumb, knuckles, etc. They are small like sesame seeds and large like eggs. This nodule causes mild chronic inflammatory reaction and tissue destruction.

4. Cold, dampness or overwork. Hand joint pain may also be general joint pain caused by cold, dampness or overwork (such as tenosynovitis, etc.). Tenosynovitis is more common among people who work with their fingers for long periods of time. The friction between the tendons causes the tendon sheath to become inflamed, resulting in pain. This type of hand joint pain can be cured after proper rest and conditioning.