Finger pain actually reveals systemic disease

According to analysis, common problems of finger pain may be the following: local tenosynovitis or joint degenerative lesions, or it may be a manifestation of systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and cervical spondylosis.

Symptom 1: Finger pain and swelling, no other symptoms

Initial diagnosis: degenerative arthritis or tenosynovitis

Simple finger pain is most likely caused by degenerative arthritis. "It is a disease caused by chronic wear and tear of the joint soft tissues. It is common in the elderly and can occur in multiple joints throughout the body, with symptoms of mild pain, swelling, and stiffness. However, the joint that is used more often during daily work will have more serious problems. For example, finger pain may be caused by using this hand more often when doing housework, which may cause severe strain on the finger joints."

Response: The pain of degenerative arthritis is actually caused by local inflammation and adhesion, which hinders blood flow. You should take proper rest at this time, but you cannot give up daily exercise, otherwise the local blood flow will become more obstructed and the symptoms will worsen. Lu Zhenhe said that for finger pain caused by degenerative arthritis, you can often do exercises such as holding a ball or grabbing a circle, or perform wax therapy, massage, or hot compress after the pain is relieved, all of which have certain therapeutic effects. At the same time, you should pay attention to changing your hand-using habits to avoid further injuries.

Some people not only have pain in their fingers, but also have difficulty in extending and flexing their fingers. When their fingers are stretched out, they move suddenly, making a "snap" sound, and then the finger movements can be restored to some extent. If you have this kind of finger snapping symptom, you may be suffering from stenosing tenosynovitis and scars have formed on the affected area. At this time, the scar must be treated by a doctor, otherwise it may cause the finger joints to become deformed and cause functional impairment that is difficult to reverse.

Symptom 2: Frequent pain in fingers and other joints in turn

Initial diagnosis: Gout

Sometimes the fingers are red, swollen and painful, sometimes the toes or other joints in the dorsum of the foot are painful. The pain is fixed and very severe. It is recommended to go to the hospital to check uric acid. "If the test results show high uric acid, it can be diagnosed as gout." Lu Zhenhe said that gout is a metabolic disease that occurs because the body's ability to detoxify a protein (i.e. purine) is weak, causing purine to turn into urate. When urate is deposited around the joints, it will cause joint pain; when it is deposited in the kidneys, it will cause kidney stones; when it is deposited in the cardiovascular system, it will cause coronary heart disease. Therefore, prevention and treatment should be carried out as early as possible to avoid serious harm.

Response: For gout attacks, the first thing to do is to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and lower uric acid. However, even when you are not in pain, you should still control your uric acid. For example, you must be careful about what you eat. You cannot eat too much seafood, animal offal, sweets, or cold food. You also have to quit smoking and drinking. Mental stress can induce gout, so leading a regular life, staying up late less, and keeping your mood relaxed and happy can effectively prevent gout.

Symptom 3: Redness, swelling and pain in joints other than fingers

Initial diagnosis: Rheumatoid arthritis

Non-isolated finger pain is usually a systemic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Lu Zhenhe said that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, similar to an allergic reaction, and is closely related to improper food intake or environmental pollution. In addition to the finger joints, other joints such as the shoulders, wrists, elbows, and knees often become red, swollen, and painful at the same time, and will gradually grow and deform, causing more severe pain.

Response: Rheumatoid arthritis requires symptomatic treatment, and you should also avoid eating deep-sea fish, game and other non-domesticated animals to prevent allergies. Pay attention to keeping the painful joints of your fingers warm to ensure sufficient and smooth blood flow.

Symptom 4: Pain and numbness in fingers, even arms

Preliminary diagnosis: cervical spondylosis

Cervical spondylosis can also cause finger pain. The difference is that neck pain and headache will also occur simultaneously, and numbness in the fingers or arms may occur over time. "The more common cause is injury to the neck muscles leading to repeated edema, exudation, and calcification, which eventually turns into bone spurs that compress nearby nerves. Another common cause is the posterior protrusion of the cervical intervertebral disc, which also compresses the surrounding nerves." Because the nerves of the fingers originate from the spinal cord in the cervical spine, once the cervical spinal nerves are compressed, the fingers and arms will also be affected. "But pain means it's still at the inflammatory stage, which is easy to eliminate. If it becomes numb, it means the compression has caused ischemia, and the problem is much more serious."

Response: First of all, on the basis of regular treatment, the habit of using the neck should be corrected. Including: Don't lie down to watch TV or read, don't play computer or mahjong for a long time. No matter what you do, change your posture every 30-40 minutes and never stay still for a long time. Maintaining the right posture is important, as is choosing a good pillow. Sleeping without a pillow or sleeping with a very high pillow is not conducive to venous blood return and can easily lead to cerebral congestion. It is recommended to sleep with a curved healthy pillow to support your neck. In addition, you can often do confrontational exercises for the neck muscles, such as crossing your hands to support the back of your head, tilting your head back as far as possible while pulling your hands forward as far as possible, or supporting one side of the head with one hand, lowering your head while pushing your hand up. "The more you do it, the stronger your neck muscles will become through exercise, and the joints, intervertebral discs and nerves will automatically adjust to normal."

Many patients with cervical spondylosis like to do the Mi-shaped exercise for the head, but the Mi-shaped exercise has large amplitude of movement and is not suitable for everyone. It is best to get a diagnosis. People with severe bone spurs or herniated disc should not do it casually. In addition, for patients who suddenly experience unexplained hand pain, numbness, and headache symptoms that last for more than three months, manual massage or physical therapy is not recommended before a tumor is diagnosed and ruled out, especially before photos are available, in order to prevent accidents.