What to do when your joints in your hands and feet hurt?

It is believed that the strongest pain is a toothache. Although the same can be said for earaches and headaches. Joint pain is no exception. It can make a person suffer, deprive him of sleep and appetite.

The pain is sharp or dull, piercing, painful, at night or throughout the day - all these are symptoms of joint diseases.

Spread of joint pain

There is no clear pattern between the severity of joint pain and its prevalence. The knee joint can hurt more than the shoulder, elbow and arm at the same time. Sensations in the spine can be painful in widespread osteochondrosis or ankylosing spondylitis. But more often people are worried about pain in the limbs.

Both hands and feet experience significant stress throughout life - weight, action, injuries. Pain, joint pain and their deformation are inevitable companions of age-related changes in the musculoskeletal system.

Mechanism of pain

Why do the joints hurt is a question that even a doctor can hardly answer unequivocally.

The mechanism of pain in the case of damage to the musculoskeletal system is quite complex. Most often, these symptoms are caused by the following processes:

1. Inflammation of the joints or polyarthritis.The inflammation itself triggers the production of substances that can cause pain. In addition, they increase the sensitivity of pain receptors with repeated exposure. That is why the usual load on the inflamed joint leads to an acute pain reaction.
2. Swelling of the joint.Its increase in volume looks like a joint tumor. Edema tissues mechanically exert pressure on joint structures, causing discomfort and aggravating the severity of the process.
3. Dystrophic changes.This can be called wear and tear on bones and cartilage. With age and constant stress, joint function deteriorates. The production of synovial fluid is impaired and the gliding of the joint surfaces becomes difficult. Their constant irritation by friction stimulates the growth of subchondral bone. Such marginal bone growths are called osteophytes and can cause real suffering to a person. They look like bulging joints. Osteophytes are often injured and this causes their inflammation, completing the pathological circle.
4. Trauma and post-traumatic complications.Serious injuries: bruises, sprains, fractures do not disappear without a trace. Even if the injury is healed, joint pain and stiffness may remain for the rest of your life. Doctors are often faced with complaints of pain in damaged joints. They usually get worse when the weather changes or at night.
5. Exchange violations.Calcifications are deposited in tendons and ligaments due to metabolic disorders. Their violation leads to acute pain syndrome.

These pathological processes in the joints develop in diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

The number of joint diseases is high. There are rare forms - isolated throughout the world, and there are those that occur in most people. The prevalence of these diseases explains the fact that every person has joint pain at least from time to time.

It is important to know the main diseases of the musculoskeletal system in order not to ignore the dangerous symptoms, but to start treating and treating the disease in time.

Osteoarthritis

Doctors constantly hear from elderly patients that they have pain in the joints of the hands and feet, the lower back and the neck. In addition to pain, they complain of joint deformation, difficulty walking, inability to do their homework.

These symptoms are characteristic of arthrosis of the joints. In the case of bone and cartilage deformation, it is called deforming osteoarthritis. Deforming arthrosis in a severe form can make a person completely disabled.

Osteoarthritis affects every joint - large and small. It is only important that they experience enough stress.

If you overload the joints, arthrosis will develop several years earlier, especially if there are predisposing factors. They include:

• Constant load. It can be redundant or monotonous. Static loads play an important role in the development of arthrosis.
• Hypothermia or overheating.
• Injuries - contusions and fractures, subluxations and luxations.
• Overweight. Fat is one of the most important risk factors for developing osteoarthritis.
• Bad nutrition.
• Lack of movement.
• The infections and subsequent inflammation of the joints are polyarthritis.

Degenerative diseases of the shoulder girdle

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, with maximum range of motion. It tolerates dynamic loads, so degenerative changes in the structures of the shoulder girdle are rare.

They usually develop in old age. Marginal bony growths and articular cartilage atrophy occur. If degenerative changes in the shoulder joint are expressed, then the cause should be sought. This usually happens due to a fracture or osteochondromatosis.

Pain in the shoulder joints is painful and constant, stiffness is often associated with degenerative changes in adjacent structures:

1. Calcification of the supraspinatus tendon and the resulting painful arc of abduction syndrome. With this pathology, pain occurs in the joints when you try to move the shoulder along a certain arc. If you change the angle of inclination, the pain disappears.
2. Frozen shoulder syndrome. This condition is characterized by severe stiffness of the shoulder girdle. It occurs as a result of long-term immobilization of the shoulder - when applying a bandage providing rest to the arm in case of thoracic sciatica.

No pronounced deformation of the elements of the shoulder girdle was observed. Usually the first symptoms and complaints are related to damage to adjacent structures, not deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder.

Osteoarthritis of the elbow joint

The probability of developing degenerative changes in the elbow joint is small. It increases in old age and in persons engaged in certain professions. Monotonous physical activity has a negative impact on joint processes, especially when exposed to vibrations.

Osteoarthritis deformans of the elbow is common in tennis players, masons and miners, blacksmiths and foundry workers.

Joint pain is usually dull, aching, and worsens with exercise. No significant joint deformation was observed. Sometimes, under the influence of provoking factors, inflammation of the joints joins osteoarthritis, a painful swelling appears in the elbow area, the pain bothers you even at rest.

Deforming osteoarthritis of the hands and finger joints

In recent years, the diagnosis of arthrosis of the hands has become an answer to the question of why finger joints hurt at an early age. This disease is rapidly rejuvenating. Already at the age of 30-35 years, with complaints of pain in the joints of the fingers, signs of the first degree of deforming osteoarthritis can be seen on an X-ray. The reasons for this are various:

1. The number of professions that put stress on the joints of the hands and fingers is increasing - programmers, typists and simply active computer users. And mostly young people participate in this.
2. Working in hypothermic conditions. These are tram and trolleybus drivers in winter, builders and villagers.
3. Absence of normal dynamic loads on finger joints. Few people strive to do gymnastics, especially therapeutic exercises.
4. Accompanying diseases - inflammation of the joints.

The joints of the fingers and hands are deformed over time, and an inflammatory tumor can be found in the area of the phalanges with the development of polyarthritis. Movements in them become painful and difficult. Joint pain is intermittent at first, but then becomes constant, dull, or aching.

Degenerative diseases of the feet

Leg joints are more susceptible to degeneration, as their main load is static. Weight and static loading are the main reasons for the development of deforming arthrosis of the feet. In this area it occurs in the following forms:

• Damage to the hip joints - coxarthrosis.
• Damage to the knees with the formation of gonarthrosis.
• Dystrophic diseases of the legs.

Coxarthrosis

Coxarthrosis is a common and dangerous disease. Initially, a person pays attention to symptoms such as pain in the joints, crunching, clicking when walking. All this is temporary and does not significantly affect the quality of life. As the disease progresses, the stiffness worsens and there is difficulty when attempting to abduct or adduct the leg.

Joint pain can be excruciating, debilitating, and bothersome at any time of the day. My movements are limited in the morning, I have to do hip exercises to get moving.

Gonarthrosis

Throughout life, knees experience loads that significantly exceed a person's weight. This inevitably leads to the development of degenerative processes in them. If a person suffers from obesity of at least the first or second degree, the deformation of the knees will occur much faster. Third and fourth graders are more likely to develop osteoarthritis deforming at an early age.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints has its own characteristics. Why does joint pain occur so often in this area? In addition to the proliferation of bone spurs and cartilage degeneration, calcium crystals are deposited in the joint cavity. A peculiar depot of calcifications is formed. This disease is called calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition.

At first, they can be found only in the thickness of the cartilage, then on its surface, in the joint cavity, tendons and even muscles.

Deposition of calcium crystals worsens the course of deforming osteoarthritis. The disease manifests as an aching pain that can turn into sharp pain when the calcification is pinched. The mobility of the legs is significantly limited. In the area of the knees, deformed joint surfaces, bony outgrowths are visible, dense nodules are palpable.

Dystrophic changes in the joints of the legs

Leg joints are less susceptible to deforming osteoarthritis. An exception is the metacarpophalangeal joint of the first toe. Its deformations occur in almost every person after 55-60 years. In women, it is deformed at an earlier age. The reasons for this are the abuse of narrow, uncomfortable shoes with heels.

In addition to the discomfort and unaesthetic appearance of the deformed finger, a person experiences severe pain in the joints. As osteophytes grow, protruding bones form around the toes, making it difficult to wear even the widest shoes. Permanent injuries of osteophytes cause inflammation of the joints of the toes - polyarthritis develops. The situation can be complicated by the addition of an infection.

Inflammatory diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Joint inflammation affecting several groups of joints simultaneously is called polyarthritis. If only one joint is inflamed, this form will be called monoarthritis. Symptoms will depend on the type of inflammation or infection that caused it:

1. Pain in the joints.It is often sharp - burning or shooting. If the cause of arthritis is an infection, the inflammation becomes purulent. In this case, the pain will be pulsating and very strong. In chronic and subacute forms, joint pain will resemble the variant with arthrosis.
2. Change shape.In an acute process, an inflammatory tumor is formed in the area of articulation, the color of the skin changes, the temperature rises. If a bacterial infection occurs, general symptoms of intoxication appear - high fever, chills, the state of health deteriorates sharply. The disease in polyarthritis is especially difficult to tolerate.
3. Broken function.Movement in the inflamed joint is significantly limited due to pain and fluid accumulation in the joint cavity. This swelling, like an inflammatory tumor, mechanically prevents movement.

Causes of arthritis

The causes of arthritis are varied. These diseases are usually divided into main groups:

• Infectious.They develop when the joint is directly affected by an infection, such as Lyme disease. The infection can be viral or bacterial, penetrate from the outside or from an affected adjacent organ, bone. Arthritis caused by a bacterial infection is particularly severe.
• Reactive.In this case, the inflammatory process develops as a reaction to an infection in the past or present. These include damage to the musculoskeletal system after flu, colds and urogenital infections. An important sign is the connection with the infection.
• Autoimmune.Sometimes a person's immune system begins to destroy its own cells. The manifestations of such diseases are diverse, but the joint syndrome is usually the most pronounced. The most common autoimmune pathology is rheumatoid polyarthritis. It is characterized by severe deformation of the joints with constant pain.

Autoimmune polyarthritis cannot be cured, but must be stopped to keep the disease at an early stage.

Treatment of joint diseases

What to do if you are diagnosed with joint disease? Do I need to take drugs, antibiotics or can I limit myself to folk remedies? Only a doctor can answer all questions correctly and he will prescribe appropriate treatment.

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Folk remedies have been prescribed for a long time - both by healers and by modern doctors. They are quite capable of relieving inflammation and eliminating pain, reducing swelling in the affected area.

Among the folk remedies, the cabbage leaf is considered the undisputed leader. Applying it cold or in a compress with honey on the inflamed joint can relieve the inflammatory manifestations and relieve the condition. Plantain leaves, chopped mushrooms and vodka are also used.

The arsenal of folk remedies is diverse, but you must remember that they can only treat mild forms of diseases and always under the supervision of a doctor.

Medicines

Medicines used in the treatment of joint diseases are aimed at all units of the pathological process. Main groups of drugs:

1. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs.Usually these are drugs from the same group. Since the main symptom of joint diseases is pain, its relief is the doctor's first priority. A good effect is achieved when using local means.
2. Steroid hormones and cytostatics.It is strictly forbidden to take these drugs without a doctor's prescription. They are used in all serious autoimmune processes and are designed to alleviate specific inflammations in the body. Without hormonal drugs, it is impossible to get rid of the pain and inflammatory tumor in rheumatoid arthritis. They also prevent joint deformities.
3. antibiotics.They are prescribed if the cause of the arthritis is a bacterial infection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used, which penetrate well into bone tissue. Sometimes, if the pathogen is resistant, the doctor can treat the infection with several groups of antibiotics. This is also justified if the disease is caused by a mixed infection. It is necessary to remember that antibiotics are strong drugs with individual side effects and strictly follow the doctor's instructions during treatment.
4. Preparations for the protection and restoration of cartilage.It is impossible to treat chronic polyarthritis and deforming osteoarthritis without chondroprotectors. For this purpose, both individual drugs - chondroitin or glucosamine, and combined ones are used. There is an extensive evidence base for the use of chondroprotectors based on many clinical studies.
5. Intra-articular injections.This is the best way to deliver the drug directly to the site of the disease. Usually, hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are injected into the joint cavity. In recent years, hyaluronic acid has also been used for intra-articular injection.

Physiotherapy

It is not worth treating joint diseases with medicines alone. The integrated use of physiotherapy techniques (magnetotherapy, electrophoresis) and physiotherapy significantly increases the chances of recovery.

Orthotic devices are also used to limit movement in the affected joints. These include orthoses and splints. The purpose of these devices is to reduce the load on the diseased joint.

Surgical treatment

A radical cure for advanced arthrosis is endoprosthesis. Only this method is able to replace a destroyed joint with a synthetic one, restoring its full range of motion.

Replacement of endoprostheses is a treatment option in situations where conservative therapy is ineffective.