Finger Joint Pain
Finger Joint Pain is not only painful but also a burden. Our hands are probably the most important part of our body when it comes to doing day to day tasks. From doing things like opening a jar to flying an airplane, we require our hands to do all of these. You can’t even imagine doing things without the use of your hands. But there are diseases which can potentially render your hand ineffective either completely or partially. One of those problems is finger joint pains. Finger joint pains happen in the bone joints of our fingers. It has the potentiality to limit your daily activities since moving your fingers becomes very difficult when you are suffering from finger joint pain. Even doing simple things like writing a letter or typing in a computer becomes extremely difficult because of the pain you suffer in the joints of your fingers.
Finger joint pain: An overview
Anatomy of fingers:
The fingers are made up of various bones, tendons & ligaments. The fingers are named as phalanges while the joints in the fingers are named according to their positions e.g. Distal Interphalangeal Joint (DIP), Promixal Interphalangeal Joint (PIP) & Metacarpo phalangeal joint (MIP). The ligaments connect one bone with the other. The complex interaction of bones, ligaments & tendons makes the hand one of the most efficient as well as complex parts of our body.
Causes of finger joint pain:
The cause for having finger joint pain could be many. The intensity & the severity of the pain depend on the conditions of the joints, use of the fingers & the extent of the injury that has occurred (if the injury to the fingers is a reason for the pain).
The primary reasons for finger joint pains are rheumatoid arthritis & psoriasis arthritis. These diseases can strike any bone joints in the body but they frequently happens in the bone joints of our hands & fingers. Extreme pain & stiffness can make moving the hands & fingers difficult.
Another disease that causes tremendous finger joint pain is osteoarthritis. Just like any other bone joints in our body, overuse of fingers can make the cartilages in our bone joints wear away with time & results in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis causes swelling, pain, stiffness & redness in the affected joints & it renders our fingers almost ineffective if the problem is severe in nature. Osteoarthritis may happen in one or multiple finger joints in the same time.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is another reason for having finger joint pain. This is a neurological condition & happens due to the presence of an anatomically narrow carpal tunnel. It is caused by the pinching of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel. This condition causes pain, numbness & weakness in the fingers. The thumb & the first two fingers are the most common areas where CTS is seen happening.
Other reasons:
● Problems in circulation of blood in the fingers.
● Any kind of injury to the fingers may cause them to pain.
● Overuse of the fingers may lead to a condition called trigger finger where the tendons located in the fingers get swelled up.
● Another condition called jammed finger causes the ligaments to be sprained.
● Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can cause finger joint pains in children.