"What Causes Pain in Finger Joints? Unignorable Underlying Conditions to Be Aware Of"
In daily life, many individuals experience pain in their fingers and joints, significantly impacting their normal life. What's the cause? The most common culprit is gout, which frequently affects middle-aged and elderly individuals. Patients with gout should pay attention to diet and the pain in fingers and joints caused by rheumatic diseases. Here are some specifics:
1. Gout-Related Finger Joint Pain
This type of finger joint pain arises from high uric acid levels in the body, leading to the accumulation of urate crystals in finger joints. Typically, before the pain sets in, there will be noticeable redness and swelling in the finger joints, making it difficult to form a fist.
2. Rheumatic Finger Joint Pain
Rheumatic finger joint pain occurs when dampness invades the finger joints and fails to be expelled promptly. This cause results in slow-onset pain characterized by numbness and soreness. Massaging the affected area during pain provides relief.
3. Bone Spurs
Bone spurs primarily develop at the ends of fingers but can also occur between fingers. They cause joint swelling and pain, with bone enlargement at the ends of fingers affecting the distal finger joints. In the morning, stiffness and severe pain in finger joints may be present, improving after activity.
4. Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a common cause of finger joint pain, resulting from tissue degeneration and accumulative strain. It is more prevalent in obese and overweight middle-aged and elderly individuals, manifesting as joint pain and stiffness (pain reduces with mild activity). Severe cases may involve joint swelling and muscle atrophy.
5. Tenosynovitis
Tenosynovitis occurs when finger joint tendons slide back and forth within their sheaths, causing sheath congestion, edema, thickening, and adhesion. When the inflamed tendon sheath is stretched, it triggers pain.