Often sore hands do not bode well. Hand diseases mainly affect middle-aged women. They are most often manifested by limitation of movement in the joints and pain. There may be several reasons for this condition, but there are ways to fight these diseases.
Usually the cause of the pain is rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is chronic, develops rapidly and leads to joint damage and limited hand movements. This definitely makes it difficult to perform everyday activities. The changes concern the wrist, interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints. There are many causes of the disease, including:
- Overloads
- inflammations
- Viral infections
- Other diseases.
Ailments intensify at night and in case of weather changes. The characteristic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are:
- Swelling and redness of the joints,
- Hand and finger pain
- Fatigue,
- No appetite
- low-grade fever,
- Numbness and tingling of the hands,
- joint deformity,
- Stiffness in the hands, especially after waking up
- Palpable nodules under the skin at the joints,
- Feeling tired and depressed.
The cause of hand pain can also be nerve damage, called neuropathy. This type of disease occurs as a result of accidents and injuries to the hand as a result of practicing sports, inflammation or infectious disease, alcoholism, diabetes. Symptoms affect the fingers and various parts of the hand. The most common are tingling, numbness, sensory disturbances or hyperaesthesia. Carpal tunnel syndrome may also be the cause. Then there is sensory disturbance, muscle weakness, hand pain in the wrist.
The cause of pain can also be tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, ganglion (a fluid-filled ball located on the back of the wrist), as well as diseases of the spine (most often disc disease).
How to treat hand pain?
In addition to a thorough examination, the doctor will also order an MRI, ultrasound or X-ray. However, treatment always focuses on rehabilitation and physiotherapy. Treatments are also used, among which the most effective are:
- Magnetotherapy – regenerates damaged soft tissues and nervous structures.
- Manual therapy – improves joint mobility and reduces pain. Used for degenerative changes in the joints of the fingers and wrist.
- Cryotherapy – holding sick hands in warm nitrogen fumes. It reduces pain.
- Ionnorrhea – administration of a drug using a direct current, which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
- Whirlpool bath – relaxes muscles and reduces pain. It consists in a water massage with jets.
- The use of gels or ointments with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.