Hands hurt: what could it be and how to treat it

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Numbness or hypoesthesia of the fingers is a rather unpleasant situation, which can be either a consequence of physiological reasons or a sign of various types of diseases. Therefore, if this symptom persists for an hour or more, and there is no improvement in rubbing your hands, clenching and unclenching your fists, you should consult a doctor. He will help you understand the reasons for its appearance and, if necessary, prescribe the necessary treatment. This will be the key to detecting pathology at an early stage of development and the success of therapy, and will also help to avoid aggravation of the situation and eliminate the risk of complications. After all, it is not so much the numbness of the fingers that is dangerous, although it can cause significant difficulties in performing everyday tasks, but the consequences of the lack of treatment for the diseases that provoked its occurrence.

Diseases of the circulatory system

In most cases, the cause of cramped fingers is diseases of the cardiovascular system. Most often, this phenomenon occurs due to myocardial infarction or angina pectoris.

. You can recognize numbness and cramping against the background of heart defects by the fact that much more unpleasant sensations are localized in the left hand. In most cases, fingers begin to cramp at night or in the morning.

You can also determine this reason for the information by the extent of unpleasant sensations: from ailments of the cardiovascular system

The little fingers and ring fingers are most affected. These are where the blood vessels that go directly to the heart are located.

Typically, attacks of this nature are accompanied by shortness of breath, chest pain, blue lips and cold extremities.

If you experience such attacks on a regular basis, it is necessary to conduct a full diagnosis.

A nitroglycerin tablet will help get rid of such unpleasant manifestations. After just a few minutes, a person can return to their usual way of life. If this condition recurs regularly and becomes more serious each time, you should consult a doctor. He will send you for an ECG, which will help determine if you have a silent heart attack.

Stages of hand arthritis

Each stage of the disease is characterized by its own signs and symptoms:

• At the 1st, initial stage of arthritis, a feeling of discomfort and tension in the fingers appears, especially after a day of work. Symptoms of arthritis of the hands are still minor and do not attract the patient’s attention - except that seals or slight swelling appear in the joint area. There is no severe pain. The patient may notice that the fingers have become less flexible - they seem to be losing dexterity. It is at this stage that the disease is best treated.
• At the 2nd stage of arthritis of the hands, there are good reasons for concern: severe pain, dry crunching in the fingers (not episodic, from air bubbles entering the synovial fluid, but systematic), swelling, redness, hyperemia of the skin. The fingers become spindle-shaped and become less easy to listen to. Effective treatment for hand arthritis is still possible.
• At the 3rd stage of arthritis of the hand joints, the deformation of the affected joints is already clearly visible. The patient suffers from pain in his arms that does not subside even at night. Dislocations, subluxations, and ankylosis are possible.
• At the 4th stage, the hands are completely deformed, the height of the wrists decreases, and the interphalangeal fissures grow together. Any treatment for arthritis of the hands, except surgery, at stages 3 and 4 is ineffective.

Pathologies of the nervous system

Lesions of the nervous system negatively affect a person’s motor activity. Due to damage to nerve fibers, attacks of numbness or cramping may occur. If you ignore this problem for a long time, there is a high risk of developing serious complications: during attacks, not only your fingers will cramp, but your entire arm.

Due to disorders in the nervous system, a person may experience such unpleasant sensations for the following reasons:

• Pinching of the median nerve
  , which is responsible for the sensitivity of the fingertips. This usually occurs due to mixing of the forearm muscles. This disorder is formed against the background of prolonged overload of the hand with work.
• Osteochondrosis or intervertebral hernia
  . With such diseases, the roots of the spinal nerves of the cervical vertebrae between the 5th and 6th sections are pinched. If the reduction is caused by such a reason, then it appears only on one side - the one where the pathological focus is located.
• Staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time
  - a person may experience attacks of cramping due to compression of the nerve roots.

Most often, attacks of cramped fingers occur in people who spend a lot of time doing work that involves manipulating their hands. Typically, this affects monotonous workers: writers, seamstresses, computer scientists and others.

. In most cases, due to diseases of the nervous system, the middle, ring, index or thumb are cramped. On the rest, lesions rarely appear, since they are least involved in work.

Causes of hand arthritis

The causes of arthritis in the hands usually lie in chronic diseases or lifestyle. The risk of disease is increased by the presence of bad habits, an unbalanced diet, unsanitary living conditions or a harmful microclimate in the workplace. The causes of the disease can be:

• disorders of the immune system (autoimmune diseases);
• severe allergic reaction, intoxication, hypothermia or overheating;
• chronic metabolic disorders (eg, gout, diabetes);
• the presence of infection (intestinal, respiratory, genitourinary or intra-articular, which enters through open wounds);
• hormonal imbalances (in particular, estrogen deficiency);
• wear of articular cartilage due to increased loads - arthrosis-arthritis (often occurs when working with vibrating tools, among painters, typists, athletes and other professionals with increased load on their hands).

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Metabolic disorders

Metabolic disorders can provoke cramping of the fingers. Most often, the cause of this phenomenon is a deficiency of nutrients. Therefore, such attacks usually occur in the autumn or spring, when the risk of developing hypovitaminosis is extremely high.

This nature of the disease can be recognized by the fact that numbness affects both the right and left hands to the same extent. Finger cramping caused by disturbances in the endocrine system can occur due to:

• Lack of vitamins A, B or E
  - a person who does not eat fresh vegetables or fruits for a long time and does not compensate for the deficiency of essential elements with vitamin complexes begins to feel cramps in the fingers. Also for this reason, the skin begins to dry and peel.
• Formation of atherosclerotic plaques
  . They are formed due to improper and unbalanced nutrition, which leads to an increase in the level of bad cholesterol. It is this substance that is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, preventing the normal outflow of blood.
• Lack of calcium and potassium
  , which are responsible for conducting nerve impulses along fibers. Most often, this phenomenon occurs in pregnant women and is accompanied by severe swelling.

Curls your thumbs

Many people often experience a condition where their fingers begin to constantly cramp. However, some still do not pay due attention to this phenomenon. But it can be caused by the following reasons:

• pathological disorders in the spinal column or degenerative-dystrophic processes in the cervical spine;
• excessive physical activity, which strains the muscles of the spine;
• prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position, which pinches the nerve trunks;
• severe emotional stress or stress;
• the appearance of ischemia in the brain or areas of the cervical spine;
• disturbances in the outflow of blood from the extremities;
• hypothermia;
• alcohol or food poisoning.

If such a problem occurs, we strongly recommend drinking a vitamin complex that contains magnesium, calcium and potassium. It is these elements that are responsible for the conduction of nerve impulses along the fibers. With the help of such drug therapy, it is possible to get rid of cramping of the fingers. If this method of treatment does not bring any results, you should consult a doctor for detailed information.

First aid for hand cramps

You need to try to unclench your fingers and rub them.
If your fingers suddenly cramp and they hurt, you need to help yourself with your other hand, forcibly unclenching your fingers . Then you can perform intense rubbing directed towards the fingertips, and then in the opposite direction. This forces blood into the hands.

If seizures occur regularly against the background of a primary disease, it is necessary to consult a doctor and review the treatment regimen. The dosage of medications may need to be changed.

Immediately after a cramp, you need to make several active movements with your arms - swings, jerks . It is important to restore blood circulation in muscle tissue. You can drink water to eliminate dehydration, especially if you had a heavy dinner.

Why do fingers cramp during pregnancy?

If your fingers or hands often go numb during pregnancy, it means you have a chronic disease that worsened when you “got into the position.” This is due to the fact that all metabolic processes have accelerated, and therefore diseases that previously did not manifest themselves begin to bother you. When your hands go numb in the fingers or hands, the following sores may be to blame:

• diabetes mellitus of any type;
• arthrosis of any part of the spine;
• osteochondrosis, as well as a number of other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Perhaps your finger cramps at night if you don't sleep properly. You can, without noticing it, crush your own hand, which will lead to poor blood circulation and numbness. It may be that you are hugging your husband in bed and he is pressing on one of your limbs, causing you to wake up with discomfort.

We hasten to reassure you right away: in most cases, numbness of the hands during pregnancy is not associated with diseases.

According to gynecologists, many pregnant women complain that their hands go numb. The so-called tunnel syndrome, which is also called an occupational disease of computer scientists, is to blame. This disorder develops as a result of regular stress on tendons, joints and muscles, for example, after prolonged work with a computer mouse.

The mechanism of muscle contraction is quite complex; different ions (charged particles) take part in it: potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium. If we are talking about a cramp, that is, a condition when we cannot relax a muscle, then magnesium ions play a leading role. It is their deficiency that leads to women having cramps in their calves during pregnancy at night. The lack of minerals in the body of the expectant mother can be explained simply: the restructuring of metabolism and functioning in the “double load” mode have such consequences.

In particular, the expectant mother needs one and a half times more magnesium than usual.

In addition to helping muscles relax, magnesium is involved in a number of important physiological processes. In particular, magnesium is needed to regulate the processes of formation and expenditure of energy; it is involved in several hundred enzymatic reactions, and if there is little magnesium, then disturbances can occur in the functioning of almost any system of the body. Therefore, if magnesium supplements are prescribed during pregnancy, this recommendation should not be ignored.

Principles of treatment

In most cases, a person complains not only that his fingers are cramping - he also notices regular sensations of numbness, tingling or even burning. Typically, this condition only indicates compression of the nerve endings; only in rare cases does it become a symptom of a serious illness.

To get rid of this unpleasant feeling, doctors recommend the following types of therapy:

• Drug treatment
  - vitamin complexes and drugs are prescribed to reduce pain, inflammation, swelling or to remove waste and toxins from the body.
• Taking chondroprotectors
  that affect the trophism of the innervated zone.
• Manual therapy - influencing the muscles helps to quickly get rid of spasm and swelling in the damaged area and restore normal movement.
• Physiotherapy
  - ultrasound, magnetotherapy and laser treatment restore blood circulation in the extremities.
• Therapeutic gymnastics
  - due to rhythmic muscle contractions, it is possible to restore the normal functioning of nerve fibers in the hands. You need to do exercises every day.
• Alternative medicine
  - vacuum exposure, hirudotherapy or acupuncture help to quickly and permanently get rid of cramped fingers.

If you cannot get rid of this condition for a long time, you should consult a doctor. Perhaps your body is communicating a more serious problem in this way. An experienced specialist will send you for a comprehensive diagnosis, which will help identify the cause and what to do if your fingers cramp.

Diagnostics

Thus, there are quite a lot of diseases that can provoke hypoesthesia of the fingers. Therefore, if this symptom occurs regularly and persists for a long time, you should definitely consult a neurologist. The doctor will conduct a survey and examination of the patient, during which he will assess the condition of the skin, pulse strength, reflexes and conduct certain neurological tests to detect possible motor disorders. But to make an accurate diagnosis, this data is not enough. Therefore, depending on the detected signs, patients may be prescribed one or another diagnostic procedure from the following:

• electromyography and electroneurography - used to assess the degree and extent of damage to nerve trunks;
• X-ray or CT - used to detect deformities of the bones of the hands, tumors;
• angiography is a method used to assess the quality of blood circulation in the area of ​​interest, in particular for diagnosing Raynaud's syndrome;
• Dopplerography of the vessels of the neck and head - is prescribed to detect cerebral circulation disorders and vascular pathologies;
• MRI is used to detect minute changes in soft tissue structures, the brain, and intervertebral discs.

A set of laboratory tests is also often prescribed, the results of which help to identify systemic diseases, for example, diabetes mellitus, anemia, endocrine disorders, rheumatoid diseases, etc.

Effective physiotherapy

There is no general principle of drug treatment for finger cramps.

. In each individual case, it is necessary to determine the cause of this condition and comprehensively influence it.

It is better to leave the choice of one or another type of physiological procedure to the attending physician - he will be able to choose the best option.

However, a variety of physiotherapeutic procedures will help alleviate this problem. They have virtually no contraindications or side effects. With their help, it is possible to restore damaged nerve fibers and improve blood circulation.

The most popular methods of exposure are the following procedures:

Treatment with folk remedies

If cramps in the fingers or toes are caused by numbness in the limb, then this condition does not require special treatment. To get rid of unpleasant sensations, it is enough to regularly carry out a simple set of physical therapy. To reduce pain, you can use the following recipes:

• Boil 50 grams of ground black pepper in 0.5 liters of vegetable oil. When the product has cooled, pour it into a container and apply it regularly to your fingers.
• Apply pumpkin pulp to your fingers and wrap it in cellophane to enhance the effect. After 20 minutes, the compress can be removed.
• Mix alcohol tincture of cinquefoil, wormwood and nettle in a 1/2/2 ratio. If you feel your fingers tightening, rub your skin with this product.

Remember that traditional medicine treatment methods cannot guarantee an accurate result.

Before using traditional medicine, we strongly recommend that you consult with a specialist. People with hypersensitivity to plant components should use such products especially carefully.

Preventing seizures

Sudden cramps of the limbs in most cases occur in the spring, when the body has used up all its vitamin reserves. Many vitamins do not accumulate; a constant supply of these substances is required. If painful nighttime finger cramps begin, the first thing you need to do is improve your diet.

The second important factor is movement. In order for blood to circulate well, you need to walk at least 1 km daily. It is also beneficial for the immune system, as lymph can only move when it moves.

The third factor is not to start treatment of existing diseases , so that secondary symptoms in the form of seizures do not appear.