Bouchard’s arthrosis is one of the finger arthroses. Specifically affected are the finger middle joints. Protrusions occur at the joints. As the disease progresses, pain occurs and the mobility of the affected finger becomes impaired.
What is Bouchard’s arthritis?
Finger arthroses include Heberden’s arthrosis. In this case, the outer finger joints are affected. If the thumb joint is affected, it is rhizarthrosis. The term Bouchard’s arthrosis applies when the inner finger joints show visible and palpable changes. Osteoarthritis of the finger joints is also called polyarthrosis of the finger joints. This is a joint disease associated with wear and tear and narrowing of the joint space. The cartilage layer, which is supposed to protect the joint, is gradually degraded. Signs of disease and the course of the disease are very different. However, protrusions and nodules appear on the affected joints. Temporary pain may also occur under stress and in advanced stages.
Causes
The causes of Bouchard’s arthrosis, as for all finger arthroses, are very diverse. Genetic factors play a major role. Healed fractures can also trigger polyarthrosis. Since mainly middle-aged women are affected by finger joint arthrosis, hormonal factors also have an effect on the disease process. Patients suffering from finger arthrosis are often also affected by impairments of other joints. Symptoms often occur in other joints of the hands and also feet, in knee and hip joints and in the spine. If several joints are affected, it is a so-called polyarthrosis. This fact suggests that predisposition (genetic factors) and hormonal changes after menopause are the main triggers of this disease.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
The first signs are stiffness of the fingers after standing up, a feeling of tightness, and problems or pain with everyday movements. Often, the second knuckle joints are also swollen. The pain occurs in recurrent episodes. Often only at the beginning of an activity, they then gradually disappear again. However, some sufferers have no complaints. They only notice an increasing deformation and stiffening of their fingers. These are caused by bone attachments to the joints. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease associated with a breakdown of the cartilage layer. If there is no cartilage left, bones rub against bones during movement, resulting in pain. As the disease progresses, pain also occurs at rest.
Diagnosis and progression
A diagnosis begins with an initial interview and the patient’s report of his or her symptoms. It is important here to point out working conditions, any accidents, and cases of illness in close relatives. Physical examination follows by checking for range of motion, skin changes, hyperthermia, redness, swelling, tenderness to pressure pain, and stability of ligaments. This is followed by imaging procedures. An X-ray examination can show whether the joint space has changed or the bone has changed. Further measures include an ultrasound examination, MRI or CT scan, and an examination of the synovial fluid. A blood test provides information on inflammation values and blood sedimentation rate. A reliable diagnosis requires a clear differentiation of polyarthrosis from rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of both diseases are initially painful joints caused by inflammation. While osteoarthritis is a joint disease with progressive cartilage degradation, the joint-destroying inflammation in polyarthritis is caused by an autoimmune reaction of the body. The body’s defense system begins to view the joint cartilage as a foreign body and gradually destroys it. Since the symptoms of polyarthrosis and polyarthritis are very similar in the early stages, it is very difficult to make a clear distinction. This is often only possible in the advanced stage with the help of laboratory values and x-rays. The course of a polyarthrosis extends over many years, this is especially true for arthrosis in the fingers. Only in the advanced stage does pain occur, but not in such a way that therapy becomes necessary over long periods of time.
Complications
As a rule, Bouchard’s osteoarthritis causes severe limitations in finger movement. The disease may initially appear only as swelling, then usually spreads through pain and eventually leads to restrictions of the patient in everyday life. Even the usual movement of the finger is then no longer possible for the patient. The pain can occur either during movements or in the form of pain at rest. The fingers feel stiff, especially after standing up. In most cases, there is also deformation of the fingers and pressure pain. The patient’s quality of life is greatly reduced by Bouchard’s osteoarthritis. Swelling and redness may also occur in the affected areas. Treatment is aimed primarily at preserving the mobility of the finger so that the daily life of the affected person is not too severely restricted. In the process, the fingers are exercised during therapies. There are no further complications or discomforts. The pain and inflammation are suppressed with the help of medication. Life expectancy is not affected by Bouchard’s osteoarthritis.
When should you see a doctor?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints in which the cartilage layer is gradually worn away. The later the treatment, the more pronounced the damage to the affected limbs usually is. Therefore, if arthrosis is suspected, do not wait long, but consult a doctor promptly. Arthrosis of the inner finger joints is manifested in the early stages by feelings of stiffness and tension in the fingers, which mainly appear in the early morning after getting up. Often there is also slight pain and restrictions in everyday activities. Anyone who notices such symptoms should consult a doctor as soon as possible. This also applies if these disturbances disappear again quickly on their own. In the early stages of osteoarthritis, it is completely normal that those affected do not suffer from the symptoms constantly. Nevertheless, the disease is constantly progressing. In some patients, neither pain nor a reduction in the functionality of the fingers is evident in the early stages. Instead, there is only a deformation and stiffening of the joints. In this case, too, a physician should be consulted promptly. This is especially true for women during or just before menopause, as this group’s risk of developing osteoarthritis is higher than average.
Treatment and therapy
The goal of therapy is to maintain the mobility of the fingers. Here, the personal initiative of those affected is particularly required. The fingers must be moved and strengthened. Appropriate exercises with a softball are proven. Since any further inflammation of the joints accelerates cartilage degradation, it should be treated. It is therefore sensible and recommended to take anti-inflammatory painkillers until the inflammation process has subsided. Alternatively, plant-based osteoarthritis medications can also be used.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognostic outlook for Bouchard’s osteoarthritis is unfavorable. The chronic disease has a progressive course that cannot be stopped with current medical options. The complaints increase continuously over a long period of several years. A significant alleviation of the symptoms can be achieved through various conventional medical methods as well as natural healing methods. If the patient cooperates and acts on his own initiative, it is also possible to slow down the progress of the disease. Nevertheless, it cannot be stopped completely with the existing therapy approaches. A freedom from symptoms or recovery is also not achieved despite the therapy approaches taken. Drug treatment together with targeted training of the hands and fingers can lead to an improvement in the general state of health. This is particularly helpful in coping with everyday life. The patient should pay attention to regular relief of the joints and at the same time actively pursue targeted muscle building. This can minimize the pain in the fingers. In support, various creams or ointments can be applied to bring about relief from the symptoms. Since inflammatory processes have a negative effect on the course of the disease Bouchard’s arthrosis, the immune system should be stabilized.The first signs of inflammation should be treated as soon as possible to avoid unintentionally furthering the progression of the disease.
Prevention
While conventional medicine still maintains that osteoarthritis is not curable, there is growing evidence that poor dietary habits have a not inconsiderable influence on the development and progression of osteoarthritis disease. Even if a change in diet cannot regrow cartilage tissue once it has been destroyed, a change in one’s eating habits offers a better quality of life. Apart from that it is the best condition for not getting arthrosis in the first place. It is also particularly important to avoid or reduce excess weight. Everything that contains a lot of sugar is harmful. Likewise, too much unsaturated fat from animal products, convenience foods, and especially baked goods not only promote obesity, but also increase inflammation in the body. A healthy, balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit, few carbohydrates and lots of unsaturated fats from cold-pressed vegetable oils keeps you slim and healthy. Equally important is sufficient exercise, because only this provides the joints and especially the cartilage with nutrients.
Aftercare
There is no aftercare available for Bouchard’s osteoarthritis, as there is also no direct treatment for the disease. The affected person must treat the disease himself by permanently moving the fingers to maintain mobility himself. Various exercises are available to the patient, which can also be performed at home and have a positive effect on the course of the disease. In the case of inflammation, medication must be taken regularly. Regular visits to a doctor are also necessary to check the current status of the disease and avoid further complications. Painkillers also have an anti-inflammatory effect. A complete cure for Bouchard’s arthrosis is currently not possible, so that the affected person must live with the symptoms for the rest of his or her life. However, the patient’s life expectancy is not negatively affected by the disease. A healthy diet and the avoidance of excess weight can also have a positive effect on the course of Bouchard’s arthrosis and alleviate it. If the disease also causes psychological complaints or depression, a psychologist can also be consulted. Often, an exchange of information with other sufferers of Bouchard’s arthrosis also proves to be very useful.
What you can do yourself
Middle joint osteoarthritis (Bouchard’s arthrosis) is treated either with medication, injections into the affected joint, or surgery. In addition, patients can also help to alleviate the symptoms themselves. For many patients, the arthrosis already improves considerably by changing their diet. Regular consumption of pork and beef is considered particularly counterproductive. Very good results could be observed against it with concerning, which follow a consistently vegetarian and to a large extent veganen nourishing plan. With these persons a clear reduction of the pain as well as the stiffness of the joints could be determined already after few weeks. Since the change of the nutrition on a predominantly vegetable food is a very mild and in many cases successful means, this should be tried by all concerning over a period of several weeks. Physiotherapeutic exercises are also helpful. Special balls are offered in medical stores, with which patients can exercise and train the mobility of the joints. Those who play a musical instrument that requires the use of their fingers should stick to this activity. In particular, regular exercises on the piano are ideally suited to maintaining the mobility of the metacarpals. Many patients are also helped by bathing the affected joints in warm salt water or chamomile tea in the morning and evening. In naturopathy, devil’s claw is prescribed for the treatment of osteoarthritis and is available as a tea, drops or juice.
