Introduction
The finger end joints are the joints farthest from the body in the area of the fingers, located close to the nail bed. The finger end joints are stressed during numerous hand movements, for example during grasping movements. Various causes can cause pain in the finger end joints. Pain can occur during certain movements and/or at rest.
The causes of pain in the finger end joints
There are several possible causes for pain in the finger end joints. Arthritic changes are very common from the age of fifty. Other possible causes of pain in the finger end joints are an acute attack of gout, psoriasis arthritis and rheumatism.
An acute attack of gout can affect every wrist and finger joint and can trigger a very painful joint inflammation. Psoriatic arthritis can also lead to painful swelling of the end joints of the fingers and often affects the whole finger, “sausage finger” symmetrically. In rheumatoid arthritis, the finger end joints are also frequently affected, typically symmetrically and with rheumatoid characteristic symptoms.
In addition, cysts, for example a mucoid cyst or ganglion, and Raynaud’s syndrome can be responsible for pain in the finger end joints. Injuries to the anatomical structures, such as the tear of a finger extensor tendon, can cause equally severe pain in the joint area of the fingers. Lifting arthrosis is the name given to arthrotic changes in the distal interphalangeal joints, also known as finger end joints.
In this case, lifting arthrosis particularly often affects the index finger and the little fingers. It is a generative disease, which develops without a known cause. Nevertheless, genetic and hormonal correlations are frequently found in the development of Heberden Arthrosis.
Early symptoms of the joint disease are pain under stress, fatigue of the joint and radiating pain. As the disease progresses, the pain can worsen and cause permanent pain. Other late symptoms are night pain in the joints, a pronounced restriction of movement and sensitivity to the weather.
An acute attack of gout is a common clinical picture in our society. It is a painful inflammation of a joint with effusion and signs of inflammation. The end joints of the fingers are affected in about five percent of cases, in which case one speaks of a Chiragra.
The cause is an elevated uric acid level with precipitation of uric acid crystals, which are deposited in joints and cause the gout attack. The acute attack of gout in a finger end joint typically occurs at night and subsides after a few days. Without treatment, recurrences with symptom-free intervals occur.
Here you will find more information on this topic: The gout attack. Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joints that occurs together with psoriasis. The so-called peripheral type of the disease, the most common type of psoriatic arthritis, typically affects the finger end and middle finger joints symmetrically on both hands.
Those affected suffer from severe soft tissue swelling in the area of the diseased fingers. In most cases, the entire finger is affected, which is referred to as the “sausage finger” or “sausage toe”. Without adequate treatment, the affected joints are destroyed in the course of the disease, leading to osteoporosis.
Finger extensor tendons can tear, especially if they are pre-damaged by wear and tear and are heavily loaded, for example during sports. The tendons can tear completely or partially. The symptoms occur suddenly.
Typically, the affected finger can no longer be stretched properly and causes severe pain. Swelling and bruising also occur. You can find more information on this topic here: Tear of the extensor tendon of the finger.
Raynaud’s syndrome is a vascular disease characterized by vascular spasms. This is characterized by vascular spasms, which are attacks of circulatory disorders, especially in the fingers. The blood supply to the fingers is temporarily reduced. They become pale, cold and can feel numb and cause pain. A distinction is made between primary Raynaud’s syndrome with unknown cause and secondary Raynaud’s syndrome, which occurs in the context of other diseases such as scleroderma.
