Definition
Pain in the middle finger (digitus medius) can have many causes and can interfere with everyday life. The middle finger – like all fingers except the thumb – consists of three bones (phalanges). These are also known as the phalanx proximalis (close to the body), phalanx media (middle) and phalanx distalis (far from the body) and are attached to each other by ligaments.
The phalanx proximalis is connected to the metacarpals by the metacarpal joint. Ligaments also provide an attachment here. Tendons, muscles, bones or joints can be damaged by injuries or wear and tear and cause pain in the middle finger – and in all other fingers.
Causes
On the one hand, so-called degenerative diseases (wear and tear diseases) can be responsible for pain in the middle finger. This includes arthrosis, for example. Here, damage is caused to the joint cartilage between the individual phalanges or the metacarpal and metacarpal bones.
The wear and tear of the cartilage causes pain when the joints in the middle finger are moved. Osteoarthritis can occur as a symptom of old age, as a result of hormonal changes (for example during menopause), genetically or due to previous injuries or overstrain. Joint inflammation (arthritis) can also be the cause of pain in the middle finger.
In addition, injuries resulting in sprains, strains or broken bones can be responsible for pain in the middle finger. In rare cases, nerve damage – for example due to injuries or in the company of a long-term diabetes mellitus – can cause pain in the middle finger. The tendons of the finger muscles run in separate tendon sheaths, which protect the tendons as they run and produce a mucous protective fluid to reduce friction.
If the tendons are subjected to extreme strain, the tendon sheath can react to the unusual movement with irritation and pain. This is particularly the case when new, unaccustomed physical work begins or the strain increases rapidly in sports. The tendon sheath becomes inflamed due to friction and causes severe pain with every movement, as well as additional swelling, overheating and redness.
In order to treat tendon sheath inflammation, the finger must be protected for a sufficiently long time until the irritation has completely subsided. More about this:
- Tendinitis
The snap finger or “fast finger” is a disease of the flexor tendons of the finger. It is a form of inflammation in which the flexor tendon is thickened at the base joint of the finger and can no longer slide along it.
As a result, a snapping finger occurs when attempting slow flexion and extension. The disease occurs mainly after special strain on the fingers, as it can occur in certain sports, when operating individual musical instruments or craftsmen. In addition to snapping, the finger may also experience pain, feelings of tension, pressure pain and stiffness.
This topic might also be of interest to you:
- Therapy of a fast finger
A siphoning arthrosis is an arthrosis that occurs without cause (idiopathic). It usually has a genetic background. The joints between the middle and the last finger joint (distal interphalangeal joints, DIP) are particularly affected by siphoning arthrosis.
These can affect not only the middle finger but also any other finger of the hand. Women are more frequently affected by the siphoning arthrosis than men. In addition to the pain, knots can develop on the back of the hand at the end joints of the fingers.
These are also known as siphoning knots. Bouchard arthrosis is also an arthrosis without a specific cause. However, in contrast to siphoning arthrosis, it occurs less frequently and mainly affects the joints between the middle and the near-body finger joint (interphalangeal joints, PIP).
Men and women are affected about equally often. In the case of bouchard arthrosis, the middle finger joints of the middle finger can be affected by pain and also by nodules. Gout is considered a disease of affluence and occurs frequently when too much food containing purine (meat, legumes, fish, beer) is consumed.
The purine from the food is converted into uric acid. If a high uric acid level is reached in the blood, the salt of the uric acid is deposited mainly in the small joints of fingers and toes.In an acute attack of gout, usually only one joint is affected by the inflammation, which is called monarthritis. The joint in the big toe is most frequently affected, but any other joint can also be affected.
Therefore, the joints of the middle finger can also be inflamed and swollen by an acute attack of gout. The pain occurs mainly at rest. Recurring attacks in the middle finger joints can wear out the joints and lead to arthrosis.
Therefore, gout should definitely be diagnosed and treated. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the joints. Especially small joints – such as finger joints – are affected.
In addition to the middle finger, other finger joints are usually also inflamed, which is called polyarthritis. It is also important that both hands are affected symmetrically and that the finger end joint (DIP) is almost never affected. In addition, the pain also persists at rest.
In the morning, the joints are rather stiff and need some time – usually more than half an hour – before they can be moved normally. Rheumatism can also cause rough knots under the skin, so-called rheumatic knots. Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, which occurs mainly in connection with psoriasis, affecting 5-45% of psoriasis patients.
If the inflammation in the middle finger is caused by psoriatic arthritis, the finger and middle joints are often affected (DIP and PIP). Initially, swelling of the entire middle finger of one or both hands is often observed. This swelling is also already painful.
Later, the joint is destroyed and possibly bone loss (osteoporosis) occurs. If the finger is overstretched by force, a sprain of the middle finger may occur. Depending on how much force was used, an unstable joint may occur or damage to joint-forming structures with tears in ligaments or bony tears.
Even after an accident, a finger dislocation or dislocation can occur in which the joint surfaces of the individual phalanges of the finger no longer have any contact or no contact at all. In addition to severe pain, the finger can usually no longer be moved normally and appears blocked in movement. Mostly such injuries occur during sports, especially during ball sports like volleyball or basketball.
The middle finger can also break at one of the three bone links, causing pain. Frequently, a bone fracture occurs when the finger is trapped – for example in a car door. This topic might also be of interest to you:
- Bruise of the finger
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