A finger joint arthrosis refers to the wear and tear of cartilage/cartilage degradation especially at the finger joints. Women are usually more frequently affected and, in contrast to normal arthrosis of all other joints, arthrosis does not only result from overloading but is often hormonal in nature. Finger injuries, such as fractures or capsule injuries, can, however, become the cause of an occurring arthrosis of the finger joint.
Treatment/Therapy
The most important aspect of therapy for finger joint arthrosis is to maintain mobility and relieve pain. The breakdown of the cartilage substance causes the joint capsule to ossify, resulting in the formation of small nodules on the finger joints, which restrict mobility and cause pain. If the patient is in a pain-free phase, he or she should improve the muscle strength by doing his or her own exercises.
Small softballs or plasticine are suitable for pumping the hand. This will mobilize the fingers and improve the strength in the forearm. In general, the patient’s statics should be assessed.
If there are significant axial deviations in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, shoulder and arm areas, these areas should be mobilized. Treatment of the cervical spine with detonation (“muscle tension-lowering”) of the short neck muscles promotes blood circulation in the entire upper extremity and prevents cramped behavior in everyday life. You will find more information on this in the following articles:
- Traction (pulling the finger out of the socket) stimulates the blood circulation in the area and thus the metabolism process, which should result in a minimal improvement of these nodules.
In addition to improving mobility, traction also takes the pressure out of the joint, thus improving mobility.
- In addition, the movement of the fingers is used to improve mobility and attempts to improve the adhesion of the capsule.
- If there is an acute flare of osteoarthritis, this inflammation should be reduced as soon as possible, since any inflammation that develops increases the sticking of the capsule and cartilage degradation. To reduce the inflammation, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medication can help.
- In addition, the patient can positively support the affected finger with cold therapy. When the acute phase is over, the therapist should also reduce the hypertonic muscles in the hand and forearm area. Soft tissue techniques, fascial solutions, trigger point therapy and massages are particularly effective for this.
- Exercises against neck tensions
- Cryotherapy/cold therapy
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Fascia Roll
- What is the best way to stretch the cervical spine?
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