Where is your pain located? | Pain in the hand

Where is your pain located?

The thumb has a special function when grasping because it has greater mobility compared to the other fingers. Pain in the thumb can occur in very different ways. It can occur for example.Often, the thumb’s ability to move is restricted by the pain and it is difficult to grasp.

Pain in the thumb can be the result of sprains, bone fractures (fractures) or torn ligaments. For example, the Bennett fracture (fracture of the base of the first metacarpal bone) often leads to severe, pulling pain all the way to the thumb saddle joint. The so-called “ski thumb“, a tear of the collateral ligament of the thumb, can also lead to severe pain and swelling in the thumb area.

Joint wear and tear, such as arthrosis of the thumb saddle joint (rhizarthrosis), also leads to thumb pain. In some cases, thumb pain is also caused by acute joint inflammation (e.g. reactive arthritis). In the course of a gout disease, deposits of uric acid crystals can form in the joints.

An acute attack of gout can also manifest itself in a reddened and swollen thumb joint. A common cause of thumb pain is the so-called Quervain disease (Tendovaginitis stenosans de Quervain). This term describes a special form of tendovaginitis in the area of the thumb muscles, which is caused by overstrain.

Depending on the cause of the thumb pain, very different treatment options are possible. In the case of fractures or torn ligaments, the thumb is immobilized in a splint and then treated with physiotherapy. Rhizarthrosis also often requires immobilization first so that the inflammatory process in the joint can subside.

An operation with correction or replacement of the joint is also possible.

  • A punctual pain in the joint
  • A pulling pain that may radiate into the arm
  • A painful swelling with a distinct painful pressure

Finger pain can have many different causes. Very often finger pain is caused by an inflammatory or degenerative (wear-related) disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or arthrosis.

But also strains, bruises, fractures and other diseases (e.g. Morbus Dupuytrenin) can be considered. The pain in the fingers often leads to a restriction of movement, usually intensified after certain strains such as stretching, bending or after carrying heavy loads. Since our hands are very important for almost every activity in everyday and working life, pain in the fingers should be clarified by a physician in good time to avoid health risks.

In some cases, finger diseases (e.g. rheumatic diseases) can lead to incapacity to work, which is why timely treatment is all the more important. The four fingers (the thumb is described separately) are a part of the hand and are formed by a skeleton of three bones, which are connected by the finger joints. Sprains, strains or a finger fracture are usually accompanied by pain, swelling and bruising.

Damage to nerves (e.g. as a result of diabetes) or benign soft tissue tumors (ganglion, “ganglion”) can also lead to pain and restricted movement in the finger area. A typical sign of a so-called sulcus ulnaris syndrome or ulnar groove syndrome is tingling and nocturnal pain in the little finger and ring finger. The ulnar nerve runs at the level of the elbow joint in a narrow bony channel (so-called “musician’s bone”).

In the case of Sulcus Ulnaris syndrome, pain in the small finger can also be provoked by tapping this bony canal. If the nerve is constricted for a longer period of time, there may even be atrophy of the palmar muscles, which manifests itself in a weakness in spreading or spreading the fingers. As a rule, the nerve must be surgically exposed at the elbow in such cases and moved out of the bone canal.

The little finger (as well as the ring finger) can also be affected by the so-called Dupuytren’s contracture. Dupuytren’s disease is the name for a benign, scarring disease of the connective tissue (fibromatosis) of the palm and fingers. The connective tissue of the hand is altered, resulting in an increased number of nodules and strands forming on the fingers and palm.

These nodules can press on nerves and cause severe pain. In the course of the disease, the connective tissue often becomes so hardened that the affected fingers (usually the little finger and ring finger) can no longer be actively stretched, resulting in a bending contracture (fingers remain bent). The exact cause of Dupuytren’s contracture has not yet been fully clarified, but the disease frequently occurs in men over the age of 50.The most common cause of pain in the finger joints is degenerative processes or signs of wear in the finger joints.

This is a form of arthrosis of the finger joint, in which the cartilage layer of the joint gradually wears away. In most cases, arthrosis occurs in the end joints of the fingers (Herbenden’s arthrosis), less frequently in the middle joints of the fingers (Bouchard’s arthrosis). At the beginning of arthrosis of the finger joints there are often no symptoms, which is why the disease remains undetected for a long time.

Later on, there is severe pain in the finger joints, combined with swelling, stiff joints and difficulties with fine motor movements (e.g. unscrewing the bottle). Another common cause of painful finger joints is chronic inflammation of the joints (arthritis). Such an inflammation can be caused, for example, by bacterial infections, metabolic diseases such as gout, or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, psoriasis or ankylosing spondylitis.

In most cases, however, it is rheumatoid arthritis (“inflammatory rheumatism“). Rheumatoid arthritis occurs about twice as frequently in women as in men and can take very different courses. Rheumatism can begin slowly and initially affect only the small finger and wrist joints, and it can also occur suddenly and affect only one or a few joints.

Typically, rheumatoid arthritis (caused by the inflammation) causes severe finger pain, morning stiffness of the joints, and the joints can also swell and redden considerably. Also a general feeling of illness with tiredness, fever, exhaustion and increased sweating can occur. Rheumatoid arthritis is easily treatable with an early diagnosis.

The course of the disease varies greatly, but it often leads to chronic joint inflammation, which can lead to disability and invalidity as the joints are progressively destroyed. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the heart, lungs or eyes and cause chronic inflammation. This can lead to the development of various diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis or pericarditis.

In addition, people affected by rheumatism have an increased risk of other diseases such as arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, heart attack or stroke. Do you have more interest in this topic ?with pain of the hand back within the range of the hand root this can have different causes. There can be an inflammation of the tendon sheath in the area of the back of the hand or a so-called neuralgia.

These are pains in the area supplied by a nerve, which can be caused by excessive irritation or inflammation. In addition to pain, numbness or tingling can also occur here. and pain in the middle hand