Pain in the hands and fingers is one of the most frequent ailments that affect workers and non-workers who use this important part of the body on a daily basis.
Hands are tools of primary importance for everyone, they are the anatomical structures that we use to carry out all daily activities, both work and individual and that we primarily use to interact with objects and the surrounding environment.
It goes without saying that any type of alteration, pathological process or disorder affecting the hands can represent a serious limitation to daily activities and represent a real obstacle in carrying out work.
The handsFurthermore, they are structures with a great sensitivity, therefore every slightest disturbance is immediately felt and will inevitably be exacerbated with every movement, stimulus or contact.
In light of what has been said so far, when you feel pain in your hands it is easier to be worried about the limitations that it entails rather than thinking about the possible pathological implications, but, despite in the vast majority of cases the pain felt in the hands and fingers is consequent to the continuous tactile stimulation to which they are subjected, therefore to trauma or thermal variations, in some cases it can instead have a very different clinical significance.
Pain in the handsit can be acute and pungent, or constant and continuous. It can be localized to the hands or it can radiate to the wrist, forearm and shoulder, associated with a reduced motor capacity, less strength, itching, burning sensation, tingling in the hands , itching and reduced sensitivity.
Furthermore, depending on its location, the nature of the disturbance can be better understood. If the pain is concentrated in the lateral part of the hands, the diagnosis is oriented more towards a disorder of the median nerve that innervates the thumb, index, middle and lateral half of the ring finger.
If the pain is localized in the medial part (little finger and half medial ring finger), it will instead be more easily attributable to a disorder affecting the ulnar nerve (part of the brachial plexus). Extensive pain will suggest a disorder affecting the interosseous musculature.
The latter is a purely statistical and preliminary classification, used only to guide the diagnosis , but as we will see later, the investigations are more in-depth and take into account numerous factors.
Now let’s focus our attention on all the possible causes that can cause pain in the hands and fingers .
What are the main causes of hand pain
We anticipated that thePain in the hands can be the consequence of a multitude of events, mainly of a temporary nature and without any pathological implications but sometimes, however, especially if prolonged and associated with other symptoms, it can be the warning light of a more important clinical condition.
We are therefore going to illustrate the main causes of the disorder, dividing them according to their nature and clinical importance. In particular we will talk about pathological and non-pathological causes for a clearer consultation.
Non- pathological causesthey are the most common, they give a temporary manifestation and once resolved they do not leave any injury. In these cases, do not be alarmed and a little rest will be enough to resolve the pain.
- Vasoconstriction: an event affecting the blood vessels that reduce their caliber and therefore their blood flow, decreasing the flow to the tissues of the hands. Vasoconstriction typically occurs in cold conditions, causing pain, redness and burning;
- Fatigue: A condition that occurs as a result of repeated movements, such as typing for a long time using the computer keyboard or lifting weights. In these cases the pain in the hands often also spreads to the wrist and also extends to the forearm.
Among the pathological causes that require medical intervention, however, we have:
Arthrosis
It is a chronic degenerative disease, for which there is a progressive thinning of the cartilages interposed between the joints of the carpus (of the hand). As a consequence of this phenomenon there is a progressive loss of hand motility and joint stiffness.
It is a pathology that occurs mainly in subjects in adulthood and senile age and can depend both on natural phenomena of wear of the tissues, on genetic factors or on repeated movements. The problem can be localized both in the hands, but it can also manifest itself in the hands as a consequence of a pathological phenomenon that affects the cervical level. This leads to excessive compression of the brachial plexus nerves that innervate the hand muscles.
Arthritis
Condition not to be confused with the previous one. It is an inflammatory phenomenon affecting the joints of the hand that can be the result of a trauma, an infection or an autoimmune disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis
It is an autoimmune disease that affects the joints in a targeted manner. This pathology mainly affects female subjects and can affect any age group, from childhood to the elderly. Bone deformities, reduced strength, reduced motor ability, pain in the hands and fingers are associated with this pathology . It is a very painful ailment and requires targeted therapies.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
This is a very common condition, it mainly affects female subjects in adulthood and advanced age, and is connected to a phenomenon of compression or entrapment of the median nerve (which derives from the brachial plexus).
Symptoms typically manifestat night , and the subject feels the onset of tingling and numbness when he lies down. Initially, the symptoms are felt in the lateral half of the hand (thumb, index, middle and lateral half of the ring finger), later the tingling and pain extend to the forearm to reach the shoulder.
If the diagnosis is made after a long period after the first manifestations of symptoms , the subject could undergo episodes of muscle hypotrophy (reduction in muscle mass), which typically affect the thenar eminence.
It is not possible to pinpoint a single cause for carpal tunnel syndrome, often in fact it is an idiopathic pathology, resulting from several contributing causes. Generally, one of the factors favoring the disorder is the implementation of repetitive movements. There are also some classes of drugs such as antibiotics and anesthetics that can develop the phenomenon.
Multiple Sclerosis
Neurodegenerative disease that leads to the progressive destruction of the myelin sheath that covers the nerves, a structure that allows the transmission of nerve impulses. Failure to transmit impulses to the muscles determines both the reduction of hand movements and the altered perception of tactile stimuli, and often those affected by this disease experience severe pain in the hands , especially in the joints, and therefore also in the fingers .
Diabetes
Systemic disease in which there is a very high blood glucose value , which has damaging effects on the peripheral nervous system (diabetic neuropathy).
Fibromyalgia
Quite common problem in which there is an inflammatory process affecting the point of insertion of the muscle on the bones. This problem causes severe pain in the hands and joint stiffness which occurs mainly in the morning.
Let’s now analyze how the diagnosis is made and what are the most effective therapies we have available to effectively treat this disorder.
How the diagnosis is made
Provided a broad overview of the most frequent ailments underlying hand pain , it is good to reiterate how essential it is to contact your general practitioner, if the pain and manifestations are prolonged and significant, in order to be directed to more in-depth analyzes. . Generally, you are directed to a specialist visit in orthopedics or rheumatology as the case may be.
During the visit, a thorough investigation (anamnesis) is generally carried out, focusing on the symptoms and manifestations felt by the subject. The doctor will then determine how long the pain in the hands has been occurring, if it is continuous or episodic, if the subject is able to move his hand correctly or if he has actual motor impediments and if he complains of a reduction in grip strength.
In addition, the presence of changes in the joints and bones are evaluated and if the subject experiences associated symptoms such as tingling in the hands, paraesthesia, tremors and radiation of pain in the wrist, arm and shoulder.
Once all these aspects have been evaluated, the doctor will be able to subject the subject to more in-depth and specific investigations on the basis of specific diagnostic suspects. A blood sample will be useful, to evaluate the presence of traces of an autoimmune disease and instrumental diagnostic investigations such as an X-ray (for bone and cartilage tissues) or an MRI, useful for assessing the state of tendons and ligaments.
What are the most effective therapies
Hands are extremely complex structures as well as of primary importance in carrying out all daily activities, therefore, it is recommended not to underestimate any disturbance affecting these precious anatomical sites and to seek the attention of a doctor.
It is therefore recommended to avoid any form of procrastination and in no case to rely on improbable advice and remedies read on some web page or acquired by hearsay.
Once the patient has undergone all the necessary diagnostic investigations, the doctor will be able to identify the cause of the problem and administer an adequate therapeutic strategy suitable for the individual case.
For the treatment of major pathologies, each case must be treated in all its complexity, while for simple inflammations, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and corticosteroids are generally prescribed.
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