Rheumatoid arthritis often begins with small, symmetrical joints

It often happens that a person wakes up at night due to the fact that he has an ache in his elbow or shoulder, twists his knee. I did a massage, smeared with ointment - it became easier. But over time, the pain intensifies, the attacks are repeated more often. Naughty fingers fail to fasten a button, and a few steps turn into an insurmountable obstacle, because the leg does not bend at the knee. Doctors advise replacing a joint destroyed by inflammation with a prosthesis.

“In order not to bring the matter to an operation, if pain, swelling in the joint or redness of the skin appears in the place of discomfort, you need to go to a rheumatologist,” says the head of the first rheumatology department of the Alexander Clinical Hospital, associate professor of the Department of Internal Medicine No. 2 of the National medical university named after A. A. Bogomolets, Candidate of Medical Sciences Alexei Ivashkivsky. - The specialist will find out the cause of arthritis - an inflammatory disease of the articular tissues - and prescribe treatment, which is important to start in a timely manner. This is especially true for reactive arthritis. It can occur after a sore throat, genitourinary or intestinal infection, if microbes enter the joint with blood flow and inflammation begins. It is also often provoked by an infection that got inside the joint during surgery or manipulation, after an injury.

The inflammatory process, which destroys cartilage, bones and ligaments, also happens with rheumatoid arthritis, but provokes its failure in the immune system. It actively defends itself from an imaginary enemy by attacking its own tissue lining the inner surface of the joint. If a person does not go to the doctor, then within a few years he can become disabled. Without treatment, the joint is destroyed, and the pathological change limits mobility and restricts movement to a minimum.

What are the first signs of arthritis?

- With rheumatoid arthritis, symmetrical small joints of the hands or feet first suffer. Most often, the patient pays attention to the wrists and fingers, which simultaneously become inflamed and sore on both sides. The person complains that after waking up he cannot clench his fingers into a fist and they have to knead them for a while, or that he walks for a long time in the morning to overcome the stiffness of the joints. For reactive arthritis, the defeat of large joints on the legs is more characteristic, and asymmetric.

Does inflammation also cause gout?

- Yes. With microcrystalline arthritis, due to metabolic disorders, nutritional errors, kidney disease, and stress, the level of uric acid in the blood rises. At the same time, sodium urate crystals are deposited in the joint, it swells, the skin turns red and any touch causes unbearable pain.

How to relieve pain during exacerbation of gout? Is it true that it is better for gout to go on a "hungry" diet? Why does rheumatoid arthritis occur and how is it treated? What to do in case of advanced osteoarthritis?

Numbness of the legs, arms and fingers - causes and treatment. Numbness of the limbs - characterized by an unpleasant sensation of loss of sensitivity and flexibility of the limb, often accompanied by tingling, burning, chilliness and tightening of the skin. Numbness of the extremities appears when there is a violation of the passage of a nerve impulse from receptors to the brain. Occurs when long stay body in an uncomfortable position. Sensitivity quickly returns with a change in body position. But if, after changing the position, discomfort remains, and numbness occurs quite often, this may be a symptom of a serious illness. When to see a doctor When faced with numbness, people often hesitate to see a doctor or wait until the symptoms of numbness go away on their own. In what cases does numbness require a mandatory consultation of a neurologist? Numbness of the extremities occurs frequently and for no apparent reason Numbness causes impaired coordination of movements Decreased sensitivity to different temperatures, and a person does not distinguish between warm and cold water Numbness is accompanied by weakness, pain or loss of mobility Simultaneously with numbness, visual impairment and mental disorders occur fingers Often, numbness of the extremities can be a sign of the following diseases: Circulatory disorders in the extremities Tunnel syndromes caused by nerve compression in narrow areas: in the area of ​​the elbow, wrist, ankles or groin Raynaud's disease, which is characterized by circulatory disorders of the arteries, more often in the extremities Osteochondrosis Intervertebral hernia Rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases that cause nerve damage due to joint deformity Transient ischemic attacks Multiple sclerosis Vitamin (especially B12) and micronutrient deficiencies alcohol Diabetes mellitus Migraine Some hereditary diseases caused by damage to the nerves Numbness of the hands, hands Often occurs when the neurovascular bundle is compressed by connective tissue or muscles. Numbness can turn into pain over time. To determine the place where the compression occurs, the doctor conducts a diagnosis. In some cases, hand numbness is associated with spinal dysfunction. In this case, only a doctor will be able to determine the affected area and eliminate the compression of the vessel or nerve. Finger numbness Finger numbness is quite common these days. Daily work on a computer keyboard often provokes the development of the so-called carpal tunnel syndrome. The syndrome occurs when, as a result of tension, swelling of the tendon occurs and the nerve that provides sensation to the fingers (thumb, index and middle) and palm is compressed. The tendon and nerve pass through a common rather narrow canal. With swelling of the tendon, compression of the nerve causes tingling, numbness, and throbbing pain in the fingers. If treatment is not started on time, the disease can lead to the death of the muscle responsible for the movements of the thumb. According to statistics, women are more susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome. Numbness of the legs Numbness of the legs is caused by a violation of the sensitivity of the nerves. According to statistics, more than 90% of cases of leg numbness are caused by problems with the spine: osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernias, etc. Intervertebral hernias compress the nerve roots, causing tissue spasm. As a result, a person may feel pain and numbness in the legs, a feeling of "crawling" or "cotton legs". Pain and numbness in the legs can also occur due to changes in the lumbar spine. Often, even before the appearance of signs of numbness, the patient begins to feel constant pain in the lumbar region. If you do not seek medical help on time, the disease will progress. Less commonly, leg numbness is due to other systemic diseases, such as diabetes. Numbness of the toes Numbness of the toes can be caused by various metabolic diseases, such as radiculoneuritis. Also, the cause may be tuberculosis of the spine, osteochondrosis, in which there is a narrowing of the intervertebral spaces, various violations in the vessels, and sometimes - the development of a malignant tumor. Oncological diseases cause numbness of the toes due to the growth of the tumor outside or inside spinal cord. The swelling creates pressure, resulting in numbness. Tips for Reducing Numbness in the Extremities When numbness in the extremities occurs, smoking is a deadly poison because nicotine causes blood vessels to constrict. For the same reason, strong tea and coffee, as well as alcohol, are contraindicated for patients with numbness. You should eat more hot food. The best dish is hot buckwheat or oatmeal. For breakfast, it is useful to eat sprouted grains. It is necessary to harden the body: light running, and in winter - skating and skiing, will help normalize the blood supply to the arms and legs. Those who do not have enough blood supply to the limbs need to eat food rich in trace elements, in particular iron. Folk remedies Traditional medicine offers recipes to relieve the symptoms of numbness. contrast baths. An effective remedy for numbness are contrast baths. You need to prepare two containers: with moderately hot and cold water. Alternately lower your arms (or legs) either into the cold or into the hot water for 30 seconds. Alternate repeat 5 times. Spread with turpentine ointment and put on mittens (or socks). Perform procedures in the morning and evening for 10 days. Honey wrap. Do a honey wrap at night. Spread the places where numbness is often felt with a thin layer of honey and wrap with a cotton cloth. Numbness stops after 3-4 wraps. Camphor ointment. Rub hands with camphor ointment red-hot before going to bed. Wear woolen mittens or gloves. It is enough to spend 2-3 sessions to stop numbness. Rosemary. Insist wild rosemary on apple cider vinegar in a ratio of 1: 3 for a week. Rub the tincture into the fingers or toes 3 times a day.

▲Unclench the “fist” of contracture▲ Three years ago I suffered a stroke, recovered almost 80%, but continued treatment, and I began to have muscle contraction syndrome, a reader writes. - Now I walk with difficulty, I can hardly sit, I straighten up with severe pain, I feel as if my right side was tied with a rubber band. Maybe Professor Kadykov will give specific recommendations that will help me get rid of this condition?" Alexander Emelyanovich. Here is what Professor Albert Serafimovich Kadykov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, told Lyubov Ulyanova's correspondent. Albert Kadykov: Perhaps what Alexander Emeyanovich writes about is a muscle contracture : from the Latin "contractus", which means to tighten, shorten. In other words, contracture is a persistent restriction of movement in the joint. Let's name the main types of contractures and their causes. Arthrological contractures appear with arthritis (inflammatory processes in the joints), arthrosis (changes in joints of metabolic, age-related, dystrophic nature), gout, and other diseases.Because of pain, a person initially limits movement, which, if nothing is done, is quite difficult to overcome.As a result of injuries, burns, post-traumatic contractures, dermatogenic-cicatricial changes in the skin, also obstructing the movement of the sus tava. A special form is Dupuytren's contracture. In this case, fibrous degeneration of the hand develops, the fourth and fifth fingers suffer more often. The disease usually occurs at the age of 40, the exact cause of its occurrence has not been determined. A number of contractures are associated with neurogenic changes. Spastic contracture develops as a result of strokes, other diseases of the central nervous system. An uneven increase in tone occurs in the muscles, in which, speaking plain language , the strength of the flexor muscles prevails over the strength of the extensor muscles. If spasticity is not treated in a timely manner, contracture develops, which, unfortunately, is not always possible to get rid of. In addition, there are arthropathy, they are also associated with diseases of the central nervous system. In these cases, changes occur in the joint - it swells, pain appears when moving. Often arthropathies are combined with muscle spasticity: gradually the contracture “captures” the joint and a person has, for example, “crooked hands”. No wonder a well-known radiologist noticed that arthropathy is a caricature of arthrosis. correspondent: How to treat contracture? A.K .: If the contracture is articular, various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, for example, nise, ketonal. With very severe pain, the removal of the inflammatory process directly into the joint is done with injections of kenalog or other drugs. With spastic contractures, drugs are used to reduce muscle tone, muscle relaxants - sirdalud, baclofen, mydocalm. How long, in what doses to take these medicines the doctor will tell: everything is individual. Self-medication on the advice of friends is unacceptable here. It often happens that people reduce muscle spasticity with a vengeance. For example, a leg in which the tone is slightly increased, after an unreasonable intake of drugs, ceases to perform a supporting function altogether. Treatment must be done very carefully. Now there are new drugs, in particular, Botox, a preparation of botulinum toxin, which is administered in microdoses. They act only on the injection site, reduce the tone and prevent the development of contracture. Along with drugs, treatment with a laser, currents, a magnet, acupuncture is prescribed. Physiotherapy relieves pain, improves blood circulation in the joints. Heat therapy helps well - applications of paraffin, ozocerite, as well as mud. "core": But if the contracture is accompanied by an inflammatory process, heat treatment can only worsen the condition. A.K.: Indeed, when the joint is inflamed or when injections are made into it, heat treatment is not used. When you can start it, the doctor will determine. It is very important to notice the change in tone in time and not delay the start of physiotherapy treatment. Cor: Is he being given a course? А.К.: As a rule, 10-15 sessions are prescribed. I would advise you to start with physiotherapy in the clinic, and then buy, say, paraffin and continue treatment at home. Paraffin is heated to 50-56 degrees or to subfertile temperature, that is, body temperature, after which it is applied to the affected area. You can also apply blue clay, take warm (not hot!) baths with sea salt. By the way, others are suitable folk remedies, for example, burdock leaves, cabbage. Cor: One of our readers told me that compresses with diluted vinegar helped her with arm contracture. I accidentally read in the old journal Science and Life that hardened oilcloth can be restored to elasticity by wiping it with a cloth dipped in a weak solution of vinegar. So I decided to try this method for the treatment of contractures. Helped. А.К.: I have not come across such treatment. Theoretically, this is probably possible. And if it helps, then good. True, it is better to do baths with diluted vinegar, and not compresses, so as not to get a burn. Kor: By the way, this happened to our reader for the first time, then she began to add more water to the vinegar. А.К.: You see how it happens. Therefore, dilute a weak solution of vinegar in a bowl and, lowering your hand into it, gently squeeze and unclench the brush, and make other movements. Thus, you will notice even a slight burning sensation in time. Exercises can be done in a solution of sea or table salt- movements in the water better relax the muscles. In general, with regard to physiotherapy exercises, I want to warn against excessive zeal. What do some sick people do? Suppose a person has a hand movement, but weak. And then, in order to build up strength, he begins to sharply squeeze a sponge, a ball, or even an expander, and he does this almost all free time. And instead of building strength, it builds tone! By the way, judging by the letter, a similar thing happened with Alexander Emelyanovich. Meanwhile, the movements should be light, as if grasping, so that they prevent spasticity. Therefore, instead of a ball, it is better to take, for example, a cube. Or make movements in the opposite direction, that is, not flexion. And extensor movements in the hand and fingers. Massage helps a lot. On spasmodic muscles, it should be soft, relaxing, and on muscles - “antagonists”, that is, extensor muscles, it should be more intense. In a word, with contracture, the prospects for creativity are great. But once again I repeat - creativity should be accurate. In terms of extraction, a person can do a lot for himself, but it is important not to harm. Sometimes a patient comes, the hand is clenched into a fist - do not unclench! You start asking what you were doing, it turns out that you were sitting in front of the TV and squeezing your sponge all the time. This kind of "creativity" is dangerous. Cor: You mentioned clenched fist. I heard that people sometimes lurk to unclench the joint through pain - clenching their teeth, sharply, with force. Is such a contracture removal acceptable? A.K .: If you try to relieve tension by force, you need to do it very, very carefully. But most importantly - it is better not to bring to this. When they begin to be treated on time and regularly, as a rule, it does not reach contracture. I want to draw attention to one more circumstance. In his letter, Alexander Emelyanovich mentioned that he was experiencing a feeling of constriction. Under certain circumstances, such sensations of soreness, tightness, pain in the arms or legs can be given by centers that are located in a certain part of the brain - in the thalamus. It happens that both the patient himself and his doctors perceive such symptoms as spasticity, although in fact these are manifestations of the so-called thalamic syndrome. Cor: So, in this case, roughly speaking, it is necessary to treat not the arms and legs, but the head? A.K .: Yes, there are special drugs that will relieve this syndrome, but first you need to accurately determine the cause of such sensations - do an MRI, conduct other examinations, and only then begin treatment. Cor: The last question - can contracture recur? A.K .: Unfortunately, this happens, so a person sometimes has to do some procedures for quite a long time if there is a tendency to increase contracture. Sometimes the patient is forced to be treated like hypertension, all his life - it depends on muscle tone or joint disease. Any disease, as you know, is easier to prevent than to treat later. And contracture is one of the brightest confirmations of this, in fact, the most important idea of ​​our conversation.

Advanced arthritis and arthrosis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis and many other diseases. We invite you to know everything possible reasons, and find out why the fingers do not bend, including in the morning.

It should be understood that most of these pathologies are successfully treated conservatively without surgical intervention, even in the most advanced stages. To do this, you should just apply for an appointment with a chiropractor. After a preliminary examination, the doctor will prescribe you an appropriate course of treatment aimed at eliminating such a physical defect.

Why don't your fingers bend?

So, why don't the fingers bend when trying to do this, and there is an unpleasant sensation? First of all, you should pay attention to the condition of the interphalangeal joints. Examine them - are there signs of tissue deformation, is there swelling, redness. If all these signs are absent, then you can safely exclude deforming osteoarthritis, arthritis and gout. Caution should be taken when diagnosing Bechterew's disease. With this pathology of the connective tissue, the main lesions are in the intervertebral joints, and only isolated consequences can appear on the hands. Similarly, rheumatism and other systemic diseases can manifest themselves. Their diagnosis requires careful laboratory tests.

Most often, the answer to the question of why the fingers do not bend lies in the plane of the lesion of the nerve fiber, which is responsible for the innervation of the corresponding muscle adductor fibers. Any movement of our body is induced by signal transmission from the brain. The nerve impulse then sends a command to the appropriate muscle group to either contract or relax. If there is difficulty with extension or flexion of the fingers, then, most likely, such a nerve impulse simply does not reach the muscles. The focus of pathological changes in this case can be located both in the cervical spine and be formed against the background of long-term osteochondrosis, and in the carpal tunnel.

As a rule, these conditions are accompanied by a feeling of crawling, numbness, a slight pain syndrome and increased fatigue of muscle fibers. With a prolonged violation of the process of innervation, the muscles are deformed, their dystrophy occurs.

Caution: fingers do not bend well

Care must be taken in situations in which the fingers are poorly bent without being accompanied by other clinical symptoms of impaired innervation or damage to the joints of the hands. The fact is that acute and chronic cerebrovascular accidents, various angios and neuropathies against the background of diabetes mellitus, alcohol intoxication and pathologies of internal organs can manifest themselves as such signs.

The first phase of the development of an ischemic and hemorrhagic type of stroke can also begin with a feeling of numbness of the limbs on one side of the body. Lack of symmetry is the main diagnostic feature of such conditions. However, with carpal tunnel syndrome, a predominant lesion of the left or right upper limb can also be observed.

Fingers do not bend in the morning

If your fingers do not bend in the morning, then this is unlikely to be a consequence of tunnel syndrome, since with this disease, typical symptoms intensify after monotonous work and reach their peak in the evening. In the morning, as a rule, patients experience a feeling of some relief. Usually, fingers do not bend well in the morning with various systemic diseases accompanied by metabolic disorders. It can be gout, in which the blood contains a large number of uric acid. At night, the blood flow slows down, as a result of which part of the salts can be released into the articular cavities, including the interphalangeal joints of the fingers. Usually, patients experience difficulties with mobility in almost all large joints. The lesion of the hands is symmetrical.

The second factor that may be accompanied by such a symptom is a violation of the physiological position of the cervical vertebrae. Even a displacement of a few millimeters can lead to disruption of the process of innervation of one of the upper limbs. As a rule, the greatest load in this case on the nerve fiber occurs during the hours of night rest. In the morning the patient experiences a feeling of numbness. In the morning, his fingers do not bend, there is no opportunity to make movements associated with fine motor skills. After a few hours everything is gone.

Fingers do not bend into a fist

Limitation of the mobility of the fingers is another typical sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, which often occurs against the background of traumatic damage to the joints and ligaments. Deformed joints of the bones can interfere with the normal innervation of the tissues of the hand. Against the background of all this, the patient's fingers do not bend into a fist, the pain may be completely absent. The patient experiences a lack of strength or the inability to perform the planned action.

Treatment of this pathology is carried out by manual therapy methods using the correction of the position of articular inclusions, vertebrae. Subsequently, sessions of therapeutic massage are prescribed, during which specialists achieve rapid regeneration of damaged tissues by increasing their blood supply. In advanced cases, long-term rehabilitation treatment may be required.

The finger does not fully extend

A condition in which the finger does not fully extend may be the result of bad habit"crunch" the joints. The mechanism of development of pathology is associated with the primary stretching of the articular cavity, which results in instability of the ligamentous apparatus, excessive stretching of the tendon fibers. When you try to straighten your finger completely, there is excessive tension in the tendon apparatus, which prevents full extension.

In such patients, small subluxations, the development of deformation of the articular tissues, and impaired fine motor skills of the hands are often observed. Immediate help is required, which will stop the rapidly progressing pathological process. In this case, our clinic offers qualified assistance aimed at the rehabilitation of articular, ligamentous and tendon tissues. In parallel, work is underway to restore the elasticity and volume of muscle mass.

The little finger on the hand does not bend

And the last condition that we would like to consider in this article concerns the fact that the little finger on the hand does not bend on one side. Most often, this is a symptom indicating a long-term carpal tunnel syndrome. This disease affects mainly people who are engaged in monotonous monotonous work, involving fine motor skills of one of the hands, and accompanied by an incorrect position of the hand.

The first clinical signs of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain and numbness after a hard day at the back of the hand in its lateral part. Unpleasant sensations intensify in the evening and reach their maximum when trying to fall asleep. In the morning all symptoms are gone. If the little finger on the hand does not bend, then this is already an advanced stage.

But a cure is possible. To do this, our specialists offer various methods. Although, to start therapy, the disease should be differentiated from cervical osteochondrosis, which is also often accompanied by a feeling of numbness and soreness in the little finger.

Everything starts sometime. Here is such an incomprehensible ailment, when you cannot clench your hand into a fist, it seems to come from nowhere and suddenly. What could be the reasons for this phenomenon? There are many reasons, as usual. Let's name a few of the most important.

Problems with the spine

Sometimes a person cannot clench his hand into a fist if he has problems with the cervical and thoracic spine, more precisely, with the fifth, sixth and seventh cervical and first, second and third thoracic vertebrae. A CT scan should be done, the pictures usually show everything at once.

Sick stomach or intestines

Yes, a diseased gastrointestinal tract can be the source of many health problems. For example, an infection that has entered the intestines and caused inflammation can complication on the joints and cause inflammation. It is possible that in this case, a sick stomach or intestines gives such a side effect. Doesn't hurt to check.

This reason is perhaps the most serious. A person wakes up at night due to whining in the elbow or shoulder, or twisting the knee. After the massage, he feels better. But over time, the pain not only does not disappear, but also intensifies, the fingers become naughty, the hand does not clench into a fist, the legs do not bend at the knees. The joints are gradually destroyed due to the onset of inflammation. It is important not to bring the matter to surgical intervention. If pain, swelling, redness of the skin appear in the joint area, you should contact a rheumatologist as soon as possible.

It is especially important to start treatment on time reactive arthritis . Such arthritis appears after suffering a sore throat, after the introduction of an intestinal or sexual infection, as well as when an infection enters the joint during a surgical operation. With reactive arthritis, large joints on the legs are affected, the reception is asymmetrical.

Cartilage, ligaments and joints are destroyed and rheumatoid arthritis. The inflammatory process occurs, as a rule, due to a malfunction of the immune system - the so-called. autoimmune disease. With such a disease, the human immune system begins to actively protect the body from an imaginary enemy and attack its own cells inside the joint. Lack of treatment can lead to a wheelchair. You can name the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. The wrist, fingers suffer, moreover, they hurt simultaneously on both hands. In the morning, a person cannot clench his hand into a fist, his fingers have to knead for a long time. A person “paces” for a long time, getting rid of stiffness of movements.

Gout, or microcrystalline arthritis (salt deposits) caused by metabolic disorders, nutritional errors, kidney disease, stress. With gout, there is an increased level of uric acid in the blood. Sodium crystals begin to be deposited in the joints, the joint swells and gives severe, sometimes unbearable pain.

This cause is easily tracked by taking an x-ray or MRI.

Heart disease

In these cases, side effects occur in the region of the left shoulder blade and chest. You can try to drink Corvalol and artificially induce a cough - this should help.