Pain in the ring finger joint: Dangerous symptom, dont take it lightly

Of the five fingers, the position of the little finger is often difficult to degenerate, causing pain compared to the thumb, index finger and middle finger, but the danger level of this finger is quite high. There are many causes of pain in the ring finger such as age, injury, overuse of the knuckles, etc.

When there is pain in the ring finger, is this condition dangerous and how to prevent and treat it? Please refer to the article below to learn about this disease.

What is ring finger joint pain?

Pain in the ring finger joint is a manifestation of inflammation and degenerative joint disease

Osteoarthritis leads to finger joint pain

Unhealthy habits and lifestyle have led to joint pain in the fingers in general and pain in the little finger joints in particular, which are common and tend to be younger. This is one of the manifestations of inflammation, degenerative joint disease . 

Osteoarthritis occurs when the cells, joint organization and around the joint, especially the articular cartilage, are in the aging process; is an imbalance between synthesis and destruction of cartilage and subchondral bone; In addition, the final manifestation is morphological, biochemical, molecular and biomechanical changes of cells and basic substances of cartilage leading to liquefaction, ulceration and loss of articular cartilage, fibrosis of subchondral bone, bone spurs and subchondral bone cavities.

The disease is also caused by a number of other factors such as the environment, diseases related to nerves, muscles, bones, etc.

Symptoms of ring finger arthritis

Arthritis usually begins in each joint on the finger, especially the ring finger. When the joint in the ring finger becomes inflamed or degenerated, it leads to swelling, pain, and redness. With movement, the pain will become more intense.

The joints are stiff and hard lumps appear at the joints, causing the fingers to not work properly..

When articular cartilage is damaged by degeneration, joint dryness occurs. Every time you move, your knuckles make a creaking sound.

Because the location at the tip of the ring finger contains many sensory nerves, there are often symptoms of throbbing pain, soreness, and stiffness of the finger. body. 

Consequences of illness

The pain in the ring finger joint often occurs at night, making it difficult for the patient to sleep, leading to insomnia. Long-term insomnia will cause fatigue, affect health, and lose concentration at work .

Severe cases of osteoarthritis will cause deformity of the ring finger. This condition is not only unsightly, but also makes it difficult for patients to move or hold objects.

The most serious complication of osteoarthritis of the fingers is disability and the inability to perform normal movements.

Some other complications of little finger joint pain are gout, fractures, bone necrosis, joint infections, bleeding, deterioration of tendons and ligaments around joints.

Pain in the ring finger joint is a sign of what disease?

When the pain in the ring finger joint, although not life-threatening, the patient seriously affects the motor function in the finger joint. Moreover, this pain in this finger joint can also be a sign of some osteoarthritis such as:

Osteoarthritis

The manifestation of osteoarthritis is pain in the joints of the fingers, including the ring finger. When osteoarthritis occurs, the joints of the fingers and hands lose nutrients, wear down, weaken and crack easily. In addition, the disease will cause inflammation and peeling of the joint capsule, lack of lubricating fluid to lubricate the cartilage, fibrosis or growth of spines in the subchondral bone, increasing friction, causing pain in the joints. Most of the elderly, starting to enter the aging age, experience this condition.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain in the joints of the fingers

Rheumatoid Arthritis

People with rheumatoid arthritis will experience symptoms such as joint pain in the fingers, the joints of the fingers are swollen, red hot, severe pain when pressing the fingers, shaking hands, difficulty grasping objects. . In particular, the joints and muscles of the fingers are tight when waking up in the morning, so it is necessary to massage for a period of time to be able to move.

Calcium deficiency

People with calcium deficiency will experience a series of bone and joint problems, especially finger joint pain, including the ring finger. The elderly, women in perimenopause and menopause are often susceptible to calcium deficiency.

Muscular Dystrophy

Face-shoulder-brachial dystrophy is a rare inherited muscle disease that causes muscle fibers to be damaged, skeletal muscles are gradually weakened, causing pain in the right, left arm and fingers.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

People who work in an environment where the muscles and tendons of the fingers, hands, arms, and shoulder blades are often active for a long time will experience carpal tunnel syndrome. Popular are office workers. This syndrome has disorders that cause pain in the joints of the fingers, wrists, and numbness of the hands due to the condition of the teeth that secrete fluid in the nerves.

De Quervain's syndrome

Due to performing movements such as holding, grasping, rotating the wrist too many times, it will lead to tendonitis and inflammation of the thumb muscle, causing symptoms of thumb joint pain, swelling and pain in the fingers, etc. 

Injury

Due to the environment and the nature of daily work, it causes labor accidents, traffic accidents, entertainment, etc., causing the finger bones to dislocate, crack, break, damage muscles, joint cartilage, subchondral bone and cause pain. finger.

Treatment of pain and inflammation in the ring finger joint 

The pain of the ring finger joint pain has the following treatment methods:

Use pain relievers

To relieve symptoms quickly, patients can use pain relievers. However, this should only be considered a temporary measure because it can affect the stomach, liver, and kidneys when used for a long time. According to experts at the Research Institute of Spine Diseases, Berlin (Germany), the strong effect of pain relievers will cause joint cartilage to wear down, making joint degeneration worse. 

Physiotherapy treatment

Using massage, acupuncture, acupressure or applying exercises to treat finger joint pain is also very effective. These therapeutic measures help increase blood circulation, relieve muscle stiffness, cartilage joints, fight inflammation, swelling of finger joints.

Experts recommend that it is possible to treat finger joint pain with oriental medicine, which is currently being evaluated as a safe method, providing long-term effectiveness but without causing side effects.

Preventive measures for finger joint pain 

To avoid joint pain in general and ring finger in particular, you should maintain the following healthy lifestyle:

Maintain good habits and posture

People who sit at computers should sit up straight to avoid affecting their joints

While working or in daily activities, you should pay attention to gentle movements and movements, avoid putting a lot of effort on the fingertips such as trying to carry heavy objects or grasp with the fingertips.

In the process of working, lifting, carrying heavy objects, it is necessary to wear gloves and use cloth to line the hands to avoid affecting the joints.

For people who work with computers, they should sit up straight, when typing, they should straighten their arms, it is best to type 10 fingers to reduce pressure on the hands, avoid causing hand fatigue and affecting the joints. Regular hand massage every 30 minutes, helps relax joints and better blood circulation

Nutrition

To treat finger arthritis, patients need to eat a lot of green vegetables daily including broccoli, broccoli, collard greens, cabbage... These are vegetables that are rich in calcium, good for bones and joints and reduce joint pain. effective hand.

In addition to eating green vegetables, you need to add foods rich in Vitamins and Omega-3 such as salmon, mackerel, meat, eggs, milk, avocado ... to help relieve joint pain, especially avoid red meat, papaya ripe, spinach…

Sports practice

In addition to proper nutrition, you should exercise to improve health, help reduce pain and enhance the functioning of muscles, joints of hands and fingers.