The human body has more than 300 joints: from the largest to the hips and shoulders, and from the smallest to the joints of the fingers and toes. And all of them are important and necessary for health and a full life. Minor and unjustified, at first glance, pain in the joints of the legs and arms may indicate severe organizational disorders, circulatory and metabolic problems. Therefore, for the first manifestations of joint pain, contacting an osteopathic specialist will be the right and timely decision. After all, osteopathy makes the most logical declaration of joint disease with its idea of the body as a complex, interconnected system of skeletons, joints, muscles, and internal organs, and demonstrates the great effectiveness of their treatment.
Numbness and pain in the hand. Causes and diseases
Hand pain and numbness in the hands are usually caused by dysfunction (damage) of the cardiovascular system. The causes may be neuralgic diseases of the cervical spine, pinching of the nerves in the hands. In heart disease, numbness of the left hand is often observed, which begins with a slight decrease in the sensitivity of the little finger and the ring finger and gradually extends along the limb to the forearm and mainly affects the inner part.
Pain in the joints of the two hands, accompanied by numbness of the thumb and forefinger and sometimes of the middle fingers, indicates damage to the cervical spine, possible pinching of the nerves, displacement of the intervertebral discs or the vertebrae themselves.
Numbness in the fingertips is most likely an indication of a lack of vitamins A and B in the body. This symptom is most pronounced in late winter and early spring, when the body is as exhausted as possible.
At age 45 and older, numbness, complete inability to move the hand, and even small loads on the joints (suturing, bandaging, working with the keyboard) may indicate atherosclerosis and damage to the blood vessels in the hand. for the elbow and shoulder joints.
Many age-related illnesses and previous injuries manifest as pain in the joints of the hand. Elongation, contusions, and cracks in the scapulae and lunar bones of the hand left unattended cannot heal at the same time. The consequences of such an inattentive approach threaten a partial or complete loss of mobility. In addition, diagnosing fractures and cracks is fairly straightforward - both with the help of an X-ray and during an osteopath visit. The latter can also help with the consequences of such injuries, eliminating possible dislocation of bones and damage to blood vessels, pinching nerve endings that cause pain.
Occupational diseases of the joints of the hand
Joint pain in the hands can be caused by their regular exertion, monotonous physical exercises, and harmful external influences on the joints. The majority of injuries and illnesses resulting from such exposure are of occupational origin.
So the joints of the hand often fall into the following categories:
- Those who spend a lot of time in front of the computer. The right hand is more often affected in the right hand and the left hand in the left hand. Due to the constant presence of the hand in the same position - on a computer mouse - the swelling of the ligaments (tendons) and the nearby nerve occurs. Over time, increasing pain in the wrist can lead to numbness and even complete inability to move the hand. The disease was called "tunnel syndrome";
- Pregnant women. "Tunnel syndrome" also manifests itself in them, it becomes most pronounced after 3-4 months of pregnancy. Usually, the pain in the joints of the hand is preceded by the swelling that characterizes late pregnancy. Combined with increasing body weight, they lead to damage to the wrist nerve. Pain can range from mild discomfort in the joint to complete numbness of the hand. Usually, the function of the joints is restored after the birth of the child;
- Pianists, tailors, laundries, cleaners. Due to the constant stress that falls primarily on the tendons responsible for the work of the thumb, the pain in the hand is localized in this area. Diagnosing the disease at an early stage makes treatment relatively easy. The most important thing is to contact an osteopath before the growth of the scar tissue changes. This is usually preceded by pronounced pain, inflammation, and swelling in the joints;
- Crane operators, carpenters, builders working with lifting tools. The so-called Kienböck disease (vascular necrosis of the wrist bones) develops as a result of severe injury to the hand joint or regular microtrauma. The background of the disease is a violation of blood circulation in the wrist area, as a result of which severe pain develops in the joint of the hand, and later the changes and destruction of the bone tissue begin. Usually the joints of the working hand suffer.
Other causes of hand joint pain
Pain in the joints of the hand is not limited to the hand area. The joints of the shoulder and elbow are affected just as often. Their lesions are usually caused by injuries to the hands, spine, and diseases and age-related lesions that lead to thinning of the articular cartilage. Treatment can vary from case to case, depending on the complexity and severity of the disease. Only an experienced osteopathic specialist can diagnose why there is hand pain, joint cracking, and other disorders of hand movement.
Osteopathic treatment of joint pain
Pain in the joints of the hand is not always directly caused by damage to these joints. On the contrary, the causes of the disease are often quite far from the hands. Therefore, treatment can only be effective if it is aimed at eliminating the root causes. This approach is used by osteopaths. However, complex methods are highly effective for hand pain when combined with manual techniques with moderate physical activity, while at the same time correcting the patient’s diet and affecting the primary source of the disease.
In the first stage of treatment, the pain in the joint is always stopped. This allows the patient's body to respond better to osteopathic effects and to relax completely during the session. As the sessions themselves take quite long (1-2 weeks) breaks, which are necessary for the body to recover and adapt to the changes introduced in its function by the osteopath, it is recommended to fix the joint in a fixed position for this period. . To do this, use rails, corsets, various support bandages, etc.
After the pain in the articular joint has disappeared, the osteopath begins to relieve muscle cramps and removes the blocks that interfere with normal blood circulation near the joints and throughout the body. Restoring the blood supply to the affected area improves the nutrition of the tissues, as a result of which the pain does not return and the joints themselves gradually recover.
During the recovery phase, proper nutrition is very important, allowing the body and the affected areas to receive all the necessary trace elements, vitamins and nutrients. Due to the gradual regeneration and recovery of the tissues, the joints of the hand lose mobility, not only the pain but also the numbness and discomfort disappear.
In order to maintain the improving condition of the hands, the joint should be gradually loaded in order to consolidate the positive tendencies and strengthen the hand muscles. Physiotherapy procedures and practices should be performed and standardized under the strict supervision of a professional. If the pain returns to the joints of the hand, the load should be reduced.
Along with the treatment of the hands, the causes of the disease are also affected - the spine, the neck region, the internal organs. The goal of osteopathic techniques is to improve blood supply and metabolism throughout the body, which of course has a positive effect on the work of all its systems. In this case, the advantage of turning to an osteopath is that while treating the hand pain, it also alleviates the other deeper disorders that have become the cause of that pain.
Pain in the joint of the hand does not always damage the wrist, so conventional treatment with symptomatic methods may not work. While an osteopath who is more widely aware of the problem can help on a few occasions.