There are more than 300 joints in the human body: the largest - the thigh and shoulder, the smallest - to the joints of the fingers and toes. And each of them is important and necessary for health and a full life. Small and unreasonable, at first glance, may indicate pain in the joints of the legs and arms, serious disorders of the body, problems with the circulatory and metabolic systems. Therefore, contacting an osteopath at the first sign of joint pain will be the right and timely decision. After all, with the idea of the body as a complex interconnected system of skeletons, joints, muscles and internal organs, osteopathy provides the most logical explanation of joint diseases and demonstrates high effectiveness in their treatment.
Numbness and pain in the hands. Causes and diseases
Pain in the hands and numbness of the hands are usually caused by dysfunction of the cardiovascular system. Also, the causes may be neuralgic diseases of the cervical spine, compressed nerves of the hands. In heart disease, numbness of the left hand is often noted, which begins with a slight decrease in the sensitivity of the little finger and ring finger and gradually spreads along the limb to the forearm, mainly affecting the inner part.
Pain in the joints of both hands, cervical spine disorders, possible constricted nerves, displacement of intervertebral discs or vertebrae, sometimes accompanied by numbness of the thumb and index finger.
The numbness of the fingertips most likely indicates a deficiency of vitamins A and B in the body. This symptom is more pronounced in late winter and early spring, when the body is as tired as possible.
At the age of 45 and older, even after small loads on the joints (sewing, knitting, working with the keyboard), such numbness, inability to fully move the hand can indicate atherosclerosis, as well as damage to the arteries of the hands. elbow and shoulder joints.
Many age-related diseases and previous injuries manifest themselves in the form of pain in the joints of the hands. Instantly incurable, elongation of the navicular and lunate bones of the hand, bruises and cracks are neglected. The consequences of such a careless approach threaten with partial or complete loss of mobility. In addition, the diagnosis of fractures and cracks is very simple - both with the use of X-rays, and during a visit to the osteopath. The latter can help with the consequences of such injuries by eliminating possible bone displacement and damage to blood vessels, as well as compression of nerve endings that cause pain.
Occupational diseases of the joints of the hands
Pain in the joints of the hands, their regular overload, monotonous physical exercises, can cause negative external influences on the joints. Most injuries and illnesses caused by such exposure can be classified as occupational.
Thus, the joints of the hands often suffer from the following categories:
- People who spend a lot of time on the computer. The right hand is more affected in the right hand and the left hand in the left hand. Because the hand is always in the same position - in a computer mouse - swelling of the ligaments (tendons) and nearby nerves occurs. Over time, increased pain in the wrist can cause numbness and even inability to move the hand. The disease was called "Tunnel Syndrome";
- Pregnant women. "Tunnel syndrome" also manifests itself in them, it becomes more pronounced after 3-4 months of pregnancy. Pain in the joints of the hands usually occurs before the swelling, which is characteristic of late pregnancy. They cause damage to the carpal nerve along with increased body weight. Pain can range from mild discomfort in the joint to complete numbness of the hands. Usually, joint function is restored after childbirth;
- Pianists, tailors, laundresses, cleaners. Pain in the hand is localized in this area, mainly as a result of constant stress on the tendon muscles, which are responsible for the function of the thumb. Early diagnosis of the disease makes it relatively easy to deal with. The key is to contact an osteopath before scar tissue growth begins to change. This is usually preceded by severe pain, inflammation and swelling in the joints;
- Crane operators, carpenters, builders working with jack tools. The disease, called Kienböck's disease (avascular necrosis of the bones of the wrist), develops as a result of severe damage to the hand joint or regular microtrauma. The disease occurs as a result of circulatory disorders in the wrist, resulting in severe pain in the joint of the hand, followed by changes and destruction of bone tissue. Usually, the joints of the human hand suffer.
Other causes of pain in the joints of the hands
Pain in the joints of the hands can be localized, not only in the area of the hands. Shoulder and elbow joints are affected equally often. Their damage usually results in thinning of the cartilage tissue in the joints as a result of damage to the hands and spine, as well as diseases and age-related changes. Treatment in each case may be different - depending on the complexity and severity of the disease. Only an experienced osteopathic specialist can determine the cause of pain in the hands, a crisis in the joints and other disorders of hand mobility.
Osteopathic treatment of pain in the joints of the hands
Pain in the joints of the hands is not always directly caused by damage to these joints themselves. On the contrary, the root causes of the disease are often far from the hands. Therefore, treatment can be effective only if it is aimed at eliminating the root causes. This is the approach used by osteopaths. At the same time, complex methods are highly effective when there is pain in the hands, when hand techniques are combined with moderate physical activity and, in parallel, when the patient's nutrition is corrected and the primary source of the disease is affected.
In the first stage of treatment, the pain in the joint of the arm is always stopped. This makes the patient's body more sensitive to osteopathic effects and allows him to fully relax during the session. Since the sessions themselves are performed at sufficiently long intervals (1-2 weeks) necessary for the body to recover and adapt to the changes made by the osteopath, it is recommended that the joint be stabilized during this time. . For this purpose, tires, corsets, various support bandages, etc.
Once the pain in the arm joint is relieved, the osteopath begins to relieve muscle spasms and remove blocks that interfere with normal blood circulation around the joints and throughout the body. Restoration of blood supply to the affected area improves tissue nutrition, as a result of which the pain does not return and the joints themselves begin to recover gradually.
Proper nutrition during the recovery phase is very important, which will allow the body and damaged areas to receive all the necessary set of trace elements, vitamins and nutrients. Thanks to the gradual renewal and regeneration of tissues, the joints of the hands gain lost mobility, not only pain, but also the feeling of numbness and discomfort disappears.
To maintain the improved condition of the hands, the joint should be gradually loaded to combine the positive tendencies and strengthen the muscles of the hand. Physiotherapeutic procedures and physiotherapy exercises should be performed and standardized under the strict supervision of a specialist. If the pain returns to the joints of the hands, the load should be reduced.
In parallel with the treatment of the hands, the root causes of the disease - the spine, cervical region, internal organs are affected. Osteopathic methods are aimed at improving the blood supply and metabolism in the body as a whole, which, of course, has a positive effect on the functioning of all its systems. The advantage of consulting an osteopath in this situation is that while treating the pain in his hands, he also eliminates other deeper disorders that are the main cause of this pain.
Pain in the wrist is not always a disorder of the wrist, so traditional treatment using symptomatic methods may not work. An osteopath with a broader understanding of the problem can help in a few sessions.