Fact Checked
The knuckles are the joints of the fingers which becomes prominent when clenching a fist. Knuckles and fingers are susceptible to wear and tear because of overuse. Aching in the knuckles should be treated in order to avoid permanent damage.
The joints of the hands and fingers are the hand-finger joint which is also known as metacarpophalangeal joint or MCP joints while the finger-finger joints are called as interphalangeal joint or IP joints.
The hand knuckles are the bony protrusions that are formed by the head of the hand bones or the metacarpals. The knuckle joint refers to the hand-finger joints and finger-finger joints.
Causes of knuckle pain
- Knuckle pain can be caused by a fracture of or are near the knuckle. This will cause pain, swelling and bleeding and dislocation of the joints and bones.
- A rare form of rheumatoid arthritis known as Felty syndrome has symptoms such as weight loss, anemia, infection of the mouth, discomfort and pain in the joints and swelling lymph nodes. These symptoms can also affects the knuckles of the hand and fingers.
- Uric acid crystals that forms and collects in the spaces of the joints and connective tissues that are found near the knuckles will cause severe pain along with difficulty moving the knuckles, stiffness, swelling and inflammation.
- When cartilage degenerates due to osteoarthritis, it will cause the bones to rub and grind against each other and results to mild to severe knuckle pain.
- Some people with the habit of cracking their knuckles should be more careful since it leads to constant straining on the joints and can cause arthritis and rheumatism of the knuckle joints.
- Knuckle pain in the hands and fingers can be a result of injury with impact on hard objects and can be caused by overuse of the hand and fingers that leads to muscle, tendon and joint strain.
Treatment and home remedies for knuckle pain
- Immerse the aching knuckles and fingers in warm water at least 15-20 minutes in order to give provide relief to the pain and for easy mobility of the knuckle joints. The use of salt helps in the absorption of pain in the body.
- Apply Aloe Vera gel which is also helpful in pain relief in the knuckles at least half an hour. It also minimizes pain caused by arthritis and rheumatism of the knuckles in the fingers.
- Take antioxidants in the form of fruits and carrots in order to help manage pain in the knuckles and fingers. Antioxidants function in protecting the body against free radicals which cause damage to the tissue cells.
- Applying castor oil to provide relief from arthritis of the finger, especially at night to achieve the best results.
If you will register for first aid training, you can readily manage the symptoms that occur along with knuckle pain.