How to prevent deformed fingers

DO YOU KNOW?

Witnessing your hands and fingers getting deformed progressively is an annoying experience for you as it has functional and psychological implications. It can make you feel self-conscious and the social stigma associated with it makes you feel uncomfortable. Deformed hand fingers affect doing your day-to-day activitites. But, don’t worry, deformities can be managed, if you pay heed to the following information:

What are the causes of deformed fingers and hand?

Most common causes include Rheumatoid arthritis, and the other causes include psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis to name a few. Sometimes injury may be cause.

What is Rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is inflammation of joints that affects the joints of your hands and feet (small joints). It affects the lining of your joints covering, which cause pain, swelling, and erosion and destruction of joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a common disorder in women. It may affect other organs of the body, including skin, lungs, eyes and blood vessels.

How does Rheumatoid arthritis cause finger deformities?

Tendons and ligaments surround your hands or fingers joint. Tendons are like smooth bands that connect a muscle to a joint, whereas ligaments connect one bone to another and offer proper support for joint alignment. When the alignment and integrity of these supporting structures get affected due to prolonged joint inflammation (swelling) they get out of place and distend and deformity occurs, which gradually leads to progressive joint deformities.

Can the deformities be prevented?

Of course! If rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis is detected and treated early in a correct manner through effective medication and use of joint protective techniques, deformities can be prevented. If you initially notice any signs of joint inflammation and deformities, consult rheumatologist as early as possible.

What are the treatment options available?

In the initial stages, when swelling is present prior to the formation of deformities, medical management by rheumatologist is necessary. Sometimes you may need surgery to remove the covering of the joints and soft tissues procedures to realign tendons. These procedures prevent further destruction of the tendons and joints, which may lead to permanent deformaties.

What are the treatment options once deformities have occurred?

You will need an assessment done by an orthopedic or hand surgeon and may need surgery to realign the structures in fingers or to repair the ruptured tendons. Once the joint is destroyed, then the options are replacement of finger joints or stiffening of joint. The joint replacements are either silicon or miniature knee replacement type prosthesis.

Do the joint replacements in the hand work well?

Yes, joint replacements of finger joints help reduce pain, improve deformity and help with better functionality of the hand. Joint replacement surgeries are complex surgeries, and hence must be done by surgeons trained in hand surgeries. They give good results, provided the disease is controlled well and the right choice of procedure done by a fully trained surgeon.

Dr Deepthi Nandan Reddy A Ms (Ortho), M.Sc (Ortho Eng), FRCS(Ed), FRCS (Ortho & Tr, UK), CCT (UK), Trained in Shoulder/Elbow/Hand Senior Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon Continental Institute of Orthopaedics, Spine, Joint Reconstruction & Sports Medicine Continental Hospitals, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. Telephone: 040-67000000 www.continentalhospitals.com