Overcoming Finger Joint Pain

When people think about their joints, the most prominently known body parts come to mind: the knee, ankle, arm, shoulder, hip and back joints. However, there are over 200 moving joints in the body, and all of these joints need certain nutrients and minerals to maintain healthy joint function and lubrication.

The hand is made up of a collection of joints-about 20. You use these joints when you type on the keyboard, play an instrument, grab something or even button up a shirt. Finger and hand joint pain can be a huge inconvenience to your everyday life.

One common reason for hand and finger joint pain is due to rheumatoid arthritis. The pain caused by RA is due to the inflammation, swelling, stiffness and breaking down of the joint. This disease directly affects joints as the inflammation inhibits the cells in the articular cartilage from producing the necessary lubrication (synovial fluid) joints need to stay healthy.

The main culprit and cause of hand and finger joint pain is inflammation. Inflammation not only causes joints to swell and restricts movement, it also hinders the body from properly maintaining its own natural healing process. When the joints are inflamed, they cause the cells in the articular cartilage to stop producing joint lubrication; this in turn allows for more damage to the joint.

When finger and hand joint pain sufferers seek joint pain relief, they often use a product that is meant to temporarily reduce inflammation. This may provide short-term relief, but since these medicines only work to reduce inflammation, they don't supply the newly receptive joint with the nutrients needed to reactivate cellular activity.

True hand and finger joint pain treatment has to not only provide pain management and a reduction of inflammation, but it also has to provide essential nutrients and minerals needed by the cells in the articular cartilage to help heal the damaged joint. Research has shown that chrondroitin and glucosamine supplementation has helped to reduce inflammation and provides the necessary nutrients to activate the cells needed to maintain and produce joint lubrication.

Finding pain relief is often the first goal when dealing with hand and finger joint pain, but it's important to know that there are options for treatment. You aren't limited to over the counter medicines, and more natural supplementation has been shown to be effective in managing finger and hand joint pain.

It's important to remember, however, that joints are what keep you mobile and an active participant in your life. Your joints require care to keep up with your lifestyle as you age. With 200 hundred and something moving joints in your body, that also means you face 200 places for potential aches and pains every day.