Can any doctors or experienced medical persons help me?
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at
7:29 am
I am a 15 year old male. My middle finger constantly stays sore and pops every time i bend it. I have never broken it, and I don’t think it’s dislocated. Though it is possible that it is. It seems to be worse with bad weather, or when bad events take place. Is it possible to have juvenile arthritis? What can be done to get this pain to stop? Should I see a doctor?
its been about 2 months… i think thats a long time?
Tagged with: arthritis • bad weather • Juvenile Arthritis • long time • middle finger
Filed under: Juvenile Arthritis
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Hi–
Sorry about your finger. You did an excellent job of presenting the relevant information. If this has been going on more than a couple of weeks, yes, you should see a doctor. Fingers are too important to daily life and you are too young to accept this as a chronic condition with no attempts at treatment that will hopefully get you back to feeling fine again. While it’s possible that it’s arthritis, there are several types, one being osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear arthritis, such as from an old injury, which you might not even remember). Do ask your parents and siblings if any of them remember you ever hurting that finger or your hand. "Juvenile arthritis" is a term that usually refers to rheumatoid arthritis with onset before adulthood, but it usually involves more than pain in one finger, involving various joints as well as causing other symptoms which are not joint related. That doesn’t sound like what you are describing, and I hope that puts your mind at ease.
This sounds like it might possibly be a condition called "trigger finger" which can cause the joint to pop each time you straighten the finger, and the popping can cause discomfort. Might is the important word here. Only a good doctor who specializes in joint issues can sort this out for certain, and while your regular doctor might get it taken care of if it’s something simple, often a lot of time and money and pain can be saved by going right to a specialist. If possible, go to a hand specialist at teaching hospital associated with a medical school or a children’s hospital. This will likely be an orthopedic surgeon (NOT that I think you need surgery) or possibly a rheumatologist or physiatrist (physical medicine and rehab doctor). You and your parent or guardian can call the office of the head of the orthopedic surgery department and ask for a referral. They will know which doctor there to send you to. Ask lots of questions which you should try to list before the appointment, though you’ll think of more when the doctor starts discussing things with you.
Trigger finger is caused by a thickening or nodule in the tendon, which blocks smooth extension or flexion of the finger. The finger may lock in flexion, or “trigger,” suddenly extending with a snap. I developed this, and when I discovered there was a lump in the palm of my hand (the nodule on a tendon), I worried that I had a tumor (which it was NOT). These things can be very worrying though, until you know what the real issue is. When I saw an orthopedic surgeon, it turned out he’d had the same thing, and he recommended I try Cosamine DS, a specific brand of glucosamine and chondroitin that was used in respected peer reviewed medical research, and had its potency and purity verified by outside laboratory testing. It is considered a nutraceutical, not a medicine, as its ingredients are made from ground bovine cartilege and shellfish shells, and provide the building blocks the body uses to keep joint tissues healthy and make new joint tissue. Many other brands are cheaper but not well absorbed because the size of the molecules is too large to get through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream and thus to the joint. It is sold over the counter at most drug stores, but it is not inexpensive, and you should definitely be seen by a doctor before you try anything other than ice for the discomfort.
Within 6 weeks of starting Cosamine DS, my trigger finger issues disappeared, as my doctor’s had!! I hope you’ll be as fortunate. Your problem even may be as simple as some inflammation that will respond to anti-inflammatory agents, ice and/or heat, rest, etc. but whatever it is, you need it taken care of. It is best to intervene early so it won’t impede you or turn into a chronic issue, and so you don’t need to worry about what’s "lurking in the black lagoon"
You may find it interesting to check out the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy online, which is a reference frequently used by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. This page is on trigger finger, but has links to lots of other info.
http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec04/ch042/ch042g.html?qt=trigger%20finger&alt=sh
There is also an online version of the Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition that is written for non healthcare professionals and is less detailed but more in plain English at:
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html
I hope if you do not have a "primary" family doctor or pediatrician you feel comfortable with, that you will be able to find one. You’ve reached an age where you can understand and participate in health care decisions rather than having them all made for you, and ideally with the right primary care doctor involved, you’ll be able to have a relationship in which you can telephone them directly when concerns arise, while keeping your parent or guardian informed of relevant concerns and issues as well. If you don’t have such a doctor, I hope you’ll do the legwork to find one.
Well, I’m not a pro, but I’d think if this has lasted more than 4 weeks you should have it checked. If it hasn’t been that long of a time, it could be as simple as a ‘growing pain’ and it just needs a little time for the joints to catch up with each other’s growth spurt.
Yes, it sounds like arthritis to me. The weather does affect your joints when you have arthritis.
It is possibly juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)- which is what i used to have.
Go and see a GP, then they could refer you to a rheumatologist.