Lumps on fingers

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi

in the past month i have developed some quite painful lumpy bits on a ew of my finger knuckles, mainly the top joint, they are quite painful and look a bit odd shaped.

Why have these appeared al of a sudden? 

The only thing im doing different now is looking after my new horses , so i do a lot of lifting heavy things and am constantly banging my hands on things.

I also sont drink or take in much calcium as i have tried to cut out dairy because i think im a little intolerant of it.

Anyone any ideas what this might be? Im a bit worried.

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    Enlarged finger joints can be a sign of osteoarthritis.  That's how mine was diagnosed at age about 40.  It is sometimes described as a wear and tear disease.  Ironically the best thing to do for it is to keep moving!  I take a good dose of glucosamine twice a day, have done for over twnety years, and although I do have osteo in many body parts (feet, hands, spine) it has not progressed much over the years.  I have physio exercises to keep back muscles strong to help support the spine.

  • Posted

    These could be Heberden's nodes - a type of arthritis.  They can often be removed or treated, usually with anti inflammatories.  Constant knocking your hands could be inflaming them too.  Dont cut out dairy, you need the calcium - if you think you're lactose intolerant, there are milk products on the market that are lactose free but do not swap to non dairy alternatives, like soy or almond, dairy is essential for good bone health. Do see your doctor before you change your diet etc., as there may be something simple that can help.

  • Posted

    Comment on dairy as primary source of calcium.  Actually not necessary, in fact may not be best source.  Plenty of other food sources (canned salmon or sardines with bones, many leafy greens especially collards and kale -spinach, beet greens, chard not so much because of oxalic acid content).  So with even a small amount of dairy or dairy substitutes you should still be able to get enough calcium from your food.  You should also consider making sure you get enough vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 as well as magnesium, all of which work together with calcium to keep the bones strong.
    • Posted

      I agree dairy isnt the only source of calcium but all round milk is a wonderful - AND healthy - source of protein, vit B2 and B12 plus many others.  There was a seriously informative TV programme recently debunking the myth that non dairy alternatives are 'healthier', showing that cutting dairy from a diet is actually very bad and that those who claimed they were lactose intolerant could still have dairy products as there are lactose free products available - see "Lactaid" for example.  Those concerned about the high saturated fat content of milk can swap to skimmed - bottom line cutting milk and dairy products from your diet is not always a healthy option.

    • Posted

      Never said to cut it.  Just pointing out not only or possibly not even best.  Most human beings have never drunk dairy as adults throughout the ages.  Also, Finland has high rate of osteoporosis even though it has highest dairy consumption in world.  (Vitamin D probably more important than additional calcium over what you'd get in a normal varied diet.)  Friend of mine has improved her bone density (confirmed by her successive DXA scans over the past few years) through exercise and high consumption of green veg, not through increasing dairy consumption beyond the usual milk in tea, on cereal, that kind of thing.  I don't know how important calcium is in combatting bone diseases other than bone thinning but I do know calcium and magnesium are both crucial in many body processes other than bone building, so a healthy diet is important on many levels.

    • Posted

      you need to read more carefully what people have said. Not once did I state that dairy was either the only or even the most important source of calcium, neither did i say anything about osteoporosis etc., and I most certainly didnt advocate increasing dairy consumption, just NOT excluding it completely for the wrong reasons.  I merely commented that excluding dairy from a diet isnt always a good option or the first route to take.  I agree that exercise is essential for good bone density.  I suggest before you next get angry with others, you read and digest what they actually said, otherwise it isn't helpful for the person who posted originally.

    • Posted

      I'm not angry with you.  Peace!

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