How To Tell If Arthritis In Hands

What Type Of Hand Surgery Is Most Commonly Performed On The Specific Joints Affected By Arthritis

• Base of the thumb: Where your thumb and wrist join. Common surgical options include removing part or all of one of the trapezium bone , tendon transfer or joint fusion.
• Knuckles : Joint replacement is almost always considered for this repair. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause serious damage and disability to your knuckles.
• Second joint of your finger : Osteoarthritis commonly causes stiffness and loss of motion. Joint replacement or fusion are considered for these joints. Because you use these joints frequently, there is a chance your implant could wear out. In this case, your provider may recommend further surgery.
• Top of finger joint : Joint fusion is commonly used to treat arthritis in this joint.

How To Know If You Have Arthritis In Fingers

Different type of arthritis can cause a painful swelling of your fingers and toes. Due to the fact that of the method it makes your digits look, this symptom is in some cases called sausage fingers. The medical name for it is dactylitis.

Psoriatic arthritis also sometimes causes sausage-like swelling of the fingers. So does a group of other diseases referred to as spondyloarthritis , that includes PsA.

Rheumatoid arthritis hardly ever leads to this condition, however can imitate its symptoms. Although dactylitis and RA symptoms may look comparable, theyre not the same.

Dactylitis generally takes place asymmetrically, in one finger or toe at a time. RA normally impacts a number of joints at the same time, and appears in the same area on both sides of the body. .

Treatment For Thumb Arthritis

• Outlook

Osteoarthritis in the thumb is the most common form of arthritis that affects the hands. Osteoarthritis results from the breakdown of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. It can affect the basal joint, which is the joint near the wrist and the fleshy part of the thumb. This joint normally allows you to pinch, pivot, and swivel your thumb for hundreds of tasks every day.

In people with thumb arthritis, the cushion-like cartilage inside the joint breaks down over time. This causes the bone to rub against bone. Symptoms of thumb arthritis can become crippling, partly because the thumb is needed so often each day. Decreased grip strength, decreased range of motion, and swelling and pain throughout your hand may occur. You may find it difficult to open jars, twist open a doorknob, or even snap your fingers.

If you have arthritis in other joints like your knees, hips, or elbows, it may make thumb arthritis more likely. Women are more prone to thumb arthritis, especially those with very flexible or lax thumb ligaments. Statistically, women are more likely than men to develop thumb arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is another type of arthritis that can develop in the basal joint.

Arthritis is different in each individual. There are a variety of treatments that may work for your particular symptoms.

Initial treatment options involve:

• splinting
• steroid injections

If these methods do not relieve pain and improve function, the joint may need to be reconstructed with surgery.

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Weight Management And Diet

Although the link between your weight and osteoarthritis of the hands may be less clear than for weight-bearing joints such as the knees, some research shows that being overweight increases inflammation and therefore pain. Therefore, if you have osteoarthritis of the hand or wrist, it still makes sense to try to maintain, or achieve, a healthy weight.

Common Causes Of Shooting Pain In The Wrist

Every day we rely on our hands to help us function. If you experience shooting pain in the wrist, it can affect your ability to perform daily activities and quality of life.

One of the most common causes of wrist pain is often a result of chronic conditions, such as repetitive stress. Motions such as typing, texting, playing video games, etc. can put extra stress on joints, ligaments, and tendons. Wrist pain can also be caused by physical impact. Injuries from a fall or sport accident can lead to wrist sprains, strains, or fractures. Sharp, shooting pain and numbness into the hand, however, is frequently due to nerve disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Learn about common causes of shooting pain in the wrist, treatment options and when to seek treatment.

• Treatment

Wrist tendonitis, also called tenosynovitis, is a common condition characterized by irritation and inflammation of the tendons around the wrist joint. Many tendons surround the wrist joint. Wrist tendonitis usually affects one of the tendons, but it may also involve two or more.

Often, wrist tendonitis occurs at points where the tendons cross each other or pass over a bony prominence. These are possible sites of irritation and can lead to discomfort when moving the wrist joint.

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Malalignment Of One Or More Finger Joints

Over time, the destruction of bone and joint tissue may cause fingers and thumbs to become deformed. While the risk of hand deformities is significant, they are not inevitable.

A diagnosing physician will examine a patients hands, feet, and any other jointslarge or smallthat the patient reports as painful.

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Knowing Whether You Have Arthritis

Arthritis in your hands can take many forms, but the pain or inflammation may mirror symptoms of conditions such as Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or myriad other autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. If you are experiencing burning or numbness in the thumb or first two fingers, hand, and arm, but nowhere else in your body, you may have carpel tunnel syndrome.

If your hands are starting to appear gnarled or deformed, your doctor will perform tests to see whether its due to arthritis or something else, such as Boutonniere deformity or any sort of dislocation or strain injury.

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Protect Your Hands From Cold

• Wear gloves anytime it is cool outside.
• Use an insulated cover when you drink from a cold glass.
• Avoid caffeine and tobacco products. Nicotine and caffeine cause blood vessels to narrow, which decreases blood flow to the hands.
• Eat a hot meal before going out. Eating raises your body temperature and helps keep you warm.

How Will It Affect Me

The symptoms of hand osteoarthritis can vary between different people and over time. You’ll probably have good days and bad days. You may find this depends on what you’re doing, but sometimes there may not be any obvious reason.

If the joints are inflamed then they’re likely to look swollen and red and to feel warm and tender to the touch. You’re likely to have pain, especially when using your hands but sometimes even while resting. Swelling can also cause the soft tissues around a joint to stretch, which can make your hands feel weak or unstable.

As we use our hands such a lot in daily life, pain, stiffness or poor grip strength can cause problems with a wide variety of tasks and activities including:

• opening jars and cans
• holding a pen or cutlery
• doing up buttons or zips
• handling money
• shaving, brushing your teeth, or drying yourself after a bath or shower.

Hand osteoarthritis often tends to ‘burn out’ after a time. It may be painful for a few years and then the pain may improve, especially if only the small finger joints are affected. Any firm, knobbly swellings or nodes that have developed will remain though. And the range of movement in the joints doesn’t always improve even when the pain does.

Sometimes the weather, especially cold weather, can make your symptoms worse. However, the weather won’t affect the long-term outlook or how the condition progresses.

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Treating Hand And Wrist Pain

If the pain is creeping in, you can help relieve the pain at home. Applying heat or ice to the sore area can help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and improve movement. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories or pain relievers might help if needed. Try modifying your activities to give your achy hands or wrists a rest.

Worsening pain means making an appointment with your physician. They can offer you other treatments to help. Those treatments can range from splinting to various surgical techniques.

At Beaumont, our orthopedic hand and wrist surgeons use the most advanced and proven techniques to improve the lives of patients. We work closely with specialized hand therapists and other team members to relieve your pain, regain your function and get you back to activities.

What To Expect At Your Office Visit

Your provider will perform a physical exam. You will be asked about your symptoms. Questions may include when the wrist pain began, what may have caused the pain, whether you have pain elsewhere, and if you have had a recent injury or illness. You may also be asked about the type of job you have and your activities.

X-rays may be taken. If your provider thinks that you have an infection, gout, or pseudogout, fluid may be removed from the joint to examine under a microscope.

Anti-inflammatory medicines may be prescribed. Injection with a steroid medicine may be done. Surgery may be needed to treat some conditions.

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How Arthritis In The Hands Is Treated

If youre diagnosed with an inflammatory form of arthritis, you have more treatment options than someone with OA. While nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help manage the pain of both types of arthritis, the development of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biologics has vastly improved the prognosis of those with inflammatory forms of arthritis by reducing inflammation and preventing further joint damage.

Cortisone injections can be useful for those with OA and conditions such as RA, though theyre usually used in patients whose inflammatory arthritis is limited to just one or two joints, Dr. Byram says. Injections of hyaluronic acid can be helpful for those with OA , but these are better for managing pain in larger joints like the knees rather than the hands.

Why The Hand Can Be Affected By Arthritis

The hand can develop arthritis because:

• It contains a lot of joints. The hand and wrist are formed by several and different bones that connect to create a joint.
• All the fingers have three joints except the thumb, which has two. One or more may be affected.
• Ligaments connect and offer the bones support. Tendons also are connective tissues that attach the muscles to bones for movement of the bones.

With hand arthritis, any of these vital parts may be affected additional to:

• The base of the thumb where it meets the wrist.
• Knuckles.
• The top finger joint that is closest to the nails.
• The middle joints of the fingers.
• Small bony nodules may form at the top of the fingers or on the middle joint of your fingers.

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Care For Hand Arthritis In The Greater Chesapeake Region

If you have ongoing hand pain, see the orthopedic experts at Greater Chesapeake Hand to Shoulder. We specialize in both non-surgical and surgical treatments to address a full range of hand and finger conditions and injuries.

To find out more about the services we offer, schedule an appointment with one of our Maryland hand surgeons today at or fill out our Request an Appointment form now for a visit at any of our Greater Chesapeake locations. We look forward to helping you find relief from your hand pain so you can get back to doing everything you enjoy every day.

Can Arthritis In The Hand Be Prevented

Arthritis cant be prevented. However, you can watch for symptoms of arthritis as you age and see your healthcare provider if you notice changes in your joints. You can also take steps to control factors that you can control. Eat healthy to nourish your body and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts more stress on your joints. Dont smoke. Smoking increases your risk of arthritis.

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Treatment Similarities And Differences

• Physical therapy exercises to relieve pressure and strengthen the affected area
• Changing your environment or activities to compensate for pain or loss of function

In some cases, however, carpal tunnel syndrome becomes so severe that surgery is necessary to treat the problem. An outpatient surgery is performed, usually under local anesthesia, to increase the size of the space within the carpal tunnel and relieve the pressure on the median nerve by cutting the transverse carpal ligament at the base of the palm. This surgery usually relieves all symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome once the incision is healedabout 10 to 14 days.

Arthritis may also become severe enough to warrant surgery, but the procedure is very different. Reconstructive surgery is sometimes required when deformity is severe in osteoarthritis, and joint replacement may be required for people with severe rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis may also be treated with medications likedisease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs . Methotrexate is a DMARD commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Biologics like adalimumab , etanercept , and infliximab can also be used for this condition. These medications suppress the immune system to prevent further damage.

Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis also causes pain and swelling in the joints. Usually the small joints of the fingers and toes are affected first. The most common symptom is stiffness, and it takes a long time to get the joints moving, especially in the morning.

The disease is symmetrical, meaning that if your left index finger is swollen and painful, youll usually have the same symptoms in the right index finger.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be systemic, meaning it can develop to the point that it affects the whole body.

Other non-joint symptoms can include:

• shortness of breath

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Who Gets Arthritis In Their Hands

You are more likely to get arthritis in your hands if:

• Youre older. Osteoarthritis is commonly seen after age 50. Rheumatoid arthritis typically first appears between the age of 35 and 50.
• Youre a woman.
• Youre white.
• Youre overweight.
• Youve had previous injuries to your hand. If youve dislocated or broken any joints in your hands or fingers, you are more likely to develop arthritis.
• You’ve inherited genes that cause the development of arthritis.

What Is A Swan

This happens when the base of the finger and the outermost joint bend, while the middle joint straightens. Over time, this imbalance of the finger joints can result in the crooked âswan-neckâ position. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause it.

A swan-neck deformity can make it almost impossible to bend the affected finger normally. It can make it hard to button shirts, grip a glass, or pinch with the fingers.

Treatment may include:

• Finger splints or ring splints
• Surgery to realign the joints or fuse the joints so they work better

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What Happens After Finishing All The Tests

After finishing all the tests, then follow-up with orthopedist will be there. The orthopedist will go through the images obtained via X-ray along with the results of other tests. The orthopedist will get all the information, which is required by him/her to continue the process of treatment.

The orthopedist will also find out the severity of osteoarthritis and will provide you with detailed information about your condition. There could be some other conditions that could be found out by the orthopedist, such as cartilage tear and muscle strain after checking out the images that are obtained via x-ray.

After all the lengthy process of diagnosis, the orthopedist will provide an appropriate treatment plan, according to the condition of the patient. There are various methods of treatment that orthopedist may suggest to you. They can suggest physical therapy, medications, or surgery.

In some other cases, the condition can be managed with a change in a lifestyle, weight management, ice therapy, and others.

How Do You Know If You Have Arthritis In Your Hands

The osteoarthritis of the hands is defined by a number of characteristic changes, including a general achiness upon using the hands, joint stiffness and restricted motions .

If the condition is left untreated, it can lead to a weakened grip and subsequent loss of functionality. All the joints of the hands are affected by the inflammatory process which characterizes this condition.

In advanced forms of arthritis, bone spurs can appear as the level of the joints these can reduce the functionality of the hands even further.

It is essential to recognize the signs of arthritis as soon as it is possible, as you can keep the condition under control with conservative measures. Getting a correct diagnosis is essential only a specialist physician can recommend the best treatment paths for you to pursue.

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Do I Have Thumb Arthritis

Do you repeatedly hear yourself say my thumb hurts because of the pain you feel at the base of your thumb when you pinch or grasp something? If so, you may have CMC joint arthritis, also known as thumb arthritis. There are 3 stages of thumb arthritis, which is one of the most common forms of arthritis.

The good news is there are things you can do to help ease your pain and lessen the progression of your arthritis.

What Is Hand Arthritis

Arthritis refers to a medical condition that involves inflammation of one or more joints in the body. Arthritis may cause joint destruction and necessitate joint replacement if the disability is severe enough.

A joint is the area where two bones meet. Within joints is a tissue called cartilage that acts as a cushion between two bony surfaces. Synovial fluid within joints protects them and helps facilitate movement. Synovial fluid is secreted by the inner lining of the joint called the synovial membrane. Hand arthritis occurs when there is inflammation in one or more joints of the hand and wrist. There are over 100 types of arthritis. A few of the common types of arthritis that affect the hands are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, post-traumatic arthritis , psoriatic arthritis and gout. The two most common types of arthritis that affect the hands are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Hand osteoarthritis occurs when there is wear and tear of one or more joints of the hand as seen with increasing age. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the bodys immune system attacks the joints of the hand.

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