Early results have been what. By Madeline R. It causes the joint lining synovium arthritis swell, which causes pain and like in the joint. Typically, pain medication you take by mouth is also used to reduce discomfort. If symptoms of arthritis in your hands or elsewhere are preventing you from participating in the physical activities you used to enjoy — and fingers are good for you — it may be time to find new ways to be active.
Jessica Brown. But which type of arthritis in your hands might be the issue? The two most common forms of arthritis — osteoarthritis OA, or degenerative arthritis caused by wear and tear on the joints and rheumatoid arthritis RA, an inflammatory type of arthritis caused by inflammation in the joint — share many symptoms in common. Plus, there are other, less common forms of inflammatory arthritis that affect the hands that your doctor will need to consider as well. Both osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis can cause pain, stiffness particularly in the morning, swelling, and tenderness of the joints in the hands. How long morning stiffness lasts can be revealing in determining which kind of hand arthritis you may have, he adds. People with inflammatory arthritis usually experience prolonged stiffness that lasts an hour or longer, while stiffness often eases in just five to 15 minutes in those with OA. If your hand arthritis symptoms suggest inflammatory arthritis, Dr. Byram says the most likely culprit is rheumatoid arthritis which often begins in the hands but it could also be psoriatic arthritis PsA, which commonly affects the hands too.
Please be aware that, due to the COVID pandemic, many hospitals and health systems are asking patients to delay their elective orthopaedic procedures. The hand and wrist have multiple small joints that work together to produce motion, including the fine motion needed to thread a needle or tie a shoelace. When the joints are affected by arthritis, activities of daily living can be difficult. Arthritis can occur in many areas of the hand and wrist and can have more than one cause. Over time, if the arthritis is not treated, the bones that make up the joint can lose their normal shape. This causes more pain and further limits motion. Simply defined, arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but there are more than different forms.