Arthritis in the fingers: causes, management and treatments
Arthritis can often be found in the fingers and can cause pain, swelling, and stiffness as you use your hands for everyday tasks
Your fingers are vital tools for helping you carry out your day-to-day tasks and actions – from opening a jar to tapping on a keyboard. Arthritis can make these actions difficult and hinder your ability to easily go about your day. According to the Arthritis Foundation, about half of all women and one quarter of all men will experience symptoms of osteoarthritis (a type of arthritis) in their hands by the time they are 85 years old.
In this blog, we detail what can cause arthritis in your fingers, common signs to look out for, and how you can manage the condition.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a condition that attacks your joints, causing stiffness, pain, and swelling in the affected area. You have many joints in your hands, so it is common to get arthritis in this area of your body.
There are many types of arthritis that can impact your hand’s health differently. These include the following:
This is the most common form of arthritis that people experience in the UK and worldwide.
Osteoarthritis typically happens when the cartilage that protects and cushions the bone joints wears down. This causes the bones to rub together without protection, leading to long term negative impacts on the surrounding structures in your hand, such as your muscles and nerves.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning your immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of your joints by mistake.
Your joints’ lining helps produce fluid that allows areas of cartilage to easily slide against each other when moving. Eventually, the inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis destroys the cartilage at the ends of your bones and then wears away the bone itself.
This can damage the surrounding structures of the fingers and the hand, including muscles, nerves, cartilage, joints, and nearby bone. If the condition is not well controlled or treated early enough, it can cause joints to be bent out of shape (joint deformities). If this happens, you may need more intensive treatment to help fix the issue.
Typically, rheumatoid arthritis will affect the same joints on both sides of your body, like a mirror image. For instance, if the condition affects two finger joints in one hand, it's likely to affect the same finger joints on your other hand too.
Reactive arthritis
This type of arthritis, also known as Reiter’s syndrome, is characterised by swelling and pain in the joints triggered by an infection in another part of the body. It is often triggered by bacterial infections found in the intestines, genitals, or urinary tract.
Types of infections that can trigger this include a throat infection, stomach bug, UTI, or STD.
Unlike most types of arthritis, it’s not a chronic, lifelong condition. You’ll usually be affected by reactive arthritis for less than a year.
Psoriatic arthritis
If you have psoriasis or a biological family history of psoriasis, you are at risk of developing arthritis. It happens when you develop psoriasis symptoms on your skin and inflammation in your joints.
The cause of psoriatic arthritis isn’t known, but, according to research, it may be linked to both your genes and factors in the environment.
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a build-up of uric acid crystals in the joints, leading to sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, and redness. Usually, this condition is found in your big toe at first, but it can affect your finger joints too.
What are the first signs of arthritis in fingers?
You may first notice that you have pain in your fingers, particularly after activities that require a lot of movement from your fingers. You will most likely feel a dull, burning pain. Another early sign of arthritis in your fingers is swelling alongside stiffness, particularly after overusing your hands or fingers.
If you notice that you are experiencing these symptoms, we advise seeking medical advice from a healthcare professional. Treating arthritis early can help avoid any potential complications, control the condition, and slow its progression.
If you have had arthritis for a while in your hands, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Your fingers are warm to the touch
- Your fingers are red and tender to touch
- Numbness and tingling in your fingers
- Bumps in your fingers
- Weakness in the joints
- Increased sensitivity to cold temperatures
- Changes in the appearance of your nails
- You have changed the way you use your hands due to the pain or an inability to open or close them
The symptoms you experience will depend on the type of arthritis you have. If you have any concerns about any of these symptoms and are worried about arthritis, contact one of our expert orthopaedic consultants for further information.
Who can get arthritis in their fingers?
Anybody can get arthritis in their fingers. However, there are individuals who are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Non-modifiable risks, meaning that these risks cannot be controlled or altered, include:
- Age – you are at a higher risk of arthritis as you get older
- Gender – women are at a higher risk of developing arthritis than men
- Race
- A family history of arthritis
- Genetic factors – some types of arthritis are linked to certain genes
Modifiable risks, meaning you can change or alter these risks to reduce your chances of developing the condition, include:
- Weight – being overweight or obese can increase your chances of arthritis
- Smoking
- Injuries
- Joint issues – issues such as overuse, loose ligaments, and poorly aligned joints can increase your risk
- Infection
- Workplace activities – if your job puts a lot of strain on your joints, you may be at a higher risk of arthritis
What can I do to manage arthritis in my fingers?
If you suspect you have arthritis in your fingers, see a medical professional first to assess your condition. They can recommend some appropriate treatment options to meet your individual needs.
If you are at home, some tips to help manage painful fingers and joints include the following:
Improving your diet
Making sure you’re eating a highly nutritious diet high in essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids is important for helping to improve your arthritis. These nutrients are beneficial for joint health. For example, foods rich in vitamin C can aid in collagen production and protect cartilage from damage.
Keeping active
Taking part in regular exercise within your fitness capacity can help reduce pain and stiffness. It can improve your muscles and joints’ flexibility and strength. It can also boost endurance, help manage your weight, and improve your general mood.
Hot and cold therapy
Applying a cold or hot press against your fingers can help ease your pain or swelling.
Moist heat (a warm bath or shower) and dry heat (heating pad) can both help to reduce pain in the joint. A cold compress (ice pack or ice wrapped in a thin towel) can help reduce your pain and swelling.
What are my treatment options for arthritis in the fingers?
When seeking professional medical advice, your healthcare expert will recommend a series of treatments depending on your individual needs and concerns. They will assess the severity of your condition and suggest interventions based on this.
Treatment options recommended may be:
Splinting/bracing
Using finger splints or a brace can help reduce the stress on your joints and support your finger. It can also reduce deformity and promote proper joint alignment.
Splints will still allow you to move and use your fingers whilst wearing them.
Medication
Short term relief for pain, swelling, and inflammation in your finger joints may include over-the-counter pain-relief medication, such as paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are available as oral tablets. They are also available as creams or gels, which can be rubbed on joints.
If NSAIDs aren’t effective for you, your doctor may recommend steroid injections. This allows anti-inflammatory medication to be applied directly into the affected area, helping reduce pain and inflammation. Steroid injections are also often recommended for managing thumb-base arthritis.
For types of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis, more targeted drugs like DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) such as methotrexate can also be used.
Physiotherapy
Doing regular physiotherapy exercises can be useful for some types of arthritis.
Exercises can improve your joints’ range of motion and strengthen the surrounding muscles. Your doctor will walk through with you about which exercise would be best, and they will tailor an appropriate routine for you to practice at home.
Surgery
If no treatment options have worked so far, your doctor may recommend surgical interventions to help alleviate your symptoms.
They may suggest the following:
- Trigger finger release
- Ganglion removal
- Joint fusion (arthrodesis)
- Joint replacement (arthroplasty)
- Tendon repair
- Knuckle replacement surgery
- Trapeziectomy
However most people with finger arthritis will not go on to have surgery.
How to prevent arthritis in the fingers
Some types of arthritis are unavoidable due to their cause, for example, if there is a genetic factor or natural wear and tear due to age.
However, there are things we can do to reduce our chances of developing the disease. Eating healthily, exercising regularly, controlling your weight, and stopping smoking can help reduce your risk of getting arthritis.
If your job puts strain on your hands or fingers, make sure you take regular breaks to move and stretch, use proper position and ‘posture’ of your fingers, and vary your tasks to avoid repetitive motions.
If you are enthusiastic about fitness or are an athlete, it’s important to take precautions to help minimise your risk of injury. This could be wearing the right protective gear, using proper techniques, and listening to your body so you don’t overexert yourself.
When should I see a doctor?
If you are concerned about any notable symptoms, have a family history, or believe you are at high risk of arthritis, we advise you to seek advice from a medical professional. They can help you better understand whether you may have the condition and provide further information about arthritis.
At Circle Health Group, our network of expert consultants are specialists in providing the best possible care and treatment for people with arthritis and other orthopaedic conditions. It is always our goal to provide the best care to help you focus on living a healthy life so you can be your best self.
Clinical sources and further reading
- Pictures and Symptoms of Arthritis in the Fingers, Healthline
- What does arthritis in the fingers feel like?, MedicalNewsToday
- Arthritis, John Hopkins Medicine
- Pain Management Resources, Arthritis Foundation
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If you're concerned about symptoms you're experiencing or require further information on this subject, talk to a GP or see an expert consultant at your local Circle Hospital.