These symptoms tend to develop slowly and worsen over time.
You may notice that the symptoms are worse in the morning.
This article covers the signs and symptoms of early arthritis in the fingers.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
These lumps are actuallybone spursaround the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis often causes similar symptoms.
However, rheumatoid arthritis can actually cause deformities in the hands.
Inflammation in the joints can cause finger joints to become crooked and bend away from the thumb.
Bones are cushioned by cartilage, which allows smooth movement between the adjoining bones.
When the cartilage is damaged, arthritis develops.
When our fingers can’t bend and move normally, our daily activities become difficult.
Can You Prevent Arthritis In Your Finger Joints?
Avoiding smoking can also decrease your risk.
Treatment
Treatment of finger arthritis depends on the underlying cause.
The treatment focuses on managing the symptoms and maintaining and improving function.
Your healthcare provider may recommend removing bone spurs, or even fusing or replacing the joint.
Joint Fusion
The most common surgery that’s done for treatment of finger arthritis is a fingerjoint fusion.
During this procedure, your healthcare provider can also straighten deformities and remove bone spurs.
Joint Replacement
Finger joint replacementcan be a very effective procedure for some people.
An artificial finger joint can maintain mobility of the joint without the pain of arthritis.
Deformities and bone spurs can also be treated during this surgical procedure.
Summary
Finger arthritis can be painful and may limit your daily activities.
Harvard Health Publishing.Identifying arthritis in your fingers and thumbs.
Haugen IK.Hand osteoarthritis: current knowledge and new ideas.Scand J Rheumatol.
2020;102(9):533-538.
Arthritis Foundation.Arthritis and diseases that affect the hand and wrist.
