When you have arthritis in the hands, simple movements like lifting a cup of coffee become difficult and painful. Arthritis attacks the joints in your fingers, thumb and even your wrist. There are more than a hundred types of arthritis. Each requires a different treatment.
Almost 78 million Americans are projected to suffer from arthritis by 2040. Your best chance for successful treatment is through early diagnosis. Left untreated, arthritis in your hands causes painful deformities.
Getting timely treatment by a specialist not only eases your current pain, but also prevents more severe problems in the future. The Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center is a multi-specialty care facility that has its own orthopedic department with an expert staff to serve you.
Different Types of Hand Arthritis
While there are many forms of arthritis, the types that strike your hands all have different causes. Your Medex doctor reviews your medical history and performs a physical exam to accurately diagnose which type is affecting you. The more common forms of hand arthritis include:
• Osteoarthritis. The most common type of arthritis, it’s often referred to as a disease of wear-and-tear. The cartilage in your hand bones degrades from use over time.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. This chronic inflammatory disease occurs when your body’s own immune system attacks the lining of the joints in your hands.
• Gout. Resulting from a buildup of uric acid in your blood, gout usually affects the feet first. It eventually moves to the hands and other joints in your body.
• Psoriatic arthritis. This form of arthritis affects the bones and skin. Your fingers tend to swell, and the nails degrade.
• Lupus. An autoimmune disease that attacks healthy tissues, lupus often strikes the small joints in your hands.
Preventing Arthritis
The first step is proper diagnosis at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Your orthopedic specialist develops a plan that may include:
- Stretching the joints in your hands to increase the range of motion
- Quitting cigarette smoking
- Going on a diet if you are overweight
- Meditating to reduce stress and anxiety in your life
Moderate exercise may reduce stiffness and pain by improving circulation. For best results, maintain your exercise regimen for a minimum of six to eight weeks. Your arthritic pain decreases while your joints become more limber.
Do You Have Arthritis?
It’s common to wake up in the morning with stiffness in your hands. If your stiffness lasts more than 30 minutes, however, it may be a sign of arthritis. If you’re female, be especially vigilant. Women suffer disproportionately from the disease. Other indicators of arthritis include:
- Chronic or intermittent pain in your hands
- Warmth and redness around the joints
- Joint swelling that lasts more than three days
- Frequent inflammation of the finger joints
- Difficulty moving your fingers or thumb
- Clicking or cracking sound during movement
- Muscle weakness around the joints
Treatments
Several options are available, depending on the type of arthritis that’s affecting your hands. Your doctor at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center may first suggest that you try heating pads and ice packs for the pain and inflammation. Massage for your hand joints may also be effective.
Over-the-counter painkillers are useful for temporary pain management. When swelling and pain appear in tandem, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs treat both. Your doctor may also prescribe:
• Counterirritants. These cream contain menthol, camphor or eucalyptus that interferes with the pain relay signals to the brain.
• DMARDs. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are generally reserved for rheumatoid arthritis patients. They treat the disease itself rather than the symptoms.
• Biologic response modifiers. These genetically engineered drugs target specific molecules.
• Cortisone injections. Your doctor may inject painful joints with corticosteroids to provide targeted pain and inflammation reduction. The effect may last for weeks or months.
