Possible arthritis in knees and fingers?

the_girl_cant_help_it
the_girl_cant_help_it Member Posts: 4
Hello, i've had painful knees since the age of 13, at the time i had physio but not much really changed in terms of the pain.
I'm 23 now and the pain in my knees is much worse and for the past 5 years i've also developed painful joints in my fingers, but, bizzarely, only my middle fingers. On two occasions, that have lasted around a week each time, my middle fingers have seized up whilst i've been asleep and have stayed in a claw-like position for a few hours after i've woken, eventually they eased up and returned to normal but this repeated every night. I went to the doctor about this and he had no idea, he asked all the other doctors and even Googled it!

I'm going to go back to the doctors at the end of the week to see if all this joint pain is arthritic but i'd just like to know if anybody else had experienced this with the fingers and is it common?? And do you think it's possible that the pain in the knees and the fingers are linked?

I'd be grateful for any help/advice! Thank you, Katie

Comments

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,463
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Katie
    Like your doctors I don't know what is causing your fingers to seize up at night but at your young age it sounds like this and the worsening pain in your knees should be investigated.
    Maybe it's time to ask for some blood tests and a referral to a rheumatologist to see what is going on in your joints.
    If you want to talk things over with one of us first do ring us on the freephone number.
    Best wishes
    Val
  • alison67
    alison67 Member Posts: 70
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Katie,

    i have Psoriatic Arthritis which is similar to RA, and mine started with my middle finger on my right hand. I used to wake up and it was bent at the middle joint, and i had to pull it back to it's normal position. My g.p referred me to a rheumatologist and, even though this may not be arthritis in your case, it will do no harm to get it checked out. If i were you i'd ask my doctor to refer to hospital so you can get it sorted sooner rather than later. Take care and let us know how you get on.x
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Katie

    Could be trigger finger (you could google it) but I would have thought your gp would have known about that.

    Not sure if, in your case the knees and fingers scenario are linked but I have OA in knees (had a Total knee replacement in 2008) and have had operations for trigger thumbs. I have had steroids injections in my middle finger which I was told was trigger finger as well. The injection works for me, for a goodly while.

    I am MUCH older than you :lol::lol:

    Best wishes
    Elna
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • scanham
    scanham Member Posts: 14
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi
    I have had arthritis for the last couple of years but only mild and managed with anti-inflams and pain killers. Mine started with pain in my middle finger which often hurt when I bent it or knocked it in some way. However in the last few months mine has got a lot worse and moved to other joints including my toes and knees and have just started to take methotrexate which I am hoping will help me. I didnt want to take these drugs but deep down I know I need something to help. You really do need to get checked out - it may not be arthritis at all but you need to know so you can get the correct treatment for whatever it may be. Dont like to be negative but as I have been told, if it is arthritis you need to start some sort of treatment sooner rather than later.
    take care
    x
  • the_girl_cant_help_it
    the_girl_cant_help_it Member Posts: 4
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    elnafinn wrote:
    Hi Katie

    Could be trigger finger (you could google it) but I would have thought your gp would have known about that.

    Not sure if, in your case the knees and fingers scenario are linked but I have OA in knees (had a Total knee replacement in 2008) and have had operations for trigger thumbs. I have had steroids injections in my middle finger which I was told was trigger finger as well. The injection works for me, for a goodly while.

    I am MUCH older than you :lol::lol:

    Best wishes
    Elna


    Hello Elna,


    Thank you for pointing trigger finger out to me, i hadn't heard of it before but thanks to Google i am now well and truly informed! It does sound like a possibility, i'll point it out (with a bent finger! :lol: ) to my doctor and see what he thinks.

    Thank you for your help!
    Katie
  • the_girl_cant_help_it
    the_girl_cant_help_it Member Posts: 4
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    scanham wrote:
    Hi
    I have had arthritis for the last couple of years but only mild and managed with anti-inflams and pain killers. Mine started with pain in my middle finger which often hurt when I bent it or knocked it in some way. However in the last few months mine has got a lot worse and moved to other joints including my toes and knees and have just started to take methotrexate which I am hoping will help me. I didnt want to take these drugs but deep down I know I need something to help. You really do need to get checked out - it may not be arthritis at all but you need to know so you can get the correct treatment for whatever it may be. Dont like to be negative but as I have been told, if it is arthritis you need to start some sort of treatment sooner rather than later.
    take care
    x

    Hello, sorry to hear about your pain, it sounds very similar to my joint problems at the moment, especially the knocking of the middle fingers... it tends to hurt most in morning, i suppose due to them being inactive for a quite a while.
    I'll get myself down to the doctors asap and let you all know what he thinks might be the problem.

    Thank you :D