Hands and fingers

mellman01
mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
edited 19. Jan 2010, 08:29 in Living with Arthritis archive
Can anyone help me here, what are the early symptoms of OA or RA in the hands and fingers please. :?: ?.

Comments

  • scattered
    scattered Member Posts: 326
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Early symptoms of RA in the hands:

    Pain, redness and swelling across the knuckles and joints closest to the knuckles.

    Pain in the joints closest to the end of the fingers is usually associated with OA.
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks scattered, is aching in the back of the hands slight discomfort in my wrists, I have also been having quite painful aching in my thumb knuckle joints and in my index finger knuckle, also a bit of pain between the knuckles.
    This comes and goes, my GP said I would have swelling and pain all the time. I just thought this was odd as I have OA in my patella but the pain isn't constant but flares and dies away over day's or weeks.
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I know what oa of the thumbs is all about and that is painful, very painful, from time to time. A real ache along with pain. This all comes and goes for varying lengths of time. The base of both my thumbs, near the wrist is now very badly deformed and the whole thumb has sort of moved round more. :roll: I really only have movement now in the top part of my thumb but I cope and adapt so it is not too bad. It does not stop me doing anything I did before! The whole hand is weaker though ie opening jars etc. The deformity is the worst! Ain't pretty!! I have been told mine now is as bad as it will get. Hope that is right.

    Elna x
    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.
  • woodbine
    woodbine Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    mellman01 wrote:
    Can anyone help me here, what are the early symptoms of OA or RA in the hands and fingers please. :?: ?.

    Hi,

    I have OA in my hands and fingers, which started about 3 years ago. The first symptom was that the lower joint of my thumb felt very stiff and sore, and also quite tender to touch. It's quite painful to bend it to touch my palm, and I feel like I'm having to force it the last bit of the way down. As far as my fingers are concerned, they don't seem to ache all at once, but to take it in turns! Some times one or two joints will be very tender and achy for a week or two, then they get better and another finger joint starts to hurt. My fingers ache a lot in the cold, and sometimes seem to swell up a bit for no reason too. Often a finger joint that has been particularly bad will be left with a small nodule on it when it settles down. (My lower thumb joint feels knobbly too.)
    The other symptom (which is apparently a strong indicator of OA) is stiffness in the morning, or if I've kept them still for a while, and also the opposite - they can get sore if I've used them a lot, or if I do something that needs a fine grip - like sewing.
    It sounds pretty bad, but as I say at least the whole hand doesn't hurt at once, which can't be bad :D
    Naomi
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi elnafinn mine has been hurting right in the thumb knuckle, the other week I had trouble opening jars etc, it hurts a bit even now, my GP said it's tendonitis and if it were further OA it would be painful all the time, exactly different to my knees however!, do you loose any movement of them as well as having pain?.
    Also my hands ache slightly, certainly somethnig is up but my GP says not!.
  • woodbine
    woodbine Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    mellman01 wrote:
    Hi elnafinn mine has been hurting right in the thumb knuckle, the other week I had trouble opening jars etc, it hurts a bit even now, my GP said it's tendonitis and if it were further OA it would be painful all the time, exactly different to my knees however!, do you loose any movement of them as well as having pain?.
    Also my hands ache slightly, certainly somethnig is up but my GP says not!.

    My GP says that the fact that the pain comes and goes is an indication of OA - wouldn't it be helpful if doctors could agree sometimes :x :D
    (I do have bouts of tendonitis, partly due to OA, sometimes which tends to last a couple of weeks, then ease - at least until I over-use my wrist again! A wrist/thumb support from OH (accessed via a GP or Social Services)might help.)
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks coolywobble and woodbine good infom aybe he is right after all, mind you the other day I had trouble hangin onto the steering wheel, most of the pain has gone now although it is uncomfortable picking heavy'ish things up still. Hey is it possible to get swine flu in your hands!? :mrgreen: