Osteoarthritis in fingers.

amway2

Hi All
I'm a 60yr old male who's had arthritic fingers for 5ys with quite large Heberdens nodes which grow year on year and have reduced functionality year on year..They're are painful especially in the winter months from about Late Oct to March.I've also been diagnosed with an arthritic hip but thankfully is not causing too many problems at present.

I find that the the joints in both my hands are red ,inflamed and swell periodically during this time with new bone growth.
I manage this using ibuprofen 400mg and omperprazole 20mgs daily.
I also take chondroitin Daily throughout the year and Turmeric supplements Oct to March.
I use the ibuprofen to deduce the length of time of the inflammatory episodes last which I feel is when the nodes on my finger joints grow.
Is there anything else I could be doing to reduce the inflammatory process.
Any new research on using different regimes or immune therapy which could be of benefit .
I appreciate any suggestions.
Regards
Paul

YvonneH

Hi Paul,

Thanks for joining the online community it's lovely to meet you. You have osteoarthritis of the hands and these are causing deposits of bone onto your fingers/knuckles. Many people with Osteoarthritis find that cold wet weather makes their pain worse, hopefully they will hurt less now our weather is a little more sunny and settled.

The bony growths themselves aren't usually painful but the extra bone can make it harder to use your hands and cause pain when you are trying to move your joints. I have been offered to have one removed from my foot which is making shoes uncomfy, though I've decided to wait a while and think about it!

I also know that replacement joints for fingers/knuckles are now being done, though I couldn't find any references to the NHS currently doing that nor to any relevant research papers.

It might be more a case of finding ways to live with them for now but ask your GP about alternatives when we are more able to contact them.

You can always contact our helpline on 0800 5200 520 on Monday - Friday from 9am - 8pm

Do let us know how you get on and what hints and tips you can share with us to help manage this condition

Take care

Yvonne x

amway2

Hi Yvonne
Thank you for your reply
In my experience when my finger joints are inflammed and painful I feel that once that has subsided the heberdens nodules are bigger.
Does the inflammatory response causes bone to be produced and if that is true .
What I would like to know is
If I can reduce the time of the inflammatory stage ie when they are red and painful will this reduce the bony deposits?
Is there any evidence based trails on the best way to reduce the duration of the flare ups.
Best analgesic regime .
Any immune therapy to reduce the auto immune radio.se which from what overhead is a possible cause of the inflammatory response in osteoarthritis.
Regards
Paul