Hand Joint Inflammation: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

Inflammation of the joints in the hands is a common condition that can significantly impact daily functioning and quality of life. Pain, swelling, and stiffness in the finger and wrist joints have many potential causes, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. While incurable, a variety of treatments can relieve symptoms and improve hand mobility. This article explores the signs, diagnosis, and management of hand joint inflammation.

Introduction

The hands have multiple small joints that provide impressive dexterity but also vulnerability to wear-and-tear. Hand arthritis is a frequent cause of disability, especially among the elderly. The symptoms of swollen, painful hand joints result from inflammation affecting the joint lining and surrounding structures. Several types of arthritis can lead to hand inflammation, along with injuries and overuse. Without treatment, worsening joint damage can occur over time. The goals of therapy aim to minimize pain, maintain hand strength and flexibility, and preserve independence in daily activities.

Symptoms of Hand Joint Inflammation

Inflamed hand joints exhibit several characteristic signs and symptoms:

• Swelling, warmth, and redness affecting finger joints, wrists, and base of thumbs
• Visible knobby enlargements at joint margins from bony spurs
• Stiffness, pain, and tenderness that is often worse in the mornings
• Numbness and tingling in the fingers
• Difficulty forming a fist or grasping objects due to limited motion
• Loss of fine motor control and dexterity
• Crackling sounds during joint movements
• Eventual deformities like bent fingers or shifted fingers

The location and pattern of joint involvement helps distinguish between types of hand arthritis. The symptoms tend to occur symmetrically on both sides. Evaluation by a rheumatologist is key for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Causes and Diagnosis

Common causes of hand joint inflammation include:

Osteoarthritis - The most common type of hand arthritis, osteoarthritis stems from cartilage breakdown in the joints. It leads to bony spurs, cysts, and narrowed joint space causing pain and impaired movement. Osteoarthritis frequently affects the base of the thumb joint and last finger joints closest to the nails.

Rheumatoid arthritis – An inflammatory autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis impacts the wrist and finger joints. It is characterized by warm, swollen joints with more prolonged morning stiffness than osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause rheumatoid nodules or thickened tendons.

Psoriatic arthritis – Joint inflammation is accompanied by silver-colored skin plaques in psoriatic arthritis. It often causes sausage-like swelling of the fingers along with pits in the nails.

Post-traumatic arthritis – Prior joint injury can accelerate arthritis development in those joints. Hand fractures, sprains, and ligament tears increase susceptibility.

Diagnosis involves a medical history, physical exam of the hands, imaging tests like x-rays, and lab work looking for inflammatory markers. Identifying the specific type of hand arthritis is key for appropriate management.

Treating Hand Joint Inflammation

While hand arthritis cannot be cured, many effective treatments help relieve symptoms:

• NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen reduce inflammation and pain. Topical NSAID creams are also available.
• Corticosteroid injections can provide rapid inflammation reduction directly in severely affected joints.
• Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, and sulfasalazine slow disease progression in inflammatory types of arthritis.
• Biologics such as adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, and abatacept suppress the immune system response in rheumatoid arthritis.
• Hand splints support inflamed joints to ease pain and improve function.
• Heat/cold therapy alleviates joint stiffness and pain.
• Occupational therapy teaches alternative techniques for daily tasks to avoid putting pressure on tender hand joints.

For advanced arthritis, surgery may be required. Options include joint replacement, joint fusion, synovectomy to remove inflamed joint lining, and tendon repair. Surgery aims to restore hand mobility and reduce pain.

Medications, therapy, and lifestyle changes like frequent rest and hand exercises help preserve hand function. Learning proper joint protection techniques is also beneficial. A customized treatment approach combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological options offers the best results.

Conclusion

Joint inflammation significantly impacts use of the hands for everyday activities. The swelling, pain, and stiffness can greatly reduce quality of life. Seeking an accurate diagnosis is the first step, as treatment varies by the specific type of hand arthritis present. While arthritis cannot be reversed, starting treatment early is key to limit joint damage. A combination of anti-inflammatory medications, injections, hand splints, exercise, and surgery if needed can effectively manage symptoms. Occupational therapy also teaches helpful adaptations to maintain hand function. With proper treatment, most people with hand arthritis can stay independent in tasks requiring dexterity.

References

Arthritis Foundation. Hand Pain and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Arthritis of the Hand.

Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Hand.

Mayo Clinic. Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Wrist and Hand.