Hand osteoarthritis is swelling and irritation — called inflammation — that causes pain and stiffness in the joints of your hands. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It happens when the connective tissue (cartilage) at the ends of your bones wears away. This causes your bones to rub together.
There’s no cure for hand osteoarthritis, but there are a lot of ways to protect your joints and feel better.
Without treatment, osteoarthritis gets worse over time. It’s important to get a diagnosis and a treatment plan as soon as possible.
Arthritis causes swelling, pain, and stiffness in your joints — parts of your body where two bones meet. Tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon. A tendon is a thick, flexible band of tissue that connects your muscle to your bone. You can get tendonitis in your hand, wrist, and thumb, as well as other parts of your body. Because tendonitis causes pain near your joints, it is sometimes mistaken for arthritis.
When you first start to feel symptoms of hand osteoarthritis, your joint pain and stiffness may be more noticeable in the morning. You may also feel the pain hours or the day after using your hand for heavy lifting or gripping. The pain may feel dull or like a burning sensation.
As osteoarthritis progresses and the cartilage in your joints wears away, your symptoms such as pain and stiffness will happen more often.
In later stages, joint pain may increase when you use your hands or when it rains. You may be woken at night from pain and have more difficulty using your hands for daily activities. Your affected joints may also swell from heavy use or appear larger due to new bone growths (nodes or spurs).
Osteoarthritis of the hands usually happens in three places:
The smooth cartilage on the ends of your bones helps cushion your joints and allows them to slide easily. But over time, the cartilage gets worn down. The bones rub against each other, causing the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
It’s not clear what causes osteoarthritis. It’s likely a combination of wear and tear and changes in the tissues themselves as you age. Certain things can make you more likely to have hand osteoarthritis:
It’s not always easy to know what causes your osteoarthritis to flare up. Some triggers could be:
The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness. Over time, they may get worse. The pain might become constant and sharper, and the stiffness could keep you from bending your finger joints all the way.
Hand osteoarthritis can cause other problems, such as:
Your doctor will look at your hands and ask about your symptoms and family history. You’ll probably have X-rays, so your doctor can see the condition of your joints and cartilage. They also might do tests to rule out other causes of painful joints, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Your doctor might recommend one or more of these nonsurgical treatments to ease pain, reduce stiffness, and make it easier to use your hand:
If other treatments haven’t worked or your symptoms have gotten worse, you and your doctor may consider surgery. Surgical options include:
These home treatments can help:
There’s no one way to prevent osteoarthritis. Some lifestyle changes might lower your odds:
Osteoarthritis can affect various parts of your hand, from your fingers to your wrist. It causes pain and stiffness, making it difficult to do everyday tasks. There’s no cure for osteoarthritis, but there are many treatments to help ease your pain and restore your hand function. Talk to your doctor about nonsurgical treatments including pain medication, exercise, injections, splints, and hot/cold therapy, as well as surgical options for long-term relief.