Arthritis in Hands

Arthritis can affect any joint in the body, but it is most visible when it affects the hands and fingers. A human hand has 27 bones plus the two bones of the forearm that help define the wrist. Joints are created whenever two or more bones come together, so the chances of problems in the hand are high. Arthritis of the hand can be both disabling and painful. The most common forms of the condition in the hand are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid.

Osteoarthritis of the hand

Osteoarthritis of the hand is a degenerative joint disease in which the cushioning cartilage that covers the bone surfaces at joints begins to get worn out. It may be caused by the normal wear and tear on joints, or it may develop after an injury. In the hand, osteoarthritis most often develops in three sites: at the base of the thumb, where the thumb and wrist come together; at the middle joint of a finger and at the finger tip.

Rheumatoid conditions of the hand

Rheumatoid affects the cells that line and normally lubricate the joints. It is a systemic condition, which affects multiple joints, usually on both sides of the body. The joint lining becomes inflamed and swollen. The swollen tissue may stretch the surrounding ligaments, which are connective tissues that hold bones together, causing deformity and instability. The inflammation may also spread to the tendons, which are the connective tissues that link muscles and bones. This can result in ruptures in the tendons. Rheumatoid conditions of the hand is most common in the wrist and finger knuckles.

Signs and symptoms

Stiffness, swelling, loss of motion, and pain are symptoms common to both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid conditions in the hand. With osteoarthritis, bony nodules may develop at the middle joints of one or more fingers and at the finger tip. The joints become enlarged and the fingers crooked. In rheumatoid conditions of the hand, some joints may be more swollen than others. There is often a sausage-shaped swelling of the finger. Other symptoms include:
a soft, lumpy mass over the back of the hand

a creaking sound during movement; a shift in the position of the fingers as they drift away from the direction of the thumb;
inflammation of the finger tendons,
resulting in a permanent bending deformity and a swan's neck deformity caused by hyperextension at the middle joint of the finger associated with a bent fingertip.