Symptoms

• Watch for chronic swelling or pain in your hands. Where two or more bones fit together at a joint, cartilage-covered bone helps the bones move smoothly. When the bones and cartilage become worn or damaged, arthritis symptoms such as swelling, stiffness and pain appear. The ASSH reports that additional symptoms include body nodules or bumps at the middle and end joints of the finger. Pain at the base of the thumb, another arthritis symptom, may cause grip and pinch problems so that turning keys, opening door knobs or loosening jar lids is more difficult for you.
  
  

Osteoarthritis

• Getting older is the most common factor in osteoarthritis. The wear and tear of age and repeated movements over time damage joint cartilage and bone. Bone becomes dense or hard at the moving edges of joints. Worn cartilage allows bones to rub together, bone to bone, restricting motion. Osteoarthritis most often occurs in your finger joints, thumb base and wrist.
  
  

Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Be alert to hand problems if you have rheumatoid arthritis. This systemic disease of the body causes inflamed cells along the joints throughout the body. Two-thirds of rheumatoid patients, according to ASSH, develop wrist and hand arthritis. The wrist and knuckles are commonly affected in both hands. Tendons may rupture and joints may squeak or crack during movement.
  
  

Post-Traumatic Arthritis

• Report any hand injury to your doctor. Injury such as a sprain or fracture strains a joint. Though you may heal and notice no lingering effects in the weeks after the injury, the damaged area deteriorates over months or years. The result is post-traumatic arthritis. A broken wrist or sprained hand, for example, may become inflamed and painful at a later time.
  
  

Treatment

• Ask for therapy or treatment to ease the limits arthritis puts on daily tasks. Your hands are essential in everything from brushing teeth to operating tools. The ASSH suggests anti-inflammatory or analgesic medication to relieve pain. Heat or cold packs may help. If pain is worse after activity, rest often eases the pain and swelling. Wrist or finger splints at night or during activity support injured joints to minimize further damage. Hand therapy and adaptive devices help your joints stay active. If your arthritis is severe and crippling, surgery may be done to rebuild injured joints for more function and less pain.