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Arthritis is a condition where the joints get inflamed. This can happen to any of the joints in the body. The inflammation occurs in the surrounding tissue and this interferes with the working of the joint, hence interfering with the working of the limb. As arthritis is degenerative, this condition worsens over the years, and the use of the joint becomes most difficult and painful. Usually arthritis primarily affects the weight-bearing joints. Arthritis in the hands is one such instance of inflamed joints.

Types

• Arthritis can also be osteoarthritis where along with joint degeneration, the bone density also reduces. The degeneration that occurs is usually dual and difficult to control. This arthritis is also called degenerative arthritis. This arthritis can be genetic and also can get inflamed due to chronic infections in the body like gout, ankylosing spondylosis, or even lupus.
• Another type of arthritis is called rheumatoid arthritis. In this form, the synovium grows and destroys the joint. The synovium is a tissue that surrounds the joint and provides nutrition to the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis begins with the hand and feet and eventually moves to all joints of the body, even disfiguring them in the long run. In this condition, the bones and tissue tends to fuse together, with painful results.

Causes

The primary cause for arthritis is wear and tear of the joint. Other contributing factors include age, genetics, nutrition, and activity levels.

As arthritis has no cure, it is all about how likely are you to develop arthritis and how long can you manage the symptoms.

Symptoms

The joints in the hand are usually one the first joints to get affected as it is a common joint, often used.

The primary symptoms of arthritis in the hands are,

• Pain - could vary from a dull pain to blinding pain that does not allow any movement
• Swelling - occurs when the joints are under stress - When one joint does not work properly, other neighbouring joints bear the stress and you can immediately feel this effect
• The hand or the wrist will feel warm as a reaction to the inflammation
• You may also notice appearance of cysts, on the fingers or on the joints within the fingers
• You might also hear sounds of bones rubbing against each other if the cartilage has been damaged

Treatment

Treatment for arthritis in the hands involves pain medications, surgical and non- surgical treatment.

Medications tend to start at simple over-the-counter pain medication to really strong Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory or NSAIDs. Depending on how much the patient can take, pain medication can help control pain.

Even corticosteroids are sometimes prescribed. In really serious cases, even injections are given. But these are temporary treatments as they only deals with the symptoms.

There are surgeries performed as a treatment for arthritis. But surgery is not always a sure shot treatment for arthritis cased in the joints of the hand. There is a big chance that the arthritis will return once your hand has healed from the surgery. Occasionally splints are inserted but this has a limitation and should be discussed with the doctor in detail. There is research that is happening on different fronts on how to get surgery to improve the lives of people with arthritis.

Till then battling arthritis will be a combination of regular exercise, alternate therapy and pain medication to manage your symptoms of arthritis in hands.

Reference

• http://nemsi.uchc.edu/clinical_services/orthopaedic/handwrist/arthritis_thumb.html
• http://medicine.yale.edu/surgery/plastics/care/hand/arthritis.aspx

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