Symptoms and Diagnosis of Finger Arthritis

Symptoms

Pain is the main symptom of arthritis. This pain first occurs during activity. Usually, once the activity begins the pain is tolerable, but after resting for several minutes the pain and stiffness may increase. Later, when the condition worsens, pain may be present even at rest. In rheumatoid arthritis, the fingers also become deformed as the disease progresses. At the MCP joint, the joints begin to point sideways toward the thumb, pointing the fingers towards the little fingers. This is commonly referred to as "ulnar drift." Ulnar drift can cause weakness as well as pain and make daily activities difficult.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of arthritis of the finger joints begins with a history of the problem. Details about any injuries that may have occurred to the hand are important and may suggest other reasons why the condition exists.

Following the history, a physical examination of the hand, and possibly other joints in the body, will be performed. It will be important for your doctor to see how the motion of each finger joint has been affected.

X-rays will be taken to identify the severity of the joint damage. This is usually the most important test to determine the extent of the degenerative arthritis. The amount of articular cartilage left in the joint can be estimated using X-rays.

Last Updated: 10/16/2007