What does hand arthritis feel like?

[sarahsarahsarahsar]

Clearly I plan to see a doctor but there's a wait, and I imagine a referral will be a very long wait.

My right hand isn't working as well as it used to, or as my left hand does. I can't close it as tightly, or do fiddly buttons in the same way, and some types of grip start to hurt after a while. No injury.

I do feel some tension in the wrist and elbow so I wondered if it was something like carpal tunnel or something fixable with physio?

I'm scared it's arthritis and the sign of a long term decline. I'm only 40.

Any experiences of this?

No, but I’m watching with interest because my writing index finger is doing something similar. I’m 45.

I started in my late 30s getting ganglion cysts on the end of my fingers. I am now in early 50s and my hands are really deformed with bony nodules and bad pain. I struggle with everything, even holding a toothbrush is hard, I drop it all the time. I drop literally EVERYTHING I pick up, I have to had to start using plastic cups and glasses. 🙄 I have had a bone removed from one hand (trapeziectomy) as it had a bony lump on it the size of an egg and the pain was so bad that I could not function. That was just before covid. The other hand needs doing now but I cannot even get a GP apt now for it. I also have pain in all my other joints and my whole skeleton hurts. I had a GP apt about it during covid but they just told me to take paracetamol and there is nothing to be done about it.

I was a typist for many years, maybe that contributed I don't know, I cannot work now due to ill health. I had to give up in late 40s.

I'm 50 now but have had arthritis in my fingers (and elsewhere) for about 10 years. My fingers are stiff and painful and the joints are swollen and nobbly; my fingers are starting to bend sideways. I'm sorry to say that there doesn't seem to be much a GP can/will do. I had an x-ray years ago, which confirmed that the problem was osteoarthritis and have seen a physiotherapist who simply recommended some basic exercises. The only other advice given was to take OTC painkillers. I can't quite believe that there's nothing that can be done to help, but GP was adamant that I just have to put uo with it. It's miserable to be honest - daily tasks are painful and difficult and my hands look awful!

I have already been diagnosed with arthritis in my knee and I think it's spreading to my hand.
My index finger top and hand knuckle feel very sore and hot and I can see they're a bit swollen and mis-shapen. They're not like this all the time - it comes and goes. I'm presuming it's arthrities.

I have auto immune arthritis and the bones on the top of my hand hurt, often too much to cut up some type of food for long, and the joints swell.

oh and when you bang your fingers when it is cold, ooooo the pain, looking forward soo much to summer!

Thanks all, I'm sorry so many of you are suffering with your hands too. Nothing quite matches what I'm experiencing so I'm not too sure. I will give my GP a call. Fingers crossed, not literally.

Same as me. I can struggle with simple things like getting the top off the milk. My knees are now starting to hurt when I go upstairs. I am only 46.

@PotatoPudding I feel for you with the knee pain, I retired last year and had great plans of doing so much walking as it's one thing I really enjoyed but even this morning I walked home from town - about 20 minutes - and could barely move when I got home.

I was told the pain in my hands was arthritis about two years ago. I don’t have any lumps or disfigurement just a lot of pain which often feels like my thumbs have dislocated.
I saw a doctor and a physiotherapist who were both singularly unhelpful. The diagnosis seemed to be made on the basis I’m female and aging, and I was told to buy painkillers and use voltarol.
I am now waiting for a corticosteroid injection which I hope will give some relief.

You poor thing. Do you take anything for it? I take a daily joint care multivitamin but it’s obviously not enough.

A few information about tests needed to diagnose or maybe rule out arthritis, with symptoms as well https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350777 ''Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Combining radio waves with a strong magnetic field, MRIs can produce more-detailed cross-sectional images of soft tissues such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments''

Dull aching, stiffness and swelling for me. Have sudden flare ups, I’ve had DDD for about twenty years since I had DD2 and sometimes it seems to trigger a flare up in my other joints, a bit randomly. I can often do things like fiddly stuff and using a screwdriver and eg did loads of digging in the garden yesterday, but then find I can’t do things like fill up with petrol because my hand can’t grip well enough.

I tried Jointace tablets but they did nothing for me. I started on Dihydrocodeine with Paracetamol but gradually they weren't so effective. I'm now taking slow release morphine but not getting on so well with it.

Annoyingly everything I take is great for a little while then seems to wear off. I think I can get a steroid injection next.