Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
When to Seek Care
Treatment for swollen finger joints will depend on the cause. For less extreme injuries, rest and icing the swollen location might be enough to lessen the inflammation, but in more severe injuries, surgery may be required.
Pain from chronic conditions may be managed with over-the-counter medications and braces. However, in more severe cases of some conditions, prescription medications or even surgery might be necessary.
Inna Kozhina / Getty Images
Causes of Swollen Finger Joints
A number of conditions can cause swollen fingers. Most are inflammatory but some are not.
A Word From Verywell
—ANITA C. CHANDRASEKARAN, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Injury
Injury to your fingers includes “jamming” your finger, crushing injuries, or direct trauma to your hand or fingers. Injuries like these can cause:
After an injury, the body responds withinflammationin which blood circulation is increased to the affected area to aid with healing and eradicate infection. This, in turn, causes swelling, redness, heat, and pain.
Infection
An infection can also cause swollenfinger joints. The bacteriaStaphylococcus aureusis the most common cause of this.With a soft tissue injury, the ensuing inflammation can cause the skin and underlying tissues to swell.
In certain people, the infection can progress and affect the joint itself, leading to a condition calledseptic arthritis. Along with joint swelling, septic arthritis can cause a high fever, chills, and body aches. If left untreated, severe joint damage can occur.
Risk factors for septic arthritis include:
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA)is the most common form of arthritis, often referred to as “wear-and-tear arthritis.” It is an aging-related condition in which long-term stress on a joint causes the deterioration ofcartilage.
OA is non-inflammatory but can become inflammatory as cartilage is lost and bone starts to rub against bone. This can lead to abnormal bone remodeling, resulting inbone spurs, joint deformity, pain, and the loss of joint mobility. The joints of the hand are commonly affected, often non-symmetrically but sometimes symmetrically.
Risk factors for hand OA include:
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)is an inflammatoryautoimmune diseasein which the immune system attacks the joints (typically the same joint on both sides of the body). This immune assault occurs in episodes (“flares”), causing joint pain, stiffness, and, in advanced cases, joint deformity. The joints of the hands and fingers are commonly affected.
Thecauseof RA is unknown but risk factors include:
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)is another autoimmune, inflammatory arthritis that causes joint pain and stiffness. About 30% of people withpsoriasisdevelop PsA.People who have psoriasis and PsA are usually (but not always) diagnosed with psoriasis first.
Risk factors for PsA include:
Gout
Gout can cause excruciating joint pain along with swelling and stiffness. Left untreated, tophi can lead to infection, skin ulceration (open sores), andneuropathy(numbness or pins-and-needles sensations) due to the entrapment of nerves in joints.
Risk factors for gout include:
What Is Uric Acid?Uric acid is created when the body breaks down substances known as purines. Purines are produced in the body and are also found in certain foods and drinks, including alcohol, red meat, organ meat, and some seafood and shellfish. A high blood uric acid level is calledhyperuricemia.
What Is Uric Acid?
Uric acid is created when the body breaks down substances known as purines. Purines are produced in the body and are also found in certain foods and drinks, including alcohol, red meat, organ meat, and some seafood and shellfish. A high blood uric acid level is calledhyperuricemia.
Lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), also known simply aslupus, is a systemic (whole-body) autoimmune disease that causes pain and inflammation throughout the body. The skin, joints, and internal organs can all be affected.
SLE, a non-arthritis condition, can produce a wide range of symptoms like extreme fatigue, headaches, low-grade fevers, joint pain and swelling, and a butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose.
As with RA, lupus typically affects multiple joints on both sides of the body, including the wrists, hands, and fingers.Symptomsare usually less severe than those of RA.
Between 5% and 10% of people with lupus develop finger joint deformities, such as theswan neck deformity(in which the middle joint is bent backward) and theulnar drift(in which the fingers are angled toward the pinkie).
Risk factors for SLE include:
Ankylosing Spondylitis
AS can affect other joints, including the shoulders, hips, and fingers. As with psoriatic arthritis, AS can causedactylitisof the fingers and toes along with joint stiffness, pain, and skin lesions.
Risk factors for AS include:
Heat Edema
High temperatures can also cause swelling in the extremities. Known as headedema, the swelling can happen just from being exposed to the heat for an extended time but is especially common after someone sits or stands for an extended period.
Older adults, people with circulation issues, and those visiting a cold climate from a hot one are especially at risk. Heat edema is not usually a serious condition.
Diagnosing Swollen Finger Joints
If you have injured a finger joint, you may want to see your healthcare provider. They will examine your finger to assess the level of injury. If the injury is more severe, they may refer you to anorthopedistspecializing in diseases and disorders of the bones.
Septic arthritis is diagnosed with X-rays and the evaluation of the joint fluids taken with a needle and syringe (calledjoint aspiration). X-rays will show joint swelling without damage to the bone.Joint fluids will reveal high levels of defensivewhite blood cellsas well as the presence of bacteria.
If your finger is not injured or infected, you may have a systemic condition that is causing joint swelling and pain. In such cases, it would be best to see arheumatologistwho specializes in joint diseases, including those that are inflammatory or autoimmune.
Autoimmune diseases can be diagnosed with blood tests, imaging studies, and the exclusion of other possible causes. Blood tests likerheumatoid factorandanti-cyclic citrullinated peptide(anti-CCP)can help differentiate RA, PsA, or lupus. X-rays may reveal characteristic changes, including joint erosion, narrowing, or deformity.
X-raysare also useful in diagnosing osteoarthritis, while joint aspiration can revealuric acidcrystals in people with gout.
Ankylosing spondylitis is diagnosed based on a set of criteria, including having inflammatory back pain, a family history of AS, the presence of HLA-B27, and a positive response tononsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Treatment for Swollen Finger Joints
Septic arthritis is diagnosed with X-rays and the evaluation of the joint fluids taken with a needle and syringe (calledjoint aspiration). X-rays will show joint swelling without damage to the bone.
Autoimmune diseases can be diagnosed with blood tests, imaging studies, and the exclusion of other possible causes. X-rays may reveal characteristic changes, including joint erosion, narrowing, or deformity.
They are also useful in diagnosing osteoarthritis, while joint aspiration can reveal uric acid crystals in people with gout.
Understanding what’s causing swollen finger joints is the basis for getting the right treatment.
For acute finger injuries, rest, ice, and immobilization in the beginning stages can help protect your injured finger joints and allow them to heal. You may be given a brace or splint to wear to help stabilize your injured finger joint until it has healed enough.
If severe injury is present, such as a severed or ruptured tendon or ligament or a broken bone (fracture), surgery may be necessary to repair the injury.
Physicaloroccupational therapymay be necessary afterward, depending on the extent of your injury, to regain finger and hand strength as well as range of motion to complete everyday tasks.
A minor injury will typically start to feel better within a week or two, but it may take up to a month or more for the swelling to completely resolve. If the injury is more severe and involves a ligament or tendon sprain, joint swelling may linger for up to a full year.
Septic infections like septic arthritis must be treated with antibiotics to eliminate the harmful bacteria causing joint pain and inflammation. For systemic conditions that can cause finger joint swelling, treatment will focus on reducing inflammation and preventing disease progression.
Arthritis
Different types of arthritis, including RA and PsA, can be managed with a variety of treatment options to reduce pain and inflammation and improve joint movement. These include:
Autoimmune forms ofarthritislike RA and PsA often require lifelong treatment with medications to decrease inflammation and prevent disease progression.
Reducing uric acid levels in the blood with medications and diet can help decrease finger swelling and inflammation and reduce the risk of future gout flare-ups.
Therapy to lower urates is the most common treatment used to decrease uric acid levels in patients with gout. The goal is to decrease serum urate levels to 6 milligrams per deciliter or less to reduce tophi and improve joint functioning.
Common medications used to lower uric acid levels include Aloprim (allopurinol), Uloric (febuxostat), Benemid (probenecid), and Krystexxa (pegloticase).
If gout tophi are severe and unresponsive to medical treatment, surgery may be necessary to remove the damaged tissue in the affected joints (debridement) and free up the finger tendons to improve functional hand and finger use. The affected finger joint will also be flushed with a warm saline solution to help remove the tophi and prevent the joint from drying out and forming new uric acid crystals.
Surgery forgoutis usually done in severe cases only, including when the following are present:
Unlike RA, pain and inflammation within joints of the fingers from lupus most often result from ligament and tendon laxity (looseness) rather than bone damage. Because of this, symptoms tend to be easier to correct with bracing or splinting of the fingers.
Lupus is also commonly managed with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications to decrease inflammation throughout the body.
Heat edema usually resolves on its own, but there are a few easy treatments to help it resolve more quickly.
If the condition appears after having been seated for a long period, moving around and stretching your fingers and hands may help. Massaging the swollen fingers or elevating them may also alleviate swelling.
To prevent edema in the first place, try to keep your body cool in hot and humid environments, and be sure to stay hydrated.
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
People typically experience pain and swelling in the finger joints after an injury. If the pain or swelling does not improve after a few days, talk to your healthcare provider. If you have additional symptoms, such as the joint feeling warm or you’re experiencing fever, chills, body aches, or extreme fatigue, call your healthcare provider right away.
Summary
23 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Society for Surgery of the Hand.Jammed finger.
Flevas DA, Syngouna S, Fandridis E, Tsiodras S, Mavrogenis AF.Infections of the hand: an overview. EFORT Open Rev. 2019 May 10;4(5):183-193. doi: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180082
Earwood JS, Walker TR, Sue GJC.Septic Arthritis: Diagnosis and Treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;104(6):589-597. PMID: 34913662
National Institute on Aging.Osteoarthritis.
Arthritis Foundation.Osteoarthritis of the hands.
Crum-Cianflone NF.Joint Pain and Swelling.Am Fam Physician.2014;89(5):381-382.
Mease PJ, Gladman DD, Papp KA, Khraishi MM, Thaçi D, Behrens F, Northington R, Fuiman J, Bananis E, Boggs R, Alvarez D.Prevalence of rheumatologist-diagnosed psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis in European/North American dermatology clinics.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2013 Nov;69(5):729-735. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2013.07.023
Dhir V, Aggarwal A.Psoriatic arthritis: a critical review.Clin Rev Allergy Immunol.2013;44(2):141-8. doi: 10.1007/s12016-012-8302-6. PMID: 22294201.
Meer E,, Thrastardottir T, Wang X, et al.Risk factors for diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis: a set of parallel case-control studies.J Rheumatol.2022;49(1):53-59. doi:10.3899/jrheum.210006
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gout.
MedlinePlus.Uric acid - blood.
Lupus Foundation of America.What is lupus?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Lupus Foundation of America.What is drug-induced lupus?
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Questions and answers about ankylosing spondylitis.
Zhu W, He X, Cheng K, et al.Ankylosing spondylitis: etiology, pathogenesis, and treatments.Bone Res.2019;7:22. doi:10.1038/s41413-019-0057-8
Hwang MC, Ridley L, Reveille JD.Ankylosing spondylitis risk factors: a systematic literature review.Clin Rheumatol. 2021 Aug;40(8):3079–3093. doi:10.1007/s10067-021-05679-7
MyHealthAberta. “Heat edema (swelling).”
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Autoimmune diseases.
Kasper IR, Juriga MD, Giurini JM, Shmerling RH.Treatment of tophaceous gout: When medication is not enough.Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2016;45(6):669-74. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.01.005
Hospital for Special Surgery.Joint Pain In Patients With lupus: Is It Really Arthritis?
Mayo Clinic. “Edema.”
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
