Arthritisincludes several conditions that affect the joints. There are more than 100 types of arthritis.Many different types of arthritis can affect the hands, wrists, and fingers, includingosteoarthritis (OA)and inflammatory arthritis types likerheumatoid arthritis (RA).
There’s no cure for arthritis, but there are things you can do to reduce the likelihood of getting arthritis in your hands, preventing arthritis flare-ups, and reducing joint damage.
SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images
Causes of Arthritis in the Hands
Arthritic conditions can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, and tenderness in the small joints of the hands and fingers.
Inflammatory arthritisconditions, like RA, psoriatic arthritis,gout, and ankylosing spondylitis causeinflammation. Symptoms of inflammation include redness, warmth, swelling, and pain. In general, OA is degenerative, rather than inflammatory.
Inflammatory Arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis conditions often affect multiple joints in the body and can be systemic, affecting the entire body. They can cause extra-articular manifestations, meaning affecting organs/body systems other than the joints. RA is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis.
With RA, thesynovium, which lines the joints, becomes inflamed. If left untreated, inflammatory arthritis can cause damage to cartilage, bone, tendons, and ligaments, eventually impairing the function of the affected joint.
Preventing Arthritis in the Hands
Research shows 90% of people with RA will have some hand involvement, which can cause problems for activities of daily living (ADL).
RA tends to affect the metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), and thumb interphalangeal (IP) joints.
With RA, you can experience hand involvement in one or more finger joints in both hands. It also commonly affects the wrists. It typically has symmetric involvement, so the same joint on both sides of the body is affected.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage between the joints wears down. Bones will rub together due to diminished cushioning. That rubbing leads to inflammation, stiffness, and pain.
Osteoarthritis in the hands affects the wrists, the DIP joints (at the fingertips), the PIP joints, and the basial joint (CMC joint, connecting the thumb and wrist).RA affects the wrists more commonly than OA.
In OA, bony nodules—calledHeberden’s nodes—can develop between the PIP and DIP joints of the fingers.Nodules at the PIP joint are calledBouchard’s nodes. Hand OA may cause pain, swelling, and a bump in the base of the thumb.
Hand OA may lead to difficulties with hand grip and pinch strength. It can cause pain with tasks that require hand and finger strength, like opening a jar or turning a key.
10 Natural Remedies to Help Arthritis in Hands
Preventing Arthritis in Your Hands
Causes of Hands and Fingers Locking Up
Maintaining Good Health
If you have not developed arthritis in your hands, there are some things you can do to prevent damage to the joints of your hands, wrists, and fingers.
Your arthritis treatment plan is vital, especially if you have RA and another type of inflammatory arthritis. One of the main goals of an RA treatment plan is to maintain joint function, including and especially of the joints of your hands.
Make sure you take the medications your practitioner prescribes and follow all the instructions you have been given. Many of these medicines decrease inflammation and prevent damage throughout the body, including the hands, wrists, and fingers.
See Your Healthcare Provider Regularly
Make sure you keep your appointments and see your healthcare provider regularly. Talk to your practitioner about any changes in hand symptoms and joint function.
Let your healthcare provider know about any swelling, stiffness, or pain in your hands and if you experience function difficulties, such as with turning doorknobs, opening jars, or gripping objects.
Don’t Smoke
Smoking can increase your risk for RA, and it makes the disease worse for people who already have RA.Research also connects smoking to OA of the hands, knees, hips, and spine.If you are a smoker, you should quit right away to reduce your risk for both OA and RA.
Eat a Healthy Diet
The Arthritis Foundation recommends eating a “diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and beans, and low in processed foods and saturated fat” to prevent inflammation and improve joint symptoms.
A Mediterranean diet is a type of anti-inflammatory diet that can help manage inflammation associated with both RA and OA.
Avoiding Injury
Putting stress on the hand joints can cause wear and tear that eventually leads to OA. An injury can damage the cartilage in the joints, and injured joints are more likely to develop arthritis. You may not have symptoms until many years later.
Ways to avoid hand injury include:
When to See a Healthcare ProviderSome telltale signs that arthritis has affected your hands include swelling, stiffness, tenderness, and joint pain of your wrists, hands, and fingers.You should see a healthcare provider when:Home treatments aren’t helping. If you have tried ice, heat therapy, over-the-counter pain (OTC) relievers, and rest without adequate relief, it is a good idea to make an appointment with your practitioner to determine the source of your hand symptoms.You have pain in multiple joints. Conditions like RA make several of your joints hurts. So, if you are experiencing pain in other joints, in addition to your hands, it is a good idea to call your healthcare provider and get in for an appointment.Your hand joints hurt a lot. If you have severe hand, finger, or wrist pain, this is another reason to call your practitioner.You have warmth and redness. Symptoms like redness and warmth are signs of inflammation in the joints and need to be checked out.You have gradual pain and stiffness. Any type of joint pain—whether in your hands or elsewhere in your body—that progresses slowly could be linked to an underlying medical illness
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Some telltale signs that arthritis has affected your hands include swelling, stiffness, tenderness, and joint pain of your wrists, hands, and fingers.You should see a healthcare provider when:Home treatments aren’t helping. If you have tried ice, heat therapy, over-the-counter pain (OTC) relievers, and rest without adequate relief, it is a good idea to make an appointment with your practitioner to determine the source of your hand symptoms.You have pain in multiple joints. Conditions like RA make several of your joints hurts. So, if you are experiencing pain in other joints, in addition to your hands, it is a good idea to call your healthcare provider and get in for an appointment.Your hand joints hurt a lot. If you have severe hand, finger, or wrist pain, this is another reason to call your practitioner.You have warmth and redness. Symptoms like redness and warmth are signs of inflammation in the joints and need to be checked out.You have gradual pain and stiffness. Any type of joint pain—whether in your hands or elsewhere in your body—that progresses slowly could be linked to an underlying medical illness
Some telltale signs that arthritis has affected your hands include swelling, stiffness, tenderness, and joint pain of your wrists, hands, and fingers.
You should see a healthcare provider when:
Preventing Flare-Ups
Anarthritis flare-up(also called a flare) is a sudden increase in joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and tenderness. In addition to joint symptoms, flares may also cause severefatigueand a general unwell feeling.
Medications
The single most important thing you can do to prevent flare-ups is to take your arthritis medications on time and correctly. Try not to skip doses—use a timer, pillbox, or another method to help you stay on track.
Call your healthcare provider if you think you might feel a flare starting. They might be able to adjust your treatment plan to get symptoms managed.
NSAIDs
NSAIDs like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen are available without a prescription. However, your practitioner can prescribe stronger versions if they feel you need them to better manage inflammation and pain.
Corticosteroids
Sometimes called steroids, corticosteroids are man-made drugs that resemble a hormone called cortisol that is naturally produced in the adrenal glands.They are available in pill form, as an injection, and as topical pain relievers.
Diet
There is no clear evidence that diet can improve arthritis symptoms. But many people with arthritis say they feel better when they cut out certain foods. Foods considered inflammatory include processed and fast foods, red meats, and sugary desserts.
Ananti-inflammatory dietmight help reduce inflammation and improve symptoms of arthritis. Foods considered anti-inflammatory include oily fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, olive oil, some spices (like ginger and turmeric), and probiotics and prebiotics.
Hand Exercises
Hand, wrist, and finger pain can be frustrating and make it harder to perform basic tasks, including using a computer, preparing meals, getting dressed, and cleaning your home. Hand exercises can help improve hand function and are easy to do.
Supportive Devices
Supportive devices, including hand splints and compression gloves, can position joints to reduce pain and extend your range of motion.
Hand Splints
Different types of hand splints andfinger splintscan be worn to reduce pain and support your hand during tasks that require you to use your hands, wrists, and fingers.
One study reported in 2014 found short-term, nighttime use of splinting of the DIP joint was a safe and simple way to reduce pain and improve mobility in the joint.
A newer study—this one reported in 2018—found that splinting could manage hand and wrist function in people who experience RA of their hands.Researchers found that hand and wrist stabilization helped with improving function, grip, and manual dexterity.
Compression Gloves
Compression glovescan be an alternative to hand splints, or they can be used at night after splints have been removed. These tight-fitting and flexible gloves can reduce hand pain and stiffness and improve hand function.
Compression gloves are safe and commonly used. However, there is little research that confirms compression gloves can be effective.
Stress Management
Reducing stress can help prevent flares, manage arthritis, and reduce the length of flares. People with arthritis can make use of any number of stress relief activities to keep arthritis symptoms at bay.
Stress relief techniques include:
If you find that stress relief activities are not helping or you are struggling to cope with the challenges of arthritis, ask your healthcare provider for a recommendation to a mental health therapist who can be a resource for finding ways to better cope.
A Word From Verywell
The outlook for most people with hand arthritis is good. If you are at risk of hand arthritis, pay attention to preventative strategies so you can reduce the likelihood of developing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can get gout in your hands. Gout is a type of arthritis that causes crystals made from uric acid to form in the joints, resulting in swelling, redness, and pain. The risk of gout increases when the body cannot get rid of uric acid fast enough. Additionally, it can affect any joint. Gout treatment often relies on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication.
21 SourcesVerywell 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.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis basics.Sokolove J, Lepus CM.Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: latest findings and interpretations.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013;5(2):77-94. doi:10.1177/1759720X12467868Ellegaard K, von Bülow C, Røpke A. et al.Hand exercise for women with rheumatoid arthritis and decreased hand function: an exploratory randomized controlled trial.Arthritis Res Ther21. 2019;158. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-1924-9American Society for Surgery of the Hand.JointsArthritis Foundation.Osteoarthritis of the hands.The University of Connecticut Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.Hand and wrist: Arthritis of the hand.Cleveland. Clinic.Is there any help for hard, painful bumps on your fingers from osteoarthritis?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Felson DT, Zhang Y.Smoking and osteoarthritis: a review of the evidence and its implications.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(3):331-333. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2014.11.022Paturel A. Arthritis Foundation.The ultimate arthritis diet.Harvard Medical School.5 exercises to improve hand mobility.Carlson MG, Osei DA.Sports injuries of the hand, wrist and elbow. Hospital for Special Surgery.Harvard Medical School.Explain the pain – Is it osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis?Cleveland Clinic.Corticosteroids.Khanna S, Jaiswal KS, Gupta B.Managing rheumatoid arthritis with dietary interventions.Front Nutr. 2017;4:52. doi:10.3389/fnut.2017.00052Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455Sadura-Sieklucka T, Sokołowska B, Prusinowska A, et al.Benefits of wrist splinting in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Reumatologia. 2018;56(6):362-367. doi:10.5114/reum.2018.80713Prior Y, Sutton C, Cotterill S, et al.The effects of arthritis gloves on people with rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis with hand pain: a study protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (the A-GLOVES trial).BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):224. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1583-4Arthritis Foundation.What Causes an Arthritis Flare?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the Hand.American Society for Surgery in the Hand. Handcare.Gout in Hands.
21 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.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis basics.Sokolove J, Lepus CM.Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: latest findings and interpretations.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013;5(2):77-94. doi:10.1177/1759720X12467868Ellegaard K, von Bülow C, Røpke A. et al.Hand exercise for women with rheumatoid arthritis and decreased hand function: an exploratory randomized controlled trial.Arthritis Res Ther21. 2019;158. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-1924-9American Society for Surgery of the Hand.JointsArthritis Foundation.Osteoarthritis of the hands.The University of Connecticut Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.Hand and wrist: Arthritis of the hand.Cleveland. Clinic.Is there any help for hard, painful bumps on your fingers from osteoarthritis?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Felson DT, Zhang Y.Smoking and osteoarthritis: a review of the evidence and its implications.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(3):331-333. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2014.11.022Paturel A. Arthritis Foundation.The ultimate arthritis diet.Harvard Medical School.5 exercises to improve hand mobility.Carlson MG, Osei DA.Sports injuries of the hand, wrist and elbow. Hospital for Special Surgery.Harvard Medical School.Explain the pain – Is it osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis?Cleveland Clinic.Corticosteroids.Khanna S, Jaiswal KS, Gupta B.Managing rheumatoid arthritis with dietary interventions.Front Nutr. 2017;4:52. doi:10.3389/fnut.2017.00052Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455Sadura-Sieklucka T, Sokołowska B, Prusinowska A, et al.Benefits of wrist splinting in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Reumatologia. 2018;56(6):362-367. doi:10.5114/reum.2018.80713Prior Y, Sutton C, Cotterill S, et al.The effects of arthritis gloves on people with rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis with hand pain: a study protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (the A-GLOVES trial).BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):224. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1583-4Arthritis Foundation.What Causes an Arthritis Flare?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the Hand.American Society for Surgery in the Hand. Handcare.Gout in Hands.
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.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis basics.Sokolove J, Lepus CM.Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: latest findings and interpretations.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013;5(2):77-94. doi:10.1177/1759720X12467868Ellegaard K, von Bülow C, Røpke A. et al.Hand exercise for women with rheumatoid arthritis and decreased hand function: an exploratory randomized controlled trial.Arthritis Res Ther21. 2019;158. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-1924-9American Society for Surgery of the Hand.JointsArthritis Foundation.Osteoarthritis of the hands.The University of Connecticut Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.Hand and wrist: Arthritis of the hand.Cleveland. Clinic.Is there any help for hard, painful bumps on your fingers from osteoarthritis?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Felson DT, Zhang Y.Smoking and osteoarthritis: a review of the evidence and its implications.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(3):331-333. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2014.11.022Paturel A. Arthritis Foundation.The ultimate arthritis diet.Harvard Medical School.5 exercises to improve hand mobility.Carlson MG, Osei DA.Sports injuries of the hand, wrist and elbow. Hospital for Special Surgery.Harvard Medical School.Explain the pain – Is it osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis?Cleveland Clinic.Corticosteroids.Khanna S, Jaiswal KS, Gupta B.Managing rheumatoid arthritis with dietary interventions.Front Nutr. 2017;4:52. doi:10.3389/fnut.2017.00052Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455Sadura-Sieklucka T, Sokołowska B, Prusinowska A, et al.Benefits of wrist splinting in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Reumatologia. 2018;56(6):362-367. doi:10.5114/reum.2018.80713Prior Y, Sutton C, Cotterill S, et al.The effects of arthritis gloves on people with rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis with hand pain: a study protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (the A-GLOVES trial).BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):224. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1583-4Arthritis Foundation.What Causes an Arthritis Flare?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the Hand.American Society for Surgery in the Hand. Handcare.Gout in Hands.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis basics.
Sokolove J, Lepus CM.Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: latest findings and interpretations.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013;5(2):77-94. doi:10.1177/1759720X12467868
Ellegaard K, von Bülow C, Røpke A. et al.Hand exercise for women with rheumatoid arthritis and decreased hand function: an exploratory randomized controlled trial.Arthritis Res Ther21. 2019;158. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-1924-9
American Society for Surgery of the Hand.Joints
Arthritis Foundation.Osteoarthritis of the hands.
The University of Connecticut Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.Hand and wrist: Arthritis of the hand.
Cleveland. Clinic.Is there any help for hard, painful bumps on your fingers from osteoarthritis?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.
Felson DT, Zhang Y.Smoking and osteoarthritis: a review of the evidence and its implications.Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(3):331-333. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2014.11.022
Paturel A. Arthritis Foundation.The ultimate arthritis diet.
Harvard Medical School.5 exercises to improve hand mobility.
Carlson MG, Osei DA.Sports injuries of the hand, wrist and elbow. Hospital for Special Surgery.
Harvard Medical School.Explain the pain – Is it osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis?
Cleveland Clinic.Corticosteroids.
Khanna S, Jaiswal KS, Gupta B.Managing rheumatoid arthritis with dietary interventions.Front Nutr. 2017;4:52. doi:10.3389/fnut.2017.00052
Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455
Sadura-Sieklucka T, Sokołowska B, Prusinowska A, et al.Benefits of wrist splinting in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Reumatologia. 2018;56(6):362-367. doi:10.5114/reum.2018.80713
Prior Y, Sutton C, Cotterill S, et al.The effects of arthritis gloves on people with rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis with hand pain: a study protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (the A-GLOVES trial).BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):224. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1583-4
Arthritis Foundation.What Causes an Arthritis Flare?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Arthritis of the Hand.
American Society for Surgery in the Hand. Handcare.Gout in Hands.
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?
