Arthritis is a disease that attacks the tissues of your joints. A joint is where two bones meet. Arthritis can attack the lining of your joint or the cartilage, the smooth covering at the ends of bones. Eventually the cartilage breaks down, the ends of your bones become exposed, rub against each other and wear away. You have many joints in your hand, therefore it’s a common site for arthritis to happen.
Arthritis of the hand causes pain and swelling, stiffness and deformity. As arthritis progresses, you can’t use your hands to manage everyday tasks as you once could.
Are there different types of arthritis that affect the hands?
Osteoarthritis, also known as “wear and tear” or degenerative arthritis, is the most common type of arthritis. It causes the cartilage (the smooth, cushion covering at the ends of your bones) to break down and wear away. The ends of bones then rub together without protection, which causes pain, stiffness and loss of movement over time. Osteoarthritis most commonly affects your wrist, joint at the base of your thumb and the middle and top (near fingernails) joints of your fingers. Long-term disease can cause bony lumps to form in the joints of your finger.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic (long-term, ongoing) inflammatory disease that causes the joint lining to swell, causing pain, stiffness and loss of function. It’s an autoimmune disease (your body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissue). A joint’s lining is called synovium. Your synovium produces the fluid (lubricant) that allows cartilage to easily slide against each other. Eventually the inflammation destroys the cartilage at the end of bones and then erodes the bone itself. The joints lose their shape and alignment as the tendons and ligaments surrounding the bone weaken and stretch. Rheumatoid arthritis commonly affects the small joints of your wrists, hands and fingers. It usually affects the same joints on both sides of your body. For instance, if arthritis affects finger joints one hand, it’s likely to affect the finger joints on your other hand too.
Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects your skin (psoriasis) and joints. Your fingers become swollen. You will also feel joint pain and morning stiffness. In many cases, it is similar to rheumatoid arthritis. However, it may only involve several fingers.
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