Medically Verified By: Dr. Ashutosh Jha, Consultant – Orthopaedics, Manipal Hospital, Ghaziabad.
Swollen Fingers And Joint Pain: Rheumatoid Arthritis And 7 Other Hidden Diseases That Could Be Silently Crippling You
Causes of Swollen Fingers: Consider waking up and realising that your fingers feel a bit stiff, your rings are tighter than usual, and running errands, such as buttoning a shirt, feels a bit odd. While many chalk it up to age or previous day's strain, the truth might run deeper.
Finger swelling and pain are usually easy to disregard until they start hindering daily activities. Although ageing does play a key role in the way our joints feel, it is not the sole cause of it. This typically begins in the smaller joints, such as those in the fingers and wrists, with some swelling or a lingering heaviness that just won't go. This inflammation, if left untreated over time, can lead to joint damage.
Finger pain or swelling does not refer to a single cause. There are several other reasons as well which can cause your fingers to swell and ache, here are some possible reasons that one should know:
Rheumatoid arthritis - This autoimmune disease leads the body to attack its own joints by default. It most often starts in the fingers and wrists.
Osteoarthritis - This develops over time as the joints wear down with people getting older. It can result in stiffness and can cause bone swellings that make fingers look slightly swollen.
Conditions such as lupus or psoriatic arthritis may also cause finger swelling. These are typically accompanied by other warning signs such as feeling unusually tired, forming rashes, or experiencing joint pain in several areas of the body.
Painless swelling that affects a series of fingers may be associated with water retention. It is, at times, caused by kidney function, hormonal changes, or side effects of medication.
Trigger finger, also known as stenosing tenosynovitis, is a medical condition that happens when the tendon in a finger becomes inflamed and swollen, causing it to lock or catch when you try to straighten it. You might feel a painful snapping sensation.
Daily activities such as typing for hours, lifting heavy bags, or even excessive use of mobile phones can overwork the small joints of the fingers. Repetitive strain that is not severe initially will develop into chronic pain.
Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Though it often strikes the big toe, it can also affect the fingers, causing sudden, intense pain, swelling, and redness.
What are the treatment options that you can consider if the swelling and pain worsen?
Treatment options such as synovectomy (removal of the inflamed lining of a joint), joint fusion (to stabilise the affected joint), or joint replacement (placement of damaged joints with artificial substitutes) might be advised in the case of diseases such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Although ganglion cyst removal is done to correct fluid accumulation, tendon repair or release surgery restores function for tendon injuries.
If the swelling persists for days and you experience severe pain accompanied by morning stiffness that persists for longer, and fingers turning extremely red and warm, you must visit a doctor.
Your hands are often the first place where your body signals internal changes. Assuming it is just age can result in worsening the situation. Swelling and aching might be the early signs of something that deserves attention and detecting it early could make all the difference to your comfort and movement in the future.
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