Osteoarthritis is a joint disease which is marked by the loss of cartilage in the affected joints due to wear and tear. This cartilage is necessary for protecting the bones in the joint. One common site of osteoarthritis is the fingers because the joints are used so frequently and the space within the joint is small.
Pain
One of the earliest signs of osteoarthritis in the fingers is pain in the affected finger joints. The pain will occur when the hands are being used or the fingers are flexed, and will go away after a period of rest, Brigham and Women's Hospital explains. The pain in the fingers will increase as the osteoarthritis progresses. One of the more common joints to be affected is the basilar joint of the thumb, which is where the base of the thumb attaches to the rest of the hand. If this joint is afflicted with osteoarthritis, the patient will feel a deep aching pain at the base of the thumb, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand explains. This pain may also cause diminished strength when using the fingers.
Swelling
Swelling of the affected finger joints is another common symptom of osteoarthritis. The swollen joints will also be stiff as the buildup of fluid will make it difficult for the joint to bend; the swelling and stiffness are often worse when the fingers have not been used for awhile.
Growths
Osteoarthritis can also cause bone spurs to develop, which can lead to bony growths appearing on the fingers. Bone spurs develop when the bones of the fingers are stressed or rub against each other. This can occur with osteoarthritis because of the destruction of the cartilage that normally protects the bones. As a result of this stress to the finger bones, the body will lay down extra bone material at the sites of the stress, which results in bone spurs. These can cause two different kinds of growths to appear on the fingers. Growths in the middle joints are known as Bouchard's nodes, whereas those on the ends of the fingers are called Heberden's nodes, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand notes.
X-ray Findings
Some of the most characteristic signs of early osteoarthritis on the fingers are most easily observed using X-rays, which are commonly ordered for patients who come in complaining of finger pain. The X-ray will show decreased space in the joint, the formation of new bone, and may also demonstrate misalignment of the finger joints.
