Degenerative joint disease, known as osteoarthritis, is the most common form of arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Arthritis can affect any joint in the body, but degenerative joint disease in the hands and fingers can be especially debilitating. Knowing more about degenerative joint disease may help prevent progression and encourage treatment.
Demographic
Osteoarthritis typically affects people older than the age of 40, according to the American College of Rheumatology. Degenerative joint disease in the hand affects men as often as it does women, and does not seem to be more prevalent in one race than in another. Osteoarthritis does seem to run in families. Obesity may be a cause for other types of degenerative joint disease, but weight is probably not a factor in osteoarthritis of the hand.
Location
Osteoarthritis usually affects at least one of three joints in the hand, according to the American Society for the Surgery of the Hand. The three joints are the base of the thumb where it meets the hand, the joint closest to the tip of the finger, and the middle joint of the finger.
Causes
Bones have a protective covering on each end which prevents the ends of the bones at the joint from grinding together. Additionally, there is a sac filled with fluid between the bones. Arthritis describes a condition in which this protective covering and fluid-filled sac degenerate, allowing bones to rub together. This degeneration may be caused by repetitive use or by disease.
Symptoms
The symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness and swelling at the joints of the fingers or base of the thumb. A bump may even appear at the affected site. A person suffering from arthritis of the hands may have trouble pinching or gripping items. Other activities, such as knitting, turning a key or typing, may be impaired.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing degenerative joint disease begins with a trip to the doctor. The doctor will examine the patient thoroughly and may order some tests like X-rays, MRI, CAT scans or blood tests.
Treatment
There is no cure for arthritis, according to MayoClinic.com, but treatments can reduce the symptoms and improve mobility. Anti-inflammatory medicine reduces pain and swelling, and can usually be purchased over the counter. Physical therapy or hand exercises can keep joints functioning smoothly. Cortisone injections can reduce pain. Surgery can be performed to either repair the joint or fuse bones together to prevent them from moving at the joint.
