Symptoms of finger arthrosis

The symptoms of finger arthrosis are primarily manifested by pain in the affected finger joints and a restriction of movement. Typical for the pain is that it occurs after a longer period of immobilization in the joint, for example during the night, and is a kind of starting pain during the first movements and then gets better again, as well as becoming stronger after excessive stress on the joint. In addition, there is the restriction of movement in the joint affected by finger arthrosis, which can be of varying severity.

The reason for this is, on the one hand, the progressive deformation of the joint by the cartilage and the pain that occurs during movement, which limits the extent of movement and forces those affected to adopt a relieving posture. In addition, the finger joint may be swollen, especially in a new flare of arthrosis. As the function of the finger affected by osteoarthritis decreases, other finger joints and muscle areas are automatically put under more strain and take on more work, which consequently become tense and overloaded more quickly than in healthy finger joints.In addition, the degeneration of the articular cartilage typical of osteoarthritis also affects the joint axis over time, often resulting in a deformation of the finger.

Diagnosis of finger arthrosis

In order to be able to make a diagnosis of finger arthrosis, it is helpful to analyze the pain in detail, because this can already be an indication of finger arthrosis. The suspicion can be strengthened by observing and examining the finger joints, especially if the joints are swollen, a typical atrophy of hand muscles is evident or finger malpositions are present. These two elements of diagnostics can be supplemented by an X-ray of the hand. There a reduced thickness of the articular cartilage, a narrowing of the joint space and typical bony changes can be seen. A diagnosis of osteoarthritis cannot be made on the basis of a blood sample and the values obtained from it.