What are the types of wrist arthritis?
What are the types of wrist arthritis?
Different types of arthritis can affect the wrist, including:
- Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a wearing down of cartilage. It often develops as you get older. It’s typically the result of years of wear on the wrist joint. Some people have a condition called Kienbock’s disease that cuts off blood supply to the carpal bones in the wrist. This destroys cartilage, leading to osteoarthritis.
- Post-traumatic arthritis: This type of arthritis develops after an injury like a broken bone or a sprain (ligament injury). Arthritis may develop years after an injury, even if bones and ligaments heal correctly.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. It often starts in small joints like the wrists. The condition typically affects both sides of your body (both wrists). In this form, the immune system attacks and damages healthy cells, including cartilage.
- Psoriatic arthritis: Psoriasis, another autoimmune disease, causes scaly skin patches. Some people with psoriasis also get psoriatic arthritis in the wrist and other joints.
- Gout: Gout occurs when your body has too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a waste product that forms when you digest food. The excess acid causes tiny, painful crystals to form in joints. Gout often affects toes first, but it can affect wrists and other small joints.
You can get joint inflammation in different areas of the wrist. Healthcare providers name types of wrist arthritis for where they occur, including:
- Distal radioulnar: Arthritis occurs where the radius bone meets the ulna bone in the forearm.
- Midcarpal: Arthritis develops in the eight small carpal bones in the wrist.
- Radiocarpal: Arthritis develops where the two forearm bones (the radius and ulna) and carpal bones meet.