What are the symptoms of arthritis in the hands?

What are the symptoms of arthritis in the hands?

Early symptoms include:

• Dull or burning joint pain, appearing hours or a day after increased use of your hands.
• Morning pain and stiffness in your hand(s).
• Swollen joints in your hand(s).

If you've had arthritis in your hand(s) for some time:

• Symptoms are present more often.
• Pain may change from dull ache to sharp pain.
• Pain may wake you up at night.
• Pain may cause you to change the way you use your hand(s).
• Tissue surrounding your affected joint may become red and tender to the touch.
• You’ll feel grating, grinding, cracking or clicking (crepitus) when bending your fingers.
• Your fingers can’t fully open and close.
• Small bony nodules form on the middle joint of your fingers (called Bouchard’s nodes) or at the top joints of your fingers (called Heberden’s nodes).
• Your finger joints become large and deformed and abnormally bent, leaving your hands weak and less able to accomplish everyday tasks.