Swelling, pain, stiffness, and skin redness in the small joints of the hand can be symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, fingers joints may get stuck in certain positions, causing hand deformities.
Rheumatoid
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that is also classified as an autoimmune disorder. This means that the nervous system sends errant messages to the immune cells to attack the body’s own joint tissues.
Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include painful swelling, stiffness and deformities of the joints, most commonly in the hands, wrists and feet; typically, joints on both sides of the body are affected. Treatment programs usually center on medications to control the symptoms and stop or slow the progressive joint damage; exercise may also be included to help the patient retain strength and mobility.
Listed below are peer reviewed articles on rheumatoid arthritis.
Article
How to Treat Rheumatoid Pannus
Several treatments for rheumatoid arthritis can reduce or eliminate pannus, abnormal tissue that causes joint swelling and cartilage degeneration.
Gout and pseudogout cause a build-up of sharp crystals in the joint tissue, the pain from which can be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis pain.
Sometimes infections can cause joint pain and inflammation that mimics rheumatoid arthritis.
Autoimmune conditions such as lupus and scleroderma can cause RA-like symptoms, such as joint pain.
Spondyloarthropathies, such as ankylosing spondylitis, cause joint pain that tends to mimic joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
This page contains back pain treatment ideas that will not make rheumatoid arthritis joint pain worse or interfere with prescription medications. Many of these treatments can be done at home.
The 2010 Rheumatoid Arthritis Classification Criteria help doctors diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors may also use medical imaging, physical examinations, joint swelling, and blood tests to diagnose RA.
Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms often present pain and swelling in the hands and feet symmetrically, and include physical and emotional changes such as joint stiffness, fatigue, fever, and depression.
Treatments for rheumatoid arthritis are aimed to reduce pain, increase joint function, and slow or prevent further joint damage.
