Two early signs that you might have finger arthritis

The Arthritis Foundation reports that almost 54 million adults are living with doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Are you concerned that issues with your fingers might be a sign of finger arthritis? Physical therapists can help you determine if you have this condition. There are also two early signs that could mean you’re developing finger arthritis. 

1.   Morning finger stiffness

One common finger arthritis symptom that people can have is stiffness in the fingers, and this symptom is often most noticeable when first waking up in the morning. How long this stiffness lasts can depend on several factors. One factor that can affect the amount of time your fingers are stiff in the morning is the temperature in your bedroom. Arthritic joints are often more sensitive to colder temperatures, and a colder room can easily lead to stiffness in your fingers in the morning. 

Another factor that can dictate how long finger stiffness lasts in the morning is what type of arthritis you have. There are two basic types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is one type, and it’s caused by natural wear and tear on your fingers joints over time. Another type of arthritis that can affect your fingers is rheumatoid arthritis. This form of arthritis is caused by an immune system issue that causes your body to attack the linings of the joints. People with osteoarthritis can often have stiff fingers first thing in the morning, but this symptom often lasts for less than 15 minutes after waking up. However, rheumatoid arthritis tends to cause morning finger stiffness that can last for an hour or longer. 

2.   Finger pain after high finger usage

A second common early sign of finger arthritis is pain in the fingers after a period of high usage. Movement is a double-edged sword for people with finger arthritis. A moderate amount of movement can be helpful for this issue, because it can help keep your joints loose and promote blood flow to them. However, too much movement can tire out your joints and lead to pain. In the early stages of arthritis, it might take quite a bit of movement to cause finger pain, but your movement tolerance often gets lower as finger arthritis progresses. 

Advent Physical Therapy can help you treat finger arthritis in Grand Rapids, MI

Do you have these two early signs of finger arthritis in Grand Rapids? Advent Physical Therapy has a clinic nearby that can help you. We offer free screenings, and this screening can help you determine what type of arthritis you’re dealing with. It can also help you learn how far your arthritis has progressed. Using all of this information, our highly trained physical therapists can build you a treatment plan to fit your needs. This plan will likely include multiple therapy techniques, and some of the techniques used in your plan may include: 

• Manual therapy
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
• Ergonomic recommendations
• McKenzie Method^®

Don’t wait to start getting our help with your finger arthritis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.