Painfully swollen and stiff finger | Arthritis Information

 

Hi all,

I have RA and am on Enbrel and plaquenil.  My hands have been hit the hardest, and I am often battling pain with my hands/fingers.

Sunday I woke up with my right pointer finger swollen, tender, painful and I am unable to bend it.  It has been extra sore and difficult to bend on and off for 2 months.  Any advice?

Nori

 

One thing you might try is some hand exercises (within the limits of swelling and pain).  I do a lot of simple stretching and and stuff when sitting, riding the car etc.  For example these made a lot of sense to me:
http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/guide/hand-exercises-rheumatoid-arthritis
One thing I never knew was the importance of holding in a stretched position, rather than just stretching to an extreme and then letting go.  It seems to help.  The way I view it is that the inflammation makes the fingers stiffer, limiting their motion, but if we don't exercise then the limited movement becomes the norm.

Roland



have you over worked that finger?  I know when I use any digit too much it rears it's ugly head and gives me what for!!a cortisone injection inot the finger joint can also help relieve acute inflamationI have exactly the same problem, on and off.  My worst flares are in my hands and wrists.  The last few times that stiff, swollen fingers were involved, the pain was agonizing and I tried every single thing recommended by other sufferers.   Absolutely nothing gave relief.  My finger (not always the same one) would be so swollen the skin was shiny; I felt like taking a needle and popping it like a balloon.  (Or having it cut off.... thing that has worked for me.  Oh, and like you, my x-rays don't show anything remarkable.  Don’t stress the hand with swollen finger; move the finger slowly for better blood circulation and to avoid stiffness. If pain, swelling or redness increases or if there is pus formation on the cut due to injury, then there are chances of infection. Visit a specialist in such conditions.




Chiropractic san francisco
Buckeye is right on the money !  I had to have a cortizone injection in my first finger joint. The next day I could actually bend my finger. I dont recommend trying to stretch out or forcefully bending your finger when it's that swollen, stiff and doesnt want to bend, you could really hurt yourself even worse. My first finger I've always had trouble with. It got to a point like you where I couldnt bend it, use it for anything , just hurt so bad all the time for literally months. Finally my rheumy gave me a cortizone shot which doesnt feel great, but it made the swelling go down. My finger today still flares up , still is sore and puffy different days, but not even close to what it was. I would suggest asking your rheumy about the cortizone shot. I think you'll be glad you did. By the way, I was also on prednisone and still had puffy fingers, so it may or may not help you to take prednisone.
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