Osteoarthritis Health Center

Hand Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Arthritis of the Hand)

How Is Osteoarthritis of the Hand Diagnosed?

To diagnose osteoarthritis, your doctor will conduct a physical exam and take a medical history. Some symptoms of arthritis are noticeable, such as swelling, warmth, deformity, and loss of motion. Tests that may be used to diagnose arthritis include:

• X-rays, which may show changes in bones or the development of bone spurs
• bone scans, which may show arthritis even before the changes show up on X-rays

How Is Hand Osteoarthritis Treated?

The main goals of osteoarthritis treatment involve reducing or eliminating pain and/or restoring function and mobility. The following nonsurgical treatments may be used:

• Medications, including anti-inflammatory or analgesic drugs. This treatment might also include injections of pain reliever/steroid combinations.
• Finger or wrist splints or soft sleeve devices worn during the night or during certain activities.
• Resting the joints.
• Heat treatments such as paraffin baths or cold treatments.
• Topical treatments such as capsaicin cream
• Performing exercises given by your doctor or occupational therapist.
• Steroid injections into the affected joints.

If the pain is too severe, or if movement becomes too limited, surgery may be needed. Types of surgery for treating hand osteoarthritis include:

• Joint fusion, in which the bones are fused together.
• Joint reconstruction, which involves replacing the joint surface that has deteriorated with a joint implant or with tissue such as tendons.