Arthritis involves the inflammation of your joints. Common symptoms of arthritis include pain and stiffness that can vary in severity. Arthritis of the wrist occurs when there is a loss of the cartilage that coats the surface of your joints and allows for smooth bone movement. Without this coating, the bones within your wrist rub against each other and cause pain. When arthritis occurs in your wrist, it can be detrimental to your quality of life and your ability to accomplish daily tasks.
At Barrington Orthopedics, our highly-trained, expert arthritis specialists can help you find the relief you need from your wrist arthritis. Early stages of arthritis can be treated with modification of activity, immobilization, medication, or steroid injection. However, when nonsurgical measures are no longer effective, surgery that either removes the damaged bones, fuses the damaged bones together, or replaces the damaged bones can provide relief and improve hand function. Our team will work alongside you to discuss a treatment plan that is right for you and your condition.
If you’re struggling with arthritis of the wrist, do not allow your condition to worsen. Schedule your first consultation with the team at Barrington Orthopedic Specialists today. If you’re in an emergency situation, visit the Immediate Care Clinic at our Schaumburg, IL location.
Your hands and wrists are essential tools that allow you to work, play and perform everyday activities. How well the hand and wrist interact depends on the integrity and function of the ligaments, tendons, muscles, joints and bones.
Arthritis of the wrist can affect upper extremity function, causing disruptions at home and work and negatively impacting quality of life.
The human hand itself is very complex and delicate in structure.
At some time in life, you may experience hand and wrist pain due to arthritis and there are hundreds of kinds of arthritis, most wrist pain is caused by just two types: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis can develop due to normal “wear-and-tear” in the wrist, particularly in people who have a family history of arthritis. It may also develop as a result of a traumatic injury, such as a broken wrist bone or a wrist sprain.
Osteoarthritis of the wrist can also develop from Kienböck’s disease. In Kienböck’s disease, the blood supply to one of the small bones of the hand near the wrist (the lunate) is interrupted. If the blood supply to a bone stops, the bone can die. Over time, this can lead to osteoarthritis.
The exact cause of RA (Rheumatoid arthritis) is not known. There may be a genetic reason — some people may be more likely to develop the disease because of family heredity. However, doctors suspect that it takes a chemical or environmental “trigger” to activate the disease in people who genetically inherit RA.
Pain
Early symptoms of arthritis of the hand include joint pain that may feel “dull,” or a “burning” sensation. The pain often occurs after periods of increased joint use, such as heavy gripping or grasping. The pain may not be present immediately, but may show up hours later or even the following day. Morning pain and stiffness are typical.
As the cartilage wears away and there is less material to provide shock absorption, the symptoms occur more frequently. In advanced disease, the joint pain may wake you up at night.
Pain might be made worse with use and relieved by rest. Many people with arthritis complain of increased joint pain with rainy weather. Activities that once were easy, such as opening a jar or starting the car, become difficult due to pain. To prevent pain at the arthritic joint, you might change the way you use your hand.
Swelling
Thumb extension deformity. This patient has lost mobility at the base of the thumb due to arthritis. The next joint closer to the tip of the thumb has become more mobile than normal to make up for the arthritic joint. Normally, the thumb does not come to a right angle with the rest of the hand.
When the affected joint is subject to greater stress than it can bear, it may swell in an attempt to prevent further joint use.
Changes in Surrounding Joints
In patients with advanced thumb base arthritis, the neighboring joints may become more mobile than normal.
Warmth
The arthritic joint may feel warm to touch. This is due to the body’s inflammatory response.
Nonsurgical Treatment
In general, early treatment is nonsurgical and designed to help relieve pain and swelling.
Several therapies can be used to treat arthritis, including:
When rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are not adequately controlled by the above therapies, additional medications with varying risks and benefits may be prescribed by your doctor. Specific medicines called disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are designed to stop the immune system from destroying the joints. The appropriate use of these medications is directed by a rheumatologist.
Surgical Treatment
When nonsurgical treatments are no longer effective, resulting in progressive loss of hand and wrist function, surgery is an option. The goal of surgery is to relieve pain and to preserve or improve hand function.
Surgical options include: