Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand and Wrist

Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that typically affects the lining of the small joints in your hands and feet. Rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can eventually result in bone and cartilage degeneration and joint deformity. This form of arthritis is more common in women than men, and typically begins to surface in adults after age 40.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system mistakenly attacks your body’s own tissues. In some cases this autoimmune response can affect other organs of the body such as the skin, eyes, lungs and blood vessels.

There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, so treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and preventing joint damage. Treatments in the past focused on systemic corticosteroids as the mainstay of treatment.  This did not halt disease progression and had several unwanted side effects. Modern anti-rheumatic medications are much more successful at controlling or halting disease progress and have much fewer and less severe side effects. Treatments involve the combined efforts of custom orthotics, rheumatologists and surgeons and should always take into account each patient’s unique problems and goals.

If you are concerned regarding this problem, we can perform a detailed examination, ultrasound, x-rays and other tests as needed and discuss the options with you to find the option that best suits your needs. Contact us today.