Hand Osteoarthritis: Understanding Finger and Thumb-Base Arthritis and Your Care Options

Hand osteoarthritis often affects the middle and end joints of the fingers, as well as the base of the thumb. When it affects the base of the thumb, it is called rhizarthrosis. Symptoms can fluctuate.

Learn more about symptoms and daily life

Hand osteoarthritis is associated with several factors, including age, family history and previous joint injuries. It is more common in women. Repeated loading of the joints may also play a part, but it does not explain every case on its own.

Painful or swollen fingers do not always mean osteoarthritis. Other joint conditions can produce similar symptoms. A medical diagnosis is therefore important, particularly when pain has started recently or is changing rapidly.

Your first consultation lasts 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. We discuss the history of your symptoms, the joints affected and the impact on your activities. We review your medical file and the treatments you have already used.

Centre Algos is run by Wilfried Beijersbergen, nurse anaesthetist and naturopath. We work alongside your doctor and do not replace them.

This conversation also gives you time to ask questions. You can explain what concerns you, what you have tried and what you hope to gain from support. We want your expectations to be part of the discussion from the beginning.

Together, we build a care plan that considers your work, your interests and the care you already receive. We identify practical priorities, then review follow-up according to how you feel and what you can do.

Naturopathy allows us to discuss your nutrition, sleep and recovery. Advice remains tailored to your needs. Herbal products and supplements are not automatic recommendations; their suitability and possible interactions with your treatments are assessed before they are suggested.

Support can also include thinking about how you organise tasks: alternating activities, planning breaks and identifying movements that place considerable demands on your fingers. An occupational therapist can advise on aids and adaptations to help maintain your independence.

Percutaneous hydrotomy may be considered where an assessment of your situation makes it appropriate. It then forms part of a complementary approach aimed at relieving symptoms.

Before any decision, we explain what it involves, its limitations and its contraindications. Outcomes vary from person to person.

See your doctor if your symptoms have not yet been assessed. Prolonged morning stiffness, several swollen joints or a rapid loss of hand function also deserve assessment to look for a cause other than osteoarthritis.

A joint that suddenly becomes very painful, red, hot or markedly swollen needs prompt medical advice, particularly with fever or feeling unwell. Following an injury, a deformity or an inability to move a finger requires urgent assessment.

Would you like to ask your first questions? Use a free 10-minute call to tell us about your situation.