People experience stiff fingers at different times of the day, often in the morning or at night. Identifying when you experience stiff hands will help doctors determine the cause and find the solution.
Morning hand stiffness often affects small joints, such as the hands, fingers, and wrists. Sometimes, the stiffness eases as the day progresses. However, if you experience this regularly, you should find the cause and treatment.
Osteoarthritis
Morning stiff fingers are associated with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and a trigger finger. People with osteoarthritis have inflammation, and the result is joint cartilage damage. When you’re asleep, the limited movement causes the joints to tighten up, resulting in stiff fingers in the morning.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, just like osteoarthritis, causes joint inflammation. The morning finger stiffness can last up to 30 minutes, which is significantly uncomfortable. Besides the stiffness, other symptoms include joint pain, tenderness, swelling, and fingers leaning away from the thumb. Rheumatoid arthritis also affects both sides of the body and applies to the stiff hands.
Trigger Finger
Unlike the two forms of arthritis, fluid in the protective sheath within the tendons is the cause of a trigger finger. The result is joint inflammation and a bent finger. Trigger finger differs from other conditions associated with stiff hands because of the bent finger. The stiffness affects any of the fingers and thumb and may become permanent if left untreated.
Tips on How to Manage Morning Stiff Hands
- Take anti-inflammation drugs: If you wake up to stiff fingers every morning, your doctor may recommend drugs to control the inflammation. Nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, may help. If the dosage is not helpful, you can ask your doctor to adjust it upwards. Your doctor may also prescribe drugs to control arthritis.
- Apply topical creams: Topical creams that contain capsaicin, menthol, or camphor may control stiff fingers in the morning. If these don’t work, you can request your doctor for recommendations of creams that may be helpful.
- Herbal treatments: Morning stiff fingers are often associated with arthritis, so you can use several herbal supplements to ease joint swelling and inflammation. Examples include ginger, curcumin, and boswellia. You can take them as herbal teas, such as the ginger and turmeric tea. Curcumin is one of the active ingredients in turmeric, so taking turmeric tea at least twice a day may help prevent stiff fingers.
- Stretching exercises: Stretch your joints daily to ease stiffness and improve your fingers’ range of motion. The exercises don’t have to target the hands directly because walking, riding a bike, and swimming will help all your joints, including those in your hands.
You have reason to be concerned when you have stiff hands every morning. It may be nothing, but it could be your joints warning you that something is wrong. If you have arthritis, the stiff fingers will be alarming. However, if you don’t know what’s going on, yet the stiffness is a regular occurrence, you should visit a doctor for a diagnosis. For more information on managing stiff hands and fingers, visit https://www.handtherapyassociates.com.sg/