hands become stiffer with activity

[smilelines]

Hello. I have some sort of inflammatory arthritis and I have hand stiffness but if I am active my hands get way stiffer. They don't get swollen they just feel super stiff when I close them. Is this common?

[allanah]

Yes swelling and stiffness of joints is common in inflammatory arthritis. I hope you see the doctors and get some more advice and treatment. In the meantime I find hot/ cold pads helpful and arthritis gloves soothing. Also chat with the pharmacist about good pain relief.

If you havent discovered it already theres lots of help on nras.org.uk

Feel better soon x

[runningbracken]

Certainly is. I use a hammer and saw to make a living. Most days i wake with stiffness an pain in my wrists and right shoulder. Can take me 2 hours to sort myself out in the mornings

[Hidden]

My understanding is that stiffness that comes on or gets worse with use is associated with osteoarthritis, not inflammatory arthritis. I have a little bit of OA in a couple of joints in addition to IA, and my IA joints get stiff with rest or lack of movement. The ones also effected by OA are stiff with rest, warm up with use, then get stiff again as I use them.

[Brushwork in reply to Hidden]

I agree Charlie_G, my stiffness only gets worse when I stop and then try to restart after a rest. Stiffness and pain during activity is far more likely to be osteoarthritis. However, it is best to get that checked out.

[Brychni in reply to Hidden]

All mine do all 3. Hurt and stiffness when I get up still there when getting dressed then get worse when walking (given up running). If I'm sitting still they still hurt. All of them. Knees feel like I can't bend them and the skin feels tight over the kneecaps when I'm curled up in bed or driving. Shoulders and elbows hurt all the time with regular acute episodes which have no rhyme or reason; in the shops, in bed, watching TV, knitting, when I'm asleep, making dinner.

[smilelines in reply to Hidden]

I am thinking as you suggest. I don't think the stiffness in my hands is IA. I have OA in a few joints so I know that it is not that. Seems like there is a lot the doctors do not understand.

[Hidden in reply to smilelines]

Honestly? People have this idea that we’re really advanced in our understanding of the human body and medicine, when any decent doctor will tell you we’ve barely scratched the surface. The reality is that the human race is still in nursery, writing out our ABCs and getting some of the letters round the wrong way.

[Brychni]

I get this but more so in my wrists. Happens literally everywhere else too. Toes, feet, heels ankles, sacroilia, even my shoulders and elbows just carrying handbag...

[arvine in reply to Brychni]

Hello Brychni, so have you been diagnosed with a type of arthritis,? symptons seem similar to what I have been experiencing after reducing pred from 5 to 4mg started in November, IBS problems from IBSd to IBSc, and on awakening, pain stiffness, hurting hands, fingers, feet, heels, shoulder etc, but lasts most of day on many days, was originally diagnosed with PMR in Oct 2016, starting at 40 mg pred, so don,t know what,s happened last couple mos, seeing rheumy next tuesday,, going to check joints etc, had exrays, catscan, bloodwork etc all that done since DEc, with no explanation to this new found pain,

[Brychni in reply to arvine]

Hi arvine, yes Undifferentiated Inflammatory Arthritis.

[Brychni]

Forgot to say that nurse and then consultant told me it was mechanical after saying the complete opposite a year ago and putting me on hydroxychloroquine sulfasalazine and mtx. And the upshot is nothing can be done about it except surgery. Pain relief is difficult too.

[smilelines in reply to Brychni]

Wow. Your replies sound a lot like me. I am on luflunimide. Seems like this feeling of my hands being super full when they warm up is not IA. This also happens with my right leg, too.

[smilelines in reply to Brychni]

I was told two years ago it was 100% NOT serio negative RA or any other rheumatic disease the clinic deals with so they dismissed me. They said I have fibromyalgia. Then when I saw another rheum a year later, and with no new symptoms, I was told I 100% have inflammatory arthritis and fibromyalgia. Are you still on the medications or did they take you off when they changed the diagnosis?

[Brychni]

Sorry again: also no swelling except occasionally 2 fingers.