• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Connected Rheumatology

Connected Rheumatology

You trusted home for autoimmune information

  • Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz
  • Virtual 2nd Opinion
  • Appointment Home Run Handbook
  • Articles
  • Show Search
Hide Search

joint pain

When hands change: Hand Arthritis

January 3, 2022 ·

Hand arthritis can be painful and limiting

“My hands are deforming just like my grandmothers.”

We don’t think about how much our hands do for us until they start giving us problems. We assume we will be able grip our steering wheel, type on our keyboards and button our shirts. But for many of us, usually in our 40’s (although it can start earlier), we start to notice changes in our hands. A day of work at our computer ends with our hands sore. We can’t quite open jars as easily as before and we may notice seemingly random shooting pains and numbness in our fingers. These symptoms can go unnoticed until we start noticing our hands LOOK different and rings don’t fit. Shoot….time to see a doctor!

When someone ends up in my office worried about their hands, I know their number one concern is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). A quick visit to Dr. Google, informs everyone that RA could cause hand pain and lead to “deformities.” For most of us with hand pain (including myself), RA will not be the culprit, but instead, osteoarthritis (OA).

[Read more…] about When hands change: Hand Arthritis

Copyright © 2025 · Connected Rheumatology, PLLC

  • Home
  • Elizabeth C. Ortiz, M.D.
  • Virtual 2nd Opinion
  • Appointment Home Run Handbook
  • Articles
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policies