OA of the hands is a disease that causes pain and limited mobility due to joint inflammation and cartilage loss. Untreated OA of the hands can lead to severe hand mobility and abnormal form. The good news is that hand OA is a treatable and manageable condition. Treatment for OA involves pain medication, exercises, and more.

Hand osteoarthritis is inflammation that causes pain and stiffness in your joints. It usually happens in three places: The base of your thumb, where it meets your wrist One of the joints closest to your fingertips The middle joint of a finger There's no cure, but there are a lot of ways to protect your joints and feel better.

Women are more likely than men to have osteoarthritis in the hands. For most women, it develops after menopause. When osteoarthritis involves the hands, small, bony knobs may appear on the end and middle joints (those closest to the nails) of the fingers. Fingers can become enlarged and gnarled, and they may ache or be stiff and numb.