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Osteoarthritis in finger joints (Read 4066 times)

Ian T

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Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 25, 2014, 02:01:24 pm
Unfortunately I have osteoarthritis in the DIP joint of the middle finger of my right hand. I have had it for about 6 months and as well as the stiffness, inflammation and dull pain, I also had a lot of sharp nerve pain when it first appeared, though thankfully that's almost disappeared. I've found I can still climb around it as long as I avoid crimping and keep the intensity and volume low enough. There is obviously no cure and it's just about managing the symptoms.

I'm curious if there's any other sufferers on here, or all you all too young?

chris j

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#1 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 25, 2014, 04:49:33 pm
That's depressing there's no cure. I've been developing it in 2 fingers on each hand over the last 6 months or so (aged 39). Curiously it developed simultaneously in the same finger joints on both hands, first the ring fingers, then the index fingers 2 months later. I find sideways twisting around the joint gives me most discomfort, quite sharp pains, so no finger jamming for me any more, massively made worse when it's cold. I'd been hoping there would be some way to reduce the symptoms at least.


Ian T

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#2 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 25, 2014, 06:50:08 pm
I've tried voltarol gel which seems to help, but I'm going to try capsaicin gel and rosehip supplements, I'll let you know how i get on. I think glucosimine is pretty useless, but I'd like to get hold of some really good placebo  :).

Boredboy

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#3 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 25, 2014, 07:13:34 pm
I remember chatting to a mate at Malham a few years ago, he was redpointing one of the 8b's there. I looked down at his hands for some reason and noticed he had at least 2 synovial cysts on the dip joints and one with mild finger deformity, hallmarks of OA fingers. I asked if it bothered him and he just shrugged it off. Julian Saunders suggests pretty vigorous finger mobilizations which can help with associated stiffness.

chris j

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#4 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 26, 2014, 06:03:29 am
I just started using Glucosamine gel while I'm offshore for this trip (I had a tube and thought a month's trial while I can't climb would be worth a go...). I know it's the equivalent of a bald guy rubbing hair into his scalp and expecting new hair to grow but figured it might be worth a try (maybe the massage would do more good than the gel...). Would agree with Boredboy that mobilizing the finger joints quite vigorously does help me, both with mobility and short term pain reduction.

Danny

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#5 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 26, 2014, 01:52:41 pm
I'm not familiar with any of the science on this, but my gut is that topical gels of glucosamine / ibuprofen etc are chocolate teapottery.

Skin is supposed to be a barrier, your gut is supposed to absorb things, so take pills. I believe there is some marginal evidence for the efficacy of glucosamine though, but you should probably be on 2000 mg per day for at least 6 months for it to be of any possible use.

Happy to be proven flat wrong, and I may break out my gel if I am!

chris j

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#6 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 26, 2014, 02:59:12 pm
That is pretty much my thought as well, but as I had a tube of the stuff lying around... The question is probably more does the placebo effect work at all if you don't actually believe the medicine is going to do any good?

Boredboy

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#7 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 26, 2014, 03:06:58 pm
Diclofenac gel has a good evidence base in managing finger OA particularly when more advanced or active. 

https://postgradmed.org/sites/default/files/Zacher.pdf

Danny

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#8 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 26, 2014, 06:10:36 pm
Fair enough - maybe glucosamine gel would do something then. I had a quick scan out of interest for a profen vs profen study and that has similar findings:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472980

I'd probably stick to pills because if gel is no better then I imagine the mg / £ ratio is better for pills, but again I'm guesstimating. Maybe I'll become a total gel convert by the end of this thread. Plus, I suppose you could always use the gel as lubricant in a bind.   

Ian T

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#9 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 26, 2014, 06:54:50 pm
Diclofenac gel has a good evidence base in managing finger OA particularly when more advanced or active. 

That's the stuff Ive been using and it seems to help. Before I was diagnosed I thought it was just a ligament injury and did lots of stretching, but that made it worse. It was only when I stopped stretching that it seemed to settle down enough to let me climb at a reasonable standard.

I'm deeply cynical about the 2 billion dollar glocosamine industry. Well constructed trials show it to be little better than placebo.

SA Chris

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#10 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 27, 2014, 08:56:23 am
The question is probably more does the placebo effect work at all if you don't actually believe the medicine is going to do any good?


tomtom

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#11 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 27, 2014, 09:08:48 am
I hope you don't mind a partial hijack of the thread - but this came at a time when I was thinking about this...

As I get older (nearly 45) my one concern about climbing - how long I can carry on doing it - and what its impacts will be are mainly around Osteoarthritis (OA) in fingers...

I hear about climbers getting this (as in the posts - and from other folks I know) but I also know of many older climbers who do not suffer.. I also know a few non climbers who have this... so I'm interested in what the links between OA and climbing are - whether they are solid/sound links and how OA rates in climbers compare to the population at large...

duncan

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#12 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 27, 2014, 11:03:41 am
Tom,

There are a few studies, mostly cross-sectional. Climber's fingers certainly adapt, in a positive way.  Conversely one study suggests an increasing incidence of osteoarthritis. This may be due to a different ways of measuring osteoarthritis from radiographs.

The one longitudinal study that I'm aware suggests it's not a major problem but there were not many participants and they were all quite young.

These are all studies looking at X-Rays which is not at all the same as pain. People can have shoddy X-Rays and relatively little pain and vice versa. I don't see an epidemic of finger osteoarthritis in mature climbers that I know, of course this could be "survivor bias"!

The description of sudden onset, symmetrical symptoms described above suggests a degree of inherited predisposition.  Usual disclaimers apply...

tomtom

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#13 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 27, 2014, 11:15:34 am
Thanks Duncan,
Yes - I have my own suspicions about the 'causality' of OA... Is there an increased rate of its occurrence in (for example) manual workers, or factory workers where there was alot of vibration/impact?

As you point out - if climbing were an important trigger - I would have thought there would have been many more old climbers or ex climbers suffering..

Rocksteady

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#14 Re: Osteoarthritis in finger joints
October 27, 2014, 12:27:43 pm
A hand therapist I saw thought that I have this. I'm only 32 though! I'm not sure if it is this or ligament/joint injuries.

In any event, her advice was that if you're going to get OA, you'll get it, and climbing might have brought it on early but wouldn't have caused it. So she said just enjoy your climbing!

She had a list of foods that she considered inflamed OA - unfortunately they were nearly all ones I really like. Basically anything from the 'nightshade' family, including chilli peppers, normal peppers, potatoes, aubergine, tomatoes.

I find my fingers don't usually hurt when climbing except when twisted or moved sideways. A slap for a jug that impacts the joint will hurt more than a nasty crimp. I can fully close my fingers to my palm but pressing them in in this position hurts.


 

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