What Causes Morning Stiffness And Pain In Single Finger?

Posted on Tue, 26 May 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 26 May 2015 Answered on

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a single male 49 years old. In the past 4 or five days I have noticed in the morning that when I wake up I have joint pain on my left hand middle finger. It is the only finger that I notice it in. I can bend it normally but I believe there is a little inflamation when I bend it. I can bend it forward and touch the palm of my hand but not as close and easy as my right hand.

Answered by Dr. Swarnava Dattagupta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
might be arthritis; other causes to be ruled out

Detailed Answer:
Hello.

This is Dr. Swarnava Dattagupta answering your query.

I understand your concern.

Joint pain in single finger has many causes and each has to be ruled out to come to a diagnosis.
Most common cause is trauma or sprain. If there is history of trauma, ice compression and painkillers should be enough.

Such morning stiffness and pain can occur due to rheumatoid arthritis, gout, diabetes mellitus and less commonly osteoarthritis. Therefore I would order for Xray of the hand along with blood test for blood sugar, Rheumatoid factor or RA factor, uric acid. Your local doctor / orthopedic surgeon will know about these tests. Until then mild painkiller like aleve can be used twice a day to relieve this discomfort.

Hope this was useful. Let me know if you need clarifications.

Regards

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad