[Member Discussions and Questions] Finger Joint Pain with Rheumatoid Arthritis When Bumping Them?

January 8, 2013

Message from a Chick:

I have two finger deformities (specifically a boutonniere deformity) and whenever I bump them on something or accidentally hit them it is the MOST excruciating pain ever! I know RA is painful anyways but when I hit them on something the expletives come pouring out. Are my deformed joints the only ones that are sensitive? Or does everyone else dread when they bump them too?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to help her out and answer her message. (((pain-free internet hugs)))

What our members have said so far:

Carolyn – Oh yea, and especially when you have nodules!

Shirley – Dread shaking hands with someone especially at new year …..

Carol – Yep, I have the same thing. You’re not alone in developing the ability to spontaneously string together creative combinations of swear words.

Christine – I hate making the bed. I’m always bumping my joints on the bed frame. I also detest cleaning the frying pan. Harsh scrubbing makes my hands so sore.

Michele – I have the same experience as you do I hope you never bang or hit your knuckles ever again….hugs…..gentle ones

Sonja – I have them on my feet also.

Pamela – I do too~~~~I have been very fortunate not to have a lot of damage yet~but I did have pain as you all describe when my joints were inflamed~now my knees are that way! My spine,when I land hard or heavy on my feet I feel it in my knees……hips,back~

Raquel – YES!!! I have small kids so when they insist on holding my hands I dread them pulling on my fingers because I yelp when they do!! Let me not get started on my toes.. they seem to hit EVERYTHING!!

Shauna – Been there, cussed that….

Michelle – Great (((hugs)))) I hate firm hand shakers, that kills, hope your pain gets better soon xx

Debi – It happens to my elbows. Hope you feel better. hugs;)

Shirley – mine hurt also when I bump them, I don’t swear, but I know I sure could use some bad words if I did. I do have rubber knuckles on my left hand and they help with that, but the right one is bad and one finger is very deformed.. I cheat I don’t do anything where I might hurt them.

Terry – My hands and elbows seem to be especially sensitive. It hurts so bad when I bump them on something.

Julie – Mine aren’t really considered deformed just yet, but they are that sensitive. When I bump one I have been known to make a sailor blush.

Kendra – SAME! and I have young kids too. I have only just started getting hand deformities – count myself lucky as I have had RA for 19 yrs. I have double nodules on my elbows though (like I have 3 elbow joints – one real, and a nodule above and blow the pointy bony bit) and banging them FREAKING HURTS! I also have limited wrist range of movement, so my biggest bang is when I have to go to the toilet on one with a full circle toilet seat – I bag my wrist bone on the seat trying to wipe. (TMI but oh well).

Cheryl – Hurts Like Heck!!! I do recommend IMAK arthritis gloves..I wear them almost 24/7. Check them out….I buy mine on ebay, about 12.00 per pair.

Gayle – Shirley rubber knuckles?

Crystal – Omg I hit mine all the time and it is soooo painful

Jan – excruciating is not even the word for it…. I wear gloves as much as possible.. they help

Cindy – I have had that when they are flaming bad and have cuts in them

Shelley – Mine are bad too! The nodules are awful! And YES!!! I think I’ve even made up some bad words on my own!!! lol I tell my Rheumatologist that I have a new one for him every time I see him! I had my CMC joint replaced on my left hand last spring and it seems that I really hit that hand A LOT!

Deborah – yes , its hurts like hell, i hate went i hit my fingers against something, wowowowow

Linda – My worse are my little fingers and my thumbs……they are always getting hit.

Zelda – Don’t have any joint deformity but I did fracture my pinky toe and now every time I flareup my toe throbs like a toothache. If I hit it by accident….let us pray because the words that come to mind are so unkind.

Pamela – Somehow or other the bad fingers are always the one to hit something. Yes – it hurts big time!

Waynette – bumping anything hurts so bad

Lisa – I second the IMAK gloves! My hands have a lot of swelling but not much deformity yet. The gloves seem to work almost like a heating pad – a sensory distraction from the pain. My hands get sore when they are cold, the warmth helps with that, and they’re also great padding for when I bump them. I couldn’t say if it helps with swelling, I have four pairs and I’m almost always wearing them.

Cheryl – my toes are the worst…the middle and little toes are deformed & every time I bump them it’s like an electric shock! extremely painful!

Deb – I make sure my little one knows not to squeeze my hand too hard and I stopped shaking hands. Even a gentle squeeze hurts and everyone seems to have a very firm grip. My husband changes the sheets because it’s too hard. Modify whatever tasks you can!

Donia – I had my fingers surgically fixed and it solved the problem. I don’t know if this is always an option but for me it was.

Julie – I don’t have any deformities but I know what you mean. My grandson just patted the back of my hand and I just about went through the roof. OUCH.

Elviera – OH and HOW IT HURTS!!! Have a hand deformity –my right , dominant hand, and am constantly banging it YIKES!!! My little finger and ring finger are the worst!!! However, my toes hurt too. The eldest grandchild, he is 8, and has learned to be very gentle- – -the 4 younger ones are not so, so I need to constantly remind them. But YES, shaking hands, hugging etc. can all cause PAIN!!

Mary – My top knuckles are so swollen if I bump them even slightly sometimes the skin breaks open and bleeds. It’s so nasty! I walk around with band aided up hands…definitely not attractive, but nobody wants to shake my hand once they spot the 5 cookie monster band aids.

Pat – I have had that too and it is terribly painful. Anyone that has not experienced would find it hard to believe that anything could hurt that badly. But it does!!! I have always been amazed that one small joint in one finger could hurt so badly that I would be up all night. I mean really? a little finger keep me up all night!!! But RA is like that and until you’ve been there, you can’t understand.

Angela – My heels and toes are the worse… I only wear closed shoes when shopping at Costco.. Been hurt to many times…

Laura – I had my boutonniere finger fixed with a replacement…it didn’t want to stay straight. But yes it did hurt when I hit it.

Martha – My thumbs were swollen and so painful but some prednisone shots helped so far

Pat – My boutonniere deformity did get better after six months or so. And I have learned to watch for certain symptoms that tell me the tendon is contracting and use splints to prevent the finger from getting stuck bent. Warm soaks help too. Don’t force your finger to straighten out as you might tear your tendon.

Becky – It hurts like no tomorrow! I have 2 lumps on my fingers, pointer and middle, (new to this so not sure the proper name) but when ya hit it, ya find words u never knew existed!

Chelsea – No deformities that I know of, but if I bang my wrist on anything save the souls of any virgin ears near me lmao

Lisa – Feet !!!

Elaine – I have multiple rheumatoid nodules on m fingers,knuckles and elbows and the least little knock is excruciatingly painful.

Kylie – My husband and I were at a funeral recently and he gave my hand a ‘reassuring’ squeeze… I almost died too!!!

Niki Wyre – My knuckles actually feel like they have been burned most of the time anymore so if I knock them against anything or rub against something its like banging against a bad sunburn. But to answer the Chicks question my hands are the most curse worthy affected area from my RA lol

Ilsa – My fingers do not bend from middle joints much at all. If they get accidentally bent or pushed to bend it is excruciating! Ouch!

Michele – Its my pinkie toe that does that….realized it once when drying off….thought I was going to die…the pain lasted all day then….

Sandy – Seems to be the norm. Sorry, but you are in good company.

Evelyn – I have one very swollen and perpetually bent finger. I swear sometimes I can look at it hard and I want to scream. Banging it on anything causes tears and some very creative swearing!

Beth – You are not alone….

Dana – my wrist

Jackie – lol listen to us all. yea its the worst possible pain

Tammy – Yes yes yes to all.. I feel like falling to the ground and crying when I hit my fingers..awful pain

Becki – yes, I sometimes have this. I had one on my foot that I actually had to have surgically removed because I couldn’t wear a shoe!

Samantha – Whenever I hit my left ring finger, my gosh does it hurt.

Nadine – Yeah it is extra painful when you bump them. For fingers I got finger splints made by an OT

Louise – I have the nodules on joints on hands. If I hit them pain is horrible. Now hand surgery on shoulder and both hands hurt. RA pain

Tammy – Yes, definitely painful. I didn’t know why those fingers were hurting more than normal, assumed it was from the RA, but definitely know now…..thanks for the advise on IMAK gloves, going to get some.

Pennie – All joints hurt to bang, but deformed joints hurt worse, joints with previous surgeries hurt even more, but my wrist that have titanium plates for fusions hurt the worst!! I have to focus and breathe or I could lose it!

Lynn – I have found that my hands have become super sensitive to hot/cold water. Hate having to put hands in water any more.

Alex – My hands were that way. Whether I bumped them or someone touched me. People have no idea how often your hands bump objects until excruciating, foul-mouthed pain reminds you of every tap!

Briana – Fingers and toes!!

Sherri – Shaking hands is excruciating sometimes.

Cari – right now I can’t even be touched, every joint is so incredibly painful and sensitive!!

Rebecca – When i bump my hands, it would bring me to my knees…if i could get down on my knees, that is. I don’t shake hands anymore either, its too painful.

Joy – Hurts a lot more to hit those joints!

Michele – if i stub my toe on something, no matter how lightly, it hurts in my knees. I am always protecting my knees from my kids and the dog!!

Kimberly – You are definitely not alone. The simple act of picking up your purse or even a pad of paper can hurt those precious fingers. Wishing you a pain free day tomorrow.

Chronic Curve – With you there! A stubbed toe or bumped knuckle, knee is 10x more painful than it should be.

Donna – I know what you mean! I think it is worse from fibromyalgia too x

Pam – Ooooh yes very painful and if the deformities get bent back it brings me to tears x

Anne – Toes.. Did you know boutonnière means button hole.. The lateral tendons weaken or tighten and the joint pops thru like through a button hole… Lovely unfortunately then fuses like it. Was the first visible joint deformity I had… Got two on the left hand which can get painful….the right hand started but when they replaced the knuckle joints it realigned the finger tendons so they stopped going the same way..Hate how RA has changed my hands.. Mum said she used to cry when she first saw them reckons I had pianist hands long straight fingers.. Sigh

Michelle – I have ra, and have lump on my two upper hands, and yes, they are so so painful, when you’ve knocked them! There a bit like a ganglion? And they say, you’re supposed to hit them with a bible?! And then they will disappear, as yet, it has not worked!!!!!

Diane – Oh I hear you! Bumping into something or even shaking hands can be excruciating! My right ring has been quite bad & tender for years. In November I had it fused. It went from deformed to an ugly finger that looks like a sausage BUT…….(((drum roll))). NO MORE PAIN! It is so awesome but it was so tender for so long, I still find myself protecting it. Good luck to you!

Patricia – me too

Heather – xxx

Tracey – me too

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