Quick Summary
Painful or stiff fingers and wrists can affect cooking, writing and hobbies. Osteoarthritis care focuses on keeping your hand useful and comfortable. We assess your symptoms and build a realistic plan for movement, strength and everyday tasks.
Understanding Hand & Wrist Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis involves changes in the whole joint, including cartilage and bone. Bony finger-joint enlargement may develop, but the appearance of a joint does not reliably show how painful it will be. Wrist symptoms can also follow a previous injury or have a different cause.
How we assess your symptoms
We discuss the tasks you want to improve and examine joint movement, grip and symptom behaviour. We can advise on pacing, practical aids and whether a GP or hand specialist should assess unusual swelling, locking or persistent loss of function.
Image: H. V. Carter / Gray, 1918 · Public domain. Adapted.
Do You Experience These Symptoms?
- Aching or stiffness with gripping, pinching or using the wrist.
- Reduced movement or small bony enlargements around finger joints.
- Fluctuating swelling or difficulty with fine tasks.
An assessment helps guide your next step, based on your symptoms, health and goals.
What may contribute?
Age, family tendency, previous injury and joint loading can contribute. New hot swelling or prolonged morning stiffness may suggest another condition, including inflammatory arthritis, and should not automatically be labelled osteoarthritis.
A treatment plan built around you
Hands-On Manual Therapy
Gentle treatment may be considered for comfort, but forceful manipulation is not needed to grind away joint changes. Hands-on care cannot regrow cartilage; useful function and manageable symptoms guide the plan.
Is Shockwave Suitable?
Shockwave is not routinely recommended for hand & wrist osteoarthritis. Your assessment will guide appropriate rehabilitation, symptom management and whether medical or specialist review is needed. We will explain why each proposed treatment fits your symptoms before you decide whether to proceed.
Targeted Exercise Programme
Individual hand and wrist exercises aim to maintain movement and strength. We adjust resistance and volume to the response and discuss ways to reduce unnecessary strain during tasks rather than avoiding all hand use.
When to Seek Urgent Medical Help
While most symptoms are not serious, urgent medical attention is required if you experience any of the following:
- Go to A&E immediately after an injury if a joint is deformed or the hand or finger is cold, pale or blue, or has severe loss of sensation. For other severe swelling or inability to use the arm, seek urgent assessment through NHS 111.
- A hot, red, rapidly swollen joint with fever needs urgent medical assessment. Arrange prompt review for persistent numbness, increasing weakness or loss of dexterity.
Your questions answered
Does osteoarthritis always keep getting worse?
No. Symptoms can fluctuate and may remain manageable. A plan that fits your tasks, with review when symptoms change, is more helpful than judging progress only by an X-ray.
Will I need an X-ray?
Not always. History and examination often guide initial care. Imaging or blood tests may be useful if the pattern is unusual, an injury is suspected or a specialist decision depends on them.
Which appointment should I book?
Choose a Physiotherapy Initial Assessment for new, persistent or uncertain symptoms. We will assess what is limiting you, explain the options and agree the next steps. If you already have a diagnosis, bring any relevant scan report or specialist advice.
Visit J&J Therapy on the ground floor of CI Tower, New Malden. Book an assessment or call our reception team on 07935 869938 if you are unsure which service to choose.
Related conditions
Thumb CMC arthritis · Ganglion cyst
Sources and further reading
This page is for general information only and does not replace professional medical advice.
Information updated 15 October 2026. General information to support informed choices; it is not a diagnosis or a personalised treatment plan. Suitability and any need for referral are assessed individually. Seek urgent medical help for the warning signs listed above.