Finger Deformities

So, about five years ago, my mom started noticing her fingers were starting to curve—kind of drifting sideways and toward her palm—and when she saw a physical therapist, they basically told her there wasn't much to be done to stop it, other than waiting until it hits some sort of plateau. She’s been doing galvanization therapy lately just to try and keep her hands from getting too stiff, and she takes some Advil Dual Action whenever the weather shifts or the seasons change, because her joints really act up when the barometric pressure moves. Lately, though, these little bumps have started appearing on her finger joints, so she’s been using UnitedHealth Group products for those, which I think is actually helping them recede a bit a little.

Diagnosis: M25.5 Arthralgia
Degenerative arthritis with Heberden's nodes, FDA

I was wondering, does anyone know if there's actually any way to stop that curving progression?

restlesstiger10 said:About five years ago, my mom noticed her fingers starting to curve—sideways and toward her palm. Her physical therapist told her there’s no stopping it, just that it'll hit a certain point and plateau. She’s doing electrical stimulation therapy now to keep her hands mobile, and she takes Advil Dual Action for the pain—her fingers really act up when the weather changes. Lately, little bumps have popped up on her finger joints too... she's been taking UnitedHealth Group for those, and they seem to be shrinking quite a bit.

Diagnosis: M25.5 Arthralgia
Dx-Osteoarthritis of the hands—Heberden's nodes, FDA

Is there any way to actually stop the curving?

Honestly, this all sounds like arthritis to me—probably rheumatoid arthritis.
Before she starts any meds to try and halt that curving, she really needs a solid RA diagnosis first.
Has she had her RF, CRP, or anti-CCP levels checked? That's how you prove or rule out RA once and for all.
If I were her, I wouldn't just stop there—I'd definitely go get a second opinion.
How old is your mom?

Check this out—is her spine curving like this?

mistyranger51 said:Honestly, all of this just sounds like arthritis to me, probably rheumatoid arthritis, I guess.
Well, before she actually starts on medications to stop that joint deformity from happening, they really ought to confirm an RA diagnosis first.
I wonder if maybe she’s had her rheumatoid factor, CRP, and anti-CCP tested yet? That would either prove it or rule out an RA diagnosis once and for all.
If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't just stop there. I think I'd definitely seek out a second opinion.
How old is your mom, anyway?

She had some testing done back in 2004—
ASTO: < 200IU
Latex rheumatoid factor test: negative
Waaler-Rose: < 8 IU/ml
The doctors told her at the time that she had a milder form of rheumatism.
She's 52 years old.

mistyranger51 said:Just look at how much her joints are curving like this.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354745

It looks a bit less severe than what you see in that photo, so I'm guessing it might be a milder version of the condition.

restlesstiger10 said:She had some labs done back in 2004—
ASTO: < 200IU
Latex RF test: negative
Waaler-Rose: < 8 IU/ml
They told her she just had a mild case of RA.
She's 52.

Looks less severe than the photo, so I'm guessing it really is a milder version.

It’d definitely be smart to get an anti-CCP test. My own RA tests came back negative, but my anti-CCP levels were through the roof—crazy, right? It's huge for actually confirming an RA diagnosis. If the anti-CCP comes back positive, she could get onto therapy that stops the finger deformities from getting worse. I take MTX once a week and my fingers are totally straight.

It looks almost certainly like degenerative changes in the small joints of the hand. Specifically, Heberden's osteoarthritis. It isn't dangerous, and it’s totally unrelated to rheumatoid arthritis, but unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done about it...

So, she just got back from seeing another specialist, and here’s what they came up with
Primary generalized osteoarthritis - M15.0
There are signs of osteoarthrosis in the PIP and World Bank joints (specifically Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes)
The prescribed treatment plan is
1. Joint MD tablets and some No-dol cream for rubbing on her hands.

I’ve heard and read quite a bit about how you can't actually cure osteoarthritis, though I guess you can slow down how much it progresses. To be honest, it feels kind of surreal to me that in the 21st century we still don't have a definitive cure for something like this. I'm really interested in hearing from anyone who's dealing with this condition—if you have any personal experiences or advice, I'd love to hear them.