Its been a few years since I first wrote about the problem with my hand. I’d spent the best part of 2021 and 2022 speaking with various consultants and physio therapy specialists, having steroid injections and MRI scans with very little progress as to why my finger was unable to bend.

All of these consultations were taking place in hospitals in and around Milton Keynes and I always felt like the consultants I was speaking with were going round in circles and kept on trying the same things while expecting different results. Then in the summer of 2022 I moved house and had all my referrals transferred to Northampton and I feel like this change in medical team was exactly what I needed.

The MRI scan showed a build up of fluid and swelling around the joints in my finger which the new medical team confirmed is a symptom of Rheumatoid Arthritis - an autoimmune condition affecting the cartilage around joints, particularly in fingers, wrists and ankles.

The swelling in my finger is mostly gone

My finger straightens pretty well now

At first the doctors asked me to try some Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as Diclofenac and Naproxen. These definitely had an impact in reducing the pain and a slight reduction in swelling but the difference was negligible so we decided to try something a little stronger.

I was then put on a course of Methotrexate which is a Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD). The dosage was low to begin with to see how I took to the drug but the results were almost immediate with the swelling reducing dramatically within a couple of weeks. Over the next few months the dosage was increased and some physio exercises were reintroduced to bring back almost all of the flexibility in my finger with the swelling almost completely gone.

I’ve now been taking Methotrexate for a little over two years and am almost able to make a complete fist. The middle joint of the finger has all its flexibility back but the joint at the tip is still a little swollen so I cant quite tuck the tip of my finger inwards.

I still have days when my finger is very stiff and swollen, especially on cold/damp mornings but the progress has been great and has allowed me to start weight lifting again and start studying taekwondo - both of which I would not have been able to do two years ago. I plan on having a review with the rheumatology team sometime in the next few months to see if there’s anything more that can be done or whether I need to live with the remaining lack of flexibility, but for now I’m happy and in a much better place than I was after my last post.

Almost a fully clenched fist now

Finger bends almost as much as the rest